posted
An inevitable, yet troubling, date for those of us who still have XP Operating System.
Here is an e-xchange I had with a neighbor - CIO of a regional securities firm - regarding such:
Me to He:
Marshall--
I now learned that Win XP will 'XPire' next month in that Microsoft will no longer support it.
I guess that means it had best not be used on-line anymore, but that it could still be used off line.
All told, that means I have to go out and buy a new computer system ($3K), buy ($600) and learn Office (I just have Lotus 123; not published for W7 and 8, I think) and new games. Maybe my existing printer and audio can be salvaged. - and all this in a year in which I'm having my house interior repainted and recarpeted and going to Salzburg in July (oh well, stock market did OK last year).
Any thoughts on what I should buy so far as system capacity and what for an OS, i.e. 7 or 8. I'm quite happy with Dell as I have had no hardware breakdowns with my existing machine that you hooked for me during 2007.
GBN
He to me:
Hi Gil,
You are right about XP expiring, and also about it being unsafe to use once it has expired. Of course, the banks with ATM networks have the real problem, since about 98% of US ATMs run XP!
Let me do a little research - I think you’ll be happiest with Windows 8.1, but with the Traditional desktop (I can explain when I see you). Fortunately, W8.1 has some very good “backward compatibility” modes, so I would expect that anything we were able to make run on XP we will be able to make run on 8.1.
I’ll get back to you this weekend with my thoughts.
Marshall
Be forewarned
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I have an XP, and can't really afford to buy a new computer now. Does anyone know if Internet Explorer will still work after 4/10?
I am worried that, if I buy a new computer, some of my older software won't run on it.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Look folks, XP will still run perfectly happy after XP day. It will still be relatively safe to use after XP day, though that will diminish over time. It doesn't suddenly become a dangerous, self-imploding operating system. Microsoft will continue to provide virus warnings for Windows XP users until 14 July 2015 – over a year after all other support for the software is scheduled to stop.
Organizations looking to continue with XP beyond the deadline can sign up for Custom Support through Microsoft’s Premier Support Services program. This will cost those organizations big money.
Don't forget, this "news" was reported back in September 2007.
Some older software won't work; other stuff will be perfectly happy. Windows 8(.1) will be a shock to anybody who hasn't seen it.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Mr. Mayo, I have one experience in this life with Win 8.0 - and that was at an Indigo hotel (first and last time I ever will stay at that Intercontinental brand) during Nov 2012. That is what their lobby computer had, and all the touch icons were simply confusing. I asked the 'twentysomething' desk clerk for some help saying I only had XP, to which she laughed 'hey, I think my Mom and Dad still have that old stuff'.
I didn't particularly like her attitude, nor, once again, I had little use for the 'motif' of that brand.
Possibly Marshall figures that it best I learn a new System, and given my age not likely ever have to learn another - well maybe when 'I'm upstairs'.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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My computer guru says that all the pc's, in stores, come with Windows 8. Is that true? I have Windows 8 and it's much worse than Windows 7. I'll bet W9 will look a lot like W7.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
I think you can still buy Windows 7 PCs - maybe less so in the major stores like Best Buy, perhaps more easily online. W7 was the last of the "traditional" interfaces before the massive mind set change of W8. Even after around 6 months on W8, using it 8+ hours a day in my working life, I still can't say I like it or that I'm used to it.
To be fair, XP is 12.5 years old which is positively ancient in computing terms. I know of some trains that still use Windows 95, albeit a highly customized and ruggedized version (but still requires a virtual Ctrl-Alt-Del sometimes). Office systems can be even older. Generally the more safety critical the application, the older the operating system used to run it. Those safety assessors aren't exactly at the bleeding edge of technology.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Geoff Mayo: Look folks, XP will still run perfectly happy after XP day. It will still be relatively safe to use after XP day, though that will diminish over time. It doesn't suddenly become a dangerous, self-imploding operating system.
I agree. What's far more important is that you never venture online unless you're protected by a fully-operational firewall, and update your current browser, anti-virus, and anti-malware programs on a regular basis.
BTW, you should have several of the latter installed on your computer, and run them manually or automatically once each week. No anti-malware software will catch everything, and each will discover items that the others may miss. Malwarebytes, Spybot Search & Destroy, and Super AntiSpyware are three good places to start.
Make sure to defragment your hard drive every month or so to keep XP running smoothly.
Any files that you can't afford to lose should be backed up on DVD discs, a thumb drive, or an external hard drive.
And if you're totally paranoid? Never keep sensitive files (such as your personal financial records or steamy memoirs) on your computer's hard drive at all.
Instead, store the files on the aformentioned DVDs, thumb drive, or external drive, and access them only when your computer isn't connected to the internet.
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