pcwizz1
asked on
XP Extinct?
Hello Everyone,
I am not sure of this is the appropriate forum for this question but here goes...
I have used XP for years and do not want to change. I am tired of being forced into newer versions of Microsoft OS's. XP has worked well for me and my family and I would like to stay with it.
I heard that XP will no longer be supported in a few months. What can we XP users do to keep running?
Thanks
I am not sure of this is the appropriate forum for this question but here goes...
I have used XP for years and do not want to change. I am tired of being forced into newer versions of Microsoft OS's. XP has worked well for me and my family and I would like to stay with it.
I heard that XP will no longer be supported in a few months. What can we XP users do to keep running?
Thanks
Keep using it. Many antivirus software vendors will keep supporting it for a while. Eventually it will be extinct. It's a matter of time before you are forced to move on. Take your time, but do not resist the change forever to your own detriment.
No need to be paranoid, but it's wise to be practical.
No need to be paranoid, but it's wise to be practical.
SOLUTION
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If you use good sense with web browsing and have excellent anti virus software and dont need to see any of the new youtube videos or the newer web pages as you'll need to run your browsers in compatibility mode , flash probably won't run right as the newer flash won't install on older systems, your video card will stress as no new drivers will fix the video isuues, then you'll be fine.
People are still using windows 98 2nd edition but only for paper work as they can't really interact much with the newer internet features.
Keep your XP for now but keep in mind as we age so do our systems..
HDD's fail after a while, same with the video card the PSU, Capasitors on the Mobo.. all your hardware has a life expectancy of around 6 to 8 years max maybe more with some, but will become unstable and then they start to fail and you'll have to replace parts.
Replacing parts may void your OEM and or nolonger be available let alone fit in to your Case.
Buy some software that can backup your files.
If it helps I see it all the time, but windows 7 is the same as XP just more bling.
the layout is same similar and it's easy to navigate.
You have Experts Exchange million or so members using windows 7 and can help you.
Remember when XP came out how we all were so scared of changing over.
Microsoft fixed it based on our complaints with XP SP1 and XP SP2 etc.
All the programs I had in XP runs fine in windows 7 x32 and windows 7 x 64.
So just wait till these things are fixed which they are now in windows 7
I'm still using Office 2003 ;)
Even the video card manufacturers couldn't keep up with all the new windows and drivers were a mess.
I feel the same with Windows 8 .1 all that new learning, technology, why?
And it seems to be all about LinkedIn twitter and Facebook, Ipads ipods/I just wanted a computer to work on my images and graphics/video editing not a social media system.
But that's the generation gap..
Windows 8.1 is already being fixed with sp1 so that we can have those familiar things like the start menue and mouse and keyboard.
The layout we are used to.
The newer windows can be used just like the old and just ignore all the newer stuff.
Our TV is our new smart computer already and it connects to our Ipads and windows phones. Computers are slowly fazing out..
Just like in the movies.
Regards Merete
People are still using windows 98 2nd edition but only for paper work as they can't really interact much with the newer internet features.
Keep your XP for now but keep in mind as we age so do our systems..
HDD's fail after a while, same with the video card the PSU, Capasitors on the Mobo.. all your hardware has a life expectancy of around 6 to 8 years max maybe more with some, but will become unstable and then they start to fail and you'll have to replace parts.
Replacing parts may void your OEM and or nolonger be available let alone fit in to your Case.
Buy some software that can backup your files.
If it helps I see it all the time, but windows 7 is the same as XP just more bling.
the layout is same similar and it's easy to navigate.
You have Experts Exchange million or so members using windows 7 and can help you.
Remember when XP came out how we all were so scared of changing over.
Microsoft fixed it based on our complaints with XP SP1 and XP SP2 etc.
All the programs I had in XP runs fine in windows 7 x32 and windows 7 x 64.
So just wait till these things are fixed which they are now in windows 7
I'm still using Office 2003 ;)
Even the video card manufacturers couldn't keep up with all the new windows and drivers were a mess.
I feel the same with Windows 8 .1 all that new learning, technology, why?
And it seems to be all about LinkedIn twitter and Facebook, Ipads ipods/I just wanted a computer to work on my images and graphics/video editing not a social media system.
But that's the generation gap..
Windows 8.1 is already being fixed with sp1 so that we can have those familiar things like the start menue and mouse and keyboard.
The layout we are used to.
The newer windows can be used just like the old and just ignore all the newer stuff.
Our TV is our new smart computer already and it connects to our Ipads and windows phones. Computers are slowly fazing out..
Just like in the movies.
Regards Merete
Microsoft has said very recently they will keep some XP updates going until 2015 now because some ATM manufacturers apparently cannot readily change.
Still, it seems to me to be not a good idea to stay in the past. When I started consulting, I rid my clients of Windows 98 and now I have gotten rid of most of the XP machine. They are all using Windows 7 Pro.
If you need a reason for yourself, 32-bit XP is a slug with today's applications. Windows 7 Pro 64-bit or Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (what I use) can take 8 Gb of memory and possibly 16 Gb depending on machine and BIOS.
What can we XP users do to keep running?
For how long? Forever? Forget that. Plan to move up when you buy a new machine and go 64-bit for speed and memory.
Does it die in 3 months? No.
.... Thinkpads_User
Still, it seems to me to be not a good idea to stay in the past. When I started consulting, I rid my clients of Windows 98 and now I have gotten rid of most of the XP machine. They are all using Windows 7 Pro.
If you need a reason for yourself, 32-bit XP is a slug with today's applications. Windows 7 Pro 64-bit or Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (what I use) can take 8 Gb of memory and possibly 16 Gb depending on machine and BIOS.
What can we XP users do to keep running?
For how long? Forever? Forget that. Plan to move up when you buy a new machine and go 64-bit for speed and memory.
Does it die in 3 months? No.
.... Thinkpads_User
SOLUTION
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You will need to move on...at least to Win 7. Not only will Microsoft end support....but computer parts will end support...printers, chipsets, other accessories.
Just move to 8.1 as soon as any of your software limitations let you...then you can stay there for a long time.
Just move to 8.1 as soon as any of your software limitations let you...then you can stay there for a long time.
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A bit of counter-point ....
Extinct is an interesting word. Dinosaurs are extinct -- XP will soon be obsolete, but certainly NOT extinct :-)
As for continuing to use it ... of course you can. SUPPORT for it is ending ... so if you buy new hardware it's likely you won't be able to install XP on it due to driver issues.
But on current hardware that's running XP ... or in a virtual machine that's running on newer hardware ... you can continue to use it as long as you want.
There ARE issues to consider ...
(1) First (and foremost), all support for it ends. That means if somebody discovers yet-another security "hole" in it, Microsoft won't be patching it. More troubling is the question r.e. antivirus updates -- I'd expect they'll continue to be available for a fairly long time; but at some point those will end as well. So you DO have to be prepared for what to do if your system gets "bit" by a virus or malware infection.
(2) To protect against the danger noted in #1, all you need to do is IMAGE your XP install the first week of April in a fully up-to-date, virus-free image. Then if you ever get a nasty infection, you simply restore that image.
(3) Restoring an image as noted in #2 will, of course, overwrite any data that's changed or been added since the image was made. So be sure your BACKUPS are always current. Then if you need to revert to an image, you'd simply need to restore the image; then run your backup utility in "restore" mode (i.e. in reverse) ... and everything will be just fine.
(4) Eventually, there will likely be some program that you want to run that doesn't run in XP; or perhaps a new browser version that won't work in XP but is required for some newer website features. But as long as this doesn't happen, your XP system will run quite happily for years-to-come. Similarly, you may want to get a new printer that doesn't have XP drivers, or some other hardware with the same issue (e.g. a new scanner). These are the kind of upgrades that may really force you to a newer OS.
(5) Another potential issue is a hardware failure that you can't get a replacement for. But it's likely to be many years before that's likely for most hardware. If you want to protect against even that possibility, then install a copy in a virtual machine (I like the free VMware Player for this) and get it up-to-date in April before the EOL date. Then simply copy the virtual hard drive someplace as a backup (this is the equivalent of an image) ... and you can use that virtual machine on any system that can run VMware Player. This will let you run it for years to come on new hardware -- hosted by new versions of Windows or Linux with no problem.
I know quite a few folks who stay with XP because they like Outlook Express; have old programs they want to keep running; or are simply very happy with the GUI and don't want to change. Most of them have no intentions of changing just because Microsoft declares EOL. I suspect there will still be MANY XP systems still running at least through the end of this decade :-)
Extinct is an interesting word. Dinosaurs are extinct -- XP will soon be obsolete, but certainly NOT extinct :-)
As for continuing to use it ... of course you can. SUPPORT for it is ending ... so if you buy new hardware it's likely you won't be able to install XP on it due to driver issues.
But on current hardware that's running XP ... or in a virtual machine that's running on newer hardware ... you can continue to use it as long as you want.
There ARE issues to consider ...
(1) First (and foremost), all support for it ends. That means if somebody discovers yet-another security "hole" in it, Microsoft won't be patching it. More troubling is the question r.e. antivirus updates -- I'd expect they'll continue to be available for a fairly long time; but at some point those will end as well. So you DO have to be prepared for what to do if your system gets "bit" by a virus or malware infection.
(2) To protect against the danger noted in #1, all you need to do is IMAGE your XP install the first week of April in a fully up-to-date, virus-free image. Then if you ever get a nasty infection, you simply restore that image.
(3) Restoring an image as noted in #2 will, of course, overwrite any data that's changed or been added since the image was made. So be sure your BACKUPS are always current. Then if you need to revert to an image, you'd simply need to restore the image; then run your backup utility in "restore" mode (i.e. in reverse) ... and everything will be just fine.
(4) Eventually, there will likely be some program that you want to run that doesn't run in XP; or perhaps a new browser version that won't work in XP but is required for some newer website features. But as long as this doesn't happen, your XP system will run quite happily for years-to-come. Similarly, you may want to get a new printer that doesn't have XP drivers, or some other hardware with the same issue (e.g. a new scanner). These are the kind of upgrades that may really force you to a newer OS.
(5) Another potential issue is a hardware failure that you can't get a replacement for. But it's likely to be many years before that's likely for most hardware. If you want to protect against even that possibility, then install a copy in a virtual machine (I like the free VMware Player for this) and get it up-to-date in April before the EOL date. Then simply copy the virtual hard drive someplace as a backup (this is the equivalent of an image) ... and you can use that virtual machine on any system that can run VMware Player. This will let you run it for years to come on new hardware -- hosted by new versions of Windows or Linux with no problem.
I know quite a few folks who stay with XP because they like Outlook Express; have old programs they want to keep running; or are simply very happy with the GUI and don't want to change. Most of them have no intentions of changing just because Microsoft declares EOL. I suspect there will still be MANY XP systems still running at least through the end of this decade :-)
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Thank you pcwizz1
Here's your REALITY:
On April 8, Microsoft will stop releasing updates to Windows XP. When that happens, all the malware creators are going to do a dance and throw a party. Because so many people will still be using it.
Here's the issue - all the bugs that get patched every month - MOST of them are issues for ALL operating systems because even Windows 8.1 still shares code with XP. So, when Microsoft stops patching XP, the bugs fixed in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 will be patched but the malware authors will know just what to attack in XP. So if your XP is on the internet, browsing web sites, getting email, etc, EVERY DAY is going to get more and more likely you're going to be infected with malicious software that will steal your identity, encrypt your files, take over your pc, etc, etc. Antivirus won't help much because these things are going to attack holes in windows. And third party companies cannot patch Windows reliably - if at all - because they don't have the code windows was built on.
That's my concern.
XP was nice (after SP2 was released). Vista was AWFUL. 7 was excellent. 8 is very good (if you can get past the start menu redesign - which is what it is - a redesign - it's still the start menu, it just looks radically different).