Windows XP

I'm still running it on an old desktop and one of my laptops. I see no reason to upgrade on either machine. To my mind, XP is the best of the Windows operating systems. Windows 7 is pretty good but not as easy to learn to use as XP.

Remember when Microsoft was releasing a new version of the Windows Operating System and people would camp out at the stores for days in advance to get a copy?

What happened?

Vista and W8 happened. Many people were not happy.

I agree that Win XP & Pro was their very best. Win 7 Pro has been a bit more difficult to learn but not bad. I wouldn't touch Win 8. Already Microsoft is talking up Win 9, recognizing that the marketplace is telling them they've got another loser.

Fred

I can't upgrade do to age.
I need to build another computer when I choose to upgrade. Which I am actually considering since my son has a license key for Win 7 pro.

I currently run 3 instances of XP (4 if you count the virtual machine under Windows 7), 1 Vista Home Premium 64 and one Windows 7 Pro 64. I know Vista has a terrible reputation, but I have had absolutely no issues with it. It is on my ASUS laptop which I purchased in 2009 and is my main computer that I use daily.

As solid and reliable as XP has been, it is getting a little "long in the tooth" compared to Vista and 7. I have a few old applications that won't run on Vista or 7, so I will probably keep at least 1 instance XP in a separate bootable partition for those applications. XP served us well, but it is time to move on.

Let's see, for me it's...

Three instances of Windows 98:
*One instance is on a Toshiba Libretto that I haven't used in ages.
*One instance is the back-end OS for an Atari ST Emulator running under DOS.
*One instance in a VMWare Workstation virtual machine so I can run old games that won't run on anything newer.

None of these instances can connect to the Internet. Either the hardware is too old, or in the case of the VM, I blocked the ethernet connection.

One instance of Windows XP:
My Dell Mini 10V netbook still runs XP. To transfer audio cassettes to digital I use a Griffin iMic and a tape deck. The iMic is not compatible with anything later than XP.

Five instances of Windows 7:
Four laptops and a netbook, all running Windows 7 in either 32-bit or 64-bit flavors. One laptop died due to a hardware issue.

One instance of Windows 8.1:
The Dell XPS 18 I have was upgraded to Windows 8.1. Using Start8 by Iobit, it launches in desktop mode with a Windows 7 start menu.

Around these parts it is very difficult to find either a MD office or major hospital that is NOT running XP. Now add all those other professional, business offices. Anyone remember the Y2K date panic? The politics of this XP issue, together w/the pervasiveness of security anarchy going on now just boggles the mind.

What be the odds on another delay of the retirement of XP?

I would bet BIG money against XP being extended.

MS has it's future wrapped up in W8, tying the "PC" market/apps in with tablet/smartphone. Making one user interface across all platforms is their path now.

The more new operating systems Microsoft rams down everyone's throats the more their profits go up.

For those of use who still want to have the newer OS systems and still use the older OS's use a virtual machine.

Microsoft Virtual PC (free)
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=3702

Virtual Box (free)
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

VMWare (pay)
http://www.vmware.com/

These are just a few. There are others and you are not limited to running Windows XP. You can run Windows 95, Apple OS, Fedora, Ubuntu, Linux and others.

All of my 'puters run XP.

When and if it ever gets to the point where I'm forced to change XP-OS, I'll go with Linux.

I'm tired of paying MicroSoft every time I turn around!

Nuvi1300WTGPS

And they're trying to make us pay them more money for OS upgrades that offers no real improvement, IMHO, anyway.

All good things eventually end.

It sounds to me like some people think that XP will at sometime self-destruct. It will continue to run just like it has been running on your computer since you got XP.

My 2003 version of Office still suits my needs and runs on the XP machine.

What is the big deal?

The "big deal" is not the present, but the future. Come April 8, Windows XP will receive no more support. That means no new updates of any kind. While this doesn't mean anything right at this moment, once Microsoft stops supporting XP, the hackers will have free reign to crack the system. How? By reverse engineering the fixes for Windows Vista, Windows 7 and 8, finding where in the update's code the fixes are applied, and then developing an exploit that takes advantage of the unpatched code in Windows XP.

Antivirus and anti-malware software coupled with an alternative browser may buy you some time, but if the hackers crack XP through an unpatched vulnerability, by the time that software detects the presence of the bad code it will be too late, the system will have been compromised. And since there will be no fixes, the doorway will remain open.

For more details, read the following article: http://www.zdnet.com/windows-xp-what-to-expect-once-microsof...

I find the unwillingness to upgrade baffling. To me Windows XP is like that favorite shirt with all the moth holes in it: comfortable but still leaving you exposed.

Windows XP was awesome. The fact is it works well. It just needs the ability to be able to support more memory. What's the point of replacing something if it is not broken?

if and when security vulnerabilities are discovered they won't be fixed. Running XP with no support is playing russian roulette if you use the computer to access the internet.
Would you use anti-virus software than wasn't ever updated?
Good luck!

It's your choice. Like I mentioned earlier, Windows XP users who don't want to upgrade will have a little time if they use an alternate browser, antivirus, and anti-malware, but eventually their systems will be compromised if they do not upgrade. I could upgrade my netbook to run Windows 7, but for hardware compatibility reasons I won't. Thus, the netbook will have its access to the Internet disabled when Windows XP support ends. Because there is no way in hell I will allow the other systems on my network to be compromised by having a system that cannot be updated on the same network.

Regarding the memory thing, Windows XP is a 32-bit operating system. Memory addressing limitations of the software mean it cannot handle more than 4GB of memory. Even then, depending on the amount of shadow RAM, that 4GB can be as little as 3GB. The only way to overcome the limitation is to move to a 64-bit operating system. For example, Windows 7 64-bit can address anywhere from 8GB for its Starter and Home Basic versions to 192GB for Ultimate. The Windows 7 memory limitations exist only because there is no hardware that can support the maximum for a 64-bit OS, 16 exabytes (1 billion gigabytes) of memory.

To get Windows XP to see more than 4GB would require the OS to be rewritten to expand support from the Itanium processor to the Intel consumer processors, which is never going to happen.

Yours or your computer's?

Phil

Computer. In order to upgrade I need to build a new computer from scratch.

My 90 year old in-laws & my (younger) wife have been using WinXP for many years and REFUSE to let me upgrade their systems. I bought myself a Win7 laptop several years ago, but even I resist going to Win8.

My in-laws, at their age, would be incapable of learning a new GUI and applications. My wife simply doesn't want to.

To keep my wife's WinXP desktop running, I have installed the biggest video card compatible with the motherboard that I could find, replaced the power supply (noisy fan) and replaced the case & CPU cooling fans which were all getting old.

Last Fall, I put in a larger HDD and reinstalled WinXP from scratch along with all the applications. Getting rid of many years of installed old, but no longer used programs, made the machine a lot quicker.

I'm trying to stretch these PCs as far as I can.

Glad to find out about the XP discontinuing support. Thank you for the heads up. i dont need malware running amuk on my XP Computers. I'm currently using a desktop running windows 7 for work related autocad drawings, another desktop and laptop running XP for household purposes, an iMac desktop and a MacBook Pro laptop for personal computing. The XP computers were really stable computers so now I suppose it's time for me to retire the two XP machines as they are just too old to upgrade and I don't need to purchase any more computers.

I liked Windows XP much better than the Windows 7 we have now.

I'm sure in time we will have to get a new PC and it will have Windows 8 (or something more hideous), but in time, I will at the very least get used to it.

Windows 3.1, we hardly knew ye.

FUD - (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) Microsoft hasn't been supporting Win98 or Win 3.1 for a long time now, and I haven't heard a lot of widespread reports of hackers compromising those systems.

No...just information taken from the linked article. However you can't deny that reverse engineering is a valid attack vector. Plus, you have a huge issue with XP being on a third of the world's PCs plus being used in ATMs and POS systems. On the flip side however, I know of one supermarket chain in the area here where the self checkout terminals still use Windows 2000.

Forward-looking statements are always difficult to justify and too easy to dismiss as FUD. However, just because they are forward-looking statements they shouldn't be ignored. Predicting the future is always a dicey business since the future is always in motion.

I'll be (hopefully) sticking with XP for a while.

I have an old laptop with XP-SP1 on it that I use solely to connect via RJ45 (no wireless) to my router for administrative changes and it stays on the router/modem shelf.

I would never use it on the internet, as it would be TOO slow and prone to virus attacks.

I was thinking of getting the MS service packs installed to SP3, but decided against it a couple of years ago.

"Forward-looking statements are always difficult to justify and too easy to dismiss as FUD."

Amusing .... to say the least. While a forward looking process has merits when organized as part of PLANNING, too often it is just a chicken little perception.

I currently use Win 7,XP pro and even DOS in a few cases. The OS matches the importance/necessity of the app/data.

Remember, "real" hackers are more interested in "valuable" data and or processes ...most of which don't go anywhere near a user operating system like windows.

The real problem comes from the progress of third party apps/systems evolving beyond an unsupported OS system.... plain and simple!

While "forward looking" is a favorite buzz word for progressives, it's sole purpose is to confuse issues and befuddle (FUD) users. We should try deal in reality and education instead of promoting confusion.

I agree. Great system. But I have been reading that there will be security issues because it is not longer being supported and no security updates. If you don't want to risk getting hacked, it is better to upgrade and have the available protections.

As Strephon_Alkhalikoi said in a post, updates will cease to exist or be hard to find. I had to rebuild a machine for a friend, using his old XP disk. After installing the OS, I needed to update to Service Pack 3.. Try finding this stuff on a new build machine.. All updates now require you to find them, and then install them manually. This was very time consuming and will not want to do it again anytime soon.

One thing I have an intense dislike for is being quoted out of context simply to "score points". It's clear you didn't read everything I had to say and chose to ignore elements of what I did say in order to promote your point of view. To quote:

The sentence in bold italics is important here, and its absence from your post is why I believe you didn't read what I had to say and ignored parts of it. The first sentence in the quoted paragraph is opinion and neither right nor wrong, true or false. However to not quote the entire paragraph means the entire point of what was being said is lost. That point? While it's always hard to predict what may happen in the future, just because such statements are made they should not be ignored.

Now I fully expect a lot of people will ignore everything I have said on this thread. That's their right to do so, just as it is their right to bitch, moan, and whine because MP3 capability was removed from GPS receivers. But ignorance is no excuse for when bad things happen.

Self destruct? No but they may turn into botnet zombies (by getting infected thru drive-by downloads). So there's the big deal.

All you gotta do is search, download and install SP3. Finding SP3 only takes less than 5 seconds (it takes longer to download). Post SP3 patches are automatically detected, downloaded and installed. It'll remain the same after XP support ends but there will be no more new fixes.

You are partially correct on this. I had to do a full install of XP pro on a work computer. SP3 was not an issue to find. Windows update did not work! A major issue was finding the correct windows update file. The one MS had was not up to date and would not work.I found what I needed at another (Not MS) site. This allowed me to get updates. So the XP pro install to get it fully patched and with drivers took me almost 8 hours. I had backed up the drivers (This is custom built for us. Not a Dell or HP)SO the worst part was the updates from MS. The updates are harder and harder to find.

I don't quite understand, if your anti-virus is up to date and your firewall is up to date, and everything else by that matter is up to date... Why are people so scared of the Windows XP EOL?

It feels like everyone assumes that when the XP EOL comes around, thousands of exploits will instantly be found and abused by hackers.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'not up to date'. Drivers or Windows patches? If it's Windows patches that have been revised many times, Automatic Updates will auto detect the latest (most up to date) patches and install them.

I have no problem with Windows Automatic Updates. It runs automatically, detects and installs all 100+ post SP3 patches.

I just reinstalled XP Pro on Dell laptop. Took me less than 2 hours to get it fully patched. Automatic updates takes care of most of the work. All I had to do is install SP3 and WiFi/graphics/sound drivers (I have those in a CD). Automatic updates does the rest.

My laptop is too old to be upgraded beyond XP. Even Windows 7 is out of reach for it. And being a laptop, it can't be easily converted to an acquarium (just may be for flat fish...)
So as long as third party security software vendors can offer reasonable protection, I'll keep using it as is.

Unfortunately, you still can't convert your XP machine to anything newer than Vista. I'm hoping Win 9 has a conversion tool so we can keep our XP files.

"..........Now I fully expect a lot of people will ignore everything I have said on this thread. That's their right to do so, just as it is their right to bitch, moan, and whine because MP3 capability was removed from GPS receivers. But ignorance is no excuse for when bad things happen."

I agree!

And while XP-SP3 will run for a long time on any hardware that will support it, it won't be long before that hardware dies and XP will not migrate to newer hardware. That will be the death of XP. WHEN it will not run on any hardware the average user will have around.

Major complaints went up when the BIOS went from hardware resident to software resident. I.E. W8.

Funny, I remember this very same debate and comments when DOS was replaced with Windows 3. And then when the option to run a virtual DOS was removed from Windows.

Life moves on. Software/Hardware moves on into extinction even faster.

That's why I saved and burned all my updates to a CD/DVD so whenever I installed or reinstalled my XP-OS I had everything
right at hand.

I've done that with all my computer OS's... starting with Win 3.1, 95, 98, 2000 and XP. Doing this I never had a problem getting any one of them to work.

Nuvi1300WTGPS

So you burn updates once a month? How do you handle updates that have been superseded by newer updates? Why make life difficult? Existing updates will remain intact even after XP support expires in a couple of months. They won't cease to exist. Let AU (Automatic Updates) get them automatically. AU won't stop working.

Btw, I can still download Windows NT 4 SP 6a direct from microsoft.com today. The OS has been out of support for 10+ years (wild guess).

Windows XP support ends today.

I will miss you Windows XP. You have been good to me and I will not forget you.

I'd like to find out from bobkz where I said updates will become the ex-parrot in the Monty Python skit. Windows Update still exists and the existing updates will continue being offered through it. No NEW updates will be offered however.

Autopatcher is what I used to install XP's updates rather than connecting to the Internet. It can download the correct patches and ignore the out of date ones, then install all the patches from disk. It also works for Vista and 7.

I just ran across some information on the net saying that even if a person upgrades to Win7 greedy Microsoft is going to stop support for it in 2017.

Look at this Theme: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/04/windows-xp-theme-lubuntu

Still a great OS for a base level computer like a HTPC. Though windows 7 is still great as well for that.

Windows 7 SP1 extended support will end in January 2020.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle

...even heard of one 'upgrading' to Windows 7. How's that for job security.