Oct. 6--Microsoft Corp. sorely needs its upcoming Windows 7 operating system to be a hit, and Dallas-area companies are prepared to help make that happen.

Once upon a time, new operating systems from Microsoft were considered landmark events in the technology business, like a carnival coming to town.

Windows 95 was a blockbuster, and Windows XP is one of the most stable, reliable and battle-tested platforms around.

But Windows 7 is arriving on the heels of what is generally considered to be -- at least in terms of public perception -- a giant failure: Windows Vista.

At the same time, Microsoft has seen its financial performance stumble, so getting companies to adopt the new operating system is crucial for the software giant.

Fortunately for Microsoft, Windows 7 might be the best thing it has built in years.

Dallas-based Affiliated Computer Services Inc. helps companies and government agencies implement new technology to boost efficiency, and the outsourcing company said the distaste for Vista was real and well-founded.

"A lot of our clients, I would say the vast majority, opted to not choose Vista and stayed on XP extended support," said Wayne Scalf, vice president of global IT service delivery at ACS.

"Vista's been a bit of a fizzle, and it's got some issues with it. But we're excited about Windows 7."

XP is still the operating system of choice for numerous companies eight years after its release.

Even some of Microsoft's key technical partners, including chipmaker Intel Corp., never bothered to upgrade from XP to Vista.

Web research firm Net Applications noted a few days ago that Vista's market share seems to have peaked since its launch in 2007.

Of all computers connected to the Internet last month, about 18.6 percent were Vista machines, a decline of 0.2 percentage points from August, according to Net Applications.

Meanwhile, XP accounted for 71.5 percent of all PCs on the Web.

Windows 7, which doesn't get its official release until Oct. 22 but which has been available in various beta versions and to some corporate customers, is already running on 1.5 percent of computers, up 0.3 percentage points.

The Vista flop, coupled with the global recession, has hammered Microsoft's once metronome-like growth pace.

In July, for example, the company said, fourth-quarter revenue fell 17 percent from a year ago to $13.1 billion, while its profit dropped 29 percent to $3.05 billion.

Microsoft is banking on a slate of new products to revive its fortunes, with 7 right out front.

The buzz around Windows 7 is overwhelmingly positive.