John Mitchell Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 If there is anyone else out there still using Windows XP or Office 2003, this announcement from Microsoft might be of interest: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/enterprise/endofsupport.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nacke Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I still have a machine running XP Pro and it runs better than my machine running 7 Pro..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 I still have a machine running XP Pro and it runs better than my machine running 7 Pro..... I've always been happy with XP. It's nice and simple and very stable. I've been holding off upgrading my main computer for some time, but now I'll definitely have to take the plunge. Windows 7 or Windows 8, that is the question. There was a thread on this dilemma not long ago. Shall have to go back and check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosemary Hawkins Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I held off for a long time, but recently bought a Gateway PC with Windows 7 for $400 US. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to run my two Minolta scanners on it (the 5400 and Multi Pro) but found online the trick that if you install Vuescan first and then download the Minolta XP drivers from the web, the Minolta software will work on Windows 7. (Well, I've gotten it to load, haven't actually scanned yet but it looks promising.) There was so much software I couldn't run on XP anymore that I bit the bullet. Not saying I appreciate this kind of planned obsolescence but it's all too common. Thanks for the alert John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I still have a machine running XP Pro and it runs better than my machine running 7 Pro..... I've always been happy with XP. It's nice and simple and very stable. I've been holding off upgrading my main computer for some time, but now I'll definitely have to take the plunge. Why, if it still works? Millions of computers, particularly institutional, are still running XP. Keep up your firewalls and so on and all will be well. I won't be fixing it because it ain't broke- I still have it on CD and I'll put it on my next computer if I can. Mind you, I was using Win98 until 2008, so don't listen to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gaffen Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I would not recommend windows 8, the update to 8.1 is more usable, but still very annoying at times, because it is aimed at touch screen PCs and laptops. I may be a bit old school, but I don't really want to spend all my time wiping my hands across my monitor screen. (Yes I still use a traditional CRT based Sony Trinitron, because the resolution is very high). I do run 8.1 on my laptop, but not by choice, it seems quite stable but I much prefer windows 7, which I now run on my main office PC. It is not too much different from XP. I still run XP on my slow old PC! I would have preferred Windows 7 on my laptop, but I could not get the high spec package I wanted, at the price I wanted without making a few compromises and Windows 8 was one of them! These days, when you purchase a new laptop or PC, in the UK, they don't supply an operating system disk. So if you want to upgrade or downgrade, you need to purchase an additional licence which is not cheap! Just to summarise, I think Windows 7 is the best system to replace XP, if you can get it, but Microsoft is making it difficult to obtain a copy, as they try to push their new operating system which is 8 and 8.1! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickfly Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I used a stripped back version of XP for many happy years, but, building a new, faster PC myself (with hindsight I could have got a pre-built one cheaper) I installed Win 8. That didn't last long, not a happy bunny at all, so I installed Win 7, and so far (5 months later) it's been hassle free, BUT it does seem slower, even though my machine is better spec'd than my old XP one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 I still have a machine running XP Pro and it runs better than my machine running 7 Pro..... I've always been happy with XP. It's nice and simple and very stable. I've been holding off upgrading my main computer for some time, but now I'll definitely have to take the plunge. Why, if it still works? Millions of computers, particularly institutional, are still running XP. Keep up your firewalls and so on and all will be well. I won't be fixing it because it ain't broke- I still have it on CD and I'll put it on my next computer if I can. Mind you, I was using Win98 until 2008, so don't listen to me. I've usually subscribe to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy. However, these tidbits from Microsoft regarding the possible dangers/inconveniences of running XP after April 8th do sound a tad worrisome: "It means you should take action. After April 8, 2014, there will be no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates." "Security & Compliance Risks: Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security risks. This may result in an officially recognized control failure by an internal or external audit body, leading to suspension of certifications, and/or public notification of the organization’s inability to maintain its systems and customer information." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 That is pure scaremongering, probably for a litigious US. If you operate in that sort of environment, and your computer is audited by someone else, fair enough, but I don't, just one desktop. I'm careful what I click on, haven't applied an update for years except for SP3 and I haven't had a security problem for as many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 That is pure scaremongering, probably for a litigious US. If you operate in that sort of environment, and your computer is audited by someone else, fair enough, but I don't, just one desktop. I'm careful what I click on, haven't applied an update for years except for SP3 and I haven't had a security problem for as many years. Yes, I'm sure there is some propaganda therein. However, I believe that security updates to XP were automatic for the most part (i.e. were done silently behind the scenes). It sounds as if they won't be happening after April 8th, which could make XP risky for online banking and other financial transactions. Also, you can bet that hordes of opportunistic scammers will figure out ways of hacking into Windows XP machines after security support ends. What, me paranoid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I still have a machine running XP Pro and it runs better than my machine running 7 Pro..... I've always been happy with XP. It's nice and simple and very stable. I've been holding off upgrading my main computer for some time, but now I'll definitely have to take the plunge. Windows 7 or Windows 8, that is the question. There was a thread on this dilemma not long ago. Shall have to go back and check it out. Windows 7 is fantastic and I have finally got used to Windows 8. I don't use the tiles, simply go to desktop view and operate from there. The only thing I have found that I don't like about Windows 8 is the lack of a start button. So I simply make my own file of program shortcuts that I keep on the taskbar for ease of access. Of course my most commonly used programs are kept right on the taskbar themselves. I like the ribbon effect of the windows in 8. For Skype I downloaded the desktop version as its a pain to use the app version that comes with 8. And you can't do multiple open windows with the tile screen either. So I use the benefits of 8 while running it like 7. Has worked well for me. I actually found myself missing 8 when my laptop was out getting the motherboard replaced and I was using my desktop that has 7. Another pain with 8 is that if you are a Spider Solitaire junkie like me, 8 does not come with the windows games installed. But if you hunt on google, there is a workaround to get them. I was horrified when I found that out. Severe withdrawal symptoms till I got my Spider Solitaire installed. Jill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nacke Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 The only reason I kept this old Lenovo laptop with XP Pro was to connect to my CanoScan 4000. It is also handy for reviewing older original digital RAW files from my Kodak DCS 460s..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin P Wilson Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 The only reason I kept this old Lenovo laptop with XP Pro was to connect to my CanoScan 4000. It is also handy for reviewing older original digital RAW files from my Kodak DCS 460s..... Me too, I needed to be able to use a SCSI card to interface to my Artixscan 4000. Mind you I was never as enamoured with XP as many, I had all sorts of performance/ compatibility issues that went away when I went to the unloved Vista! And I have a 40+ year IT background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Palmer Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 XP was great in its time but Win 7 was/is even better and has proven to be much more stable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartybartfast Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 XP was the best and easiest OS Microsoft produced, I have been using the same installation of XP since around 2005. several bits of hardware have failed in that time but the original installation of XP is 100% stable and runs as well or better than when I installed it. (I only have 26 processes running in task manager, including firefox) Xp was easy to configure like this so I will be very reluctant to get rid of it, but my hardware is now very dated and I do run into problems running newer more processor and, or memory hungry software. The ending of support by Microsoft is not really the problem, nor is the lack of security updates necessarily. However the ending of support will mean that new software and hardware made by others will be likely to not have much support for xp and that is a problem! As I have recently been thinking of renewing my pc, I would have to change to windows 7 or 8 simply because I will need a 64bit system that will always have relevant drivers, it would be pointless and hard to build a system with new components and features that XP would not be able to utilize. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Another devote for XP. Have Seven on my laptop but not keen on it, and I certainly would not entertain Windows 8 and 8.1. That and the demise of XP support, not just from Microsoft but also from anti virus programmers, is the reason I changed my main office machine to iMac. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrioticAlien Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 i think i have a solution for all of your needs, it's only a suggestion, Why don't you guys and girls get VMware workstation or player? i think the price is around £80/$80 pending on you're location for workstation, i think player (i think its limited to one O.S.) it is about £30'ish, not sure what it is in dollars. i've been using it for a long time, this is what i do. I have windows 7 its a great operating system but some of the old legacy systems which are compatible on XP wont recognize it, I have main PC with Win7 i have external hard drives with other O.S. e.g. XP, DOS and more VMware workstation is like having lot's of O.S's on one pc example main O.S. (win7) + xp + anything else you want or need (you're get the protection and updates of the a newer O.S. and still be able to use XP or whatever at the same time) This is probably an easier thing to understand, than reading what i'm typing; it is a really great solution, i'm sure there are trials for it somewhere. http://www.vmware.com/uk/products/player/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickfly Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 XP was the best and easiest OS Microsoft produced, I have been using the same installation of XP since around 2005. several bits of hardware have failed in that time but the original installation of XP is 100% stable and runs as well or better than when I installed it. (I only have 26 processes running in task manager, including firefox) Xp was easy to configure like this so I will be very reluctant to get rid of it, but my hardware is now very dated and I do run into problems running newer more processor and, or memory hungry software. The ending of support by Microsoft is not really the problem, nor is the lack of security updates necessarily. However the ending of support will mean that new software and hardware made by others will be likely to not have much support for xp and that is a problem! As I have recently been thinking of renewing my pc, I would have to change to windows 7 or 8 simply because I will need a 64bit system that will always have relevant drivers, it would be pointless and hard to build a system with new components and features that XP would not be able to utilize. That was my reasoning when my old machine just seemed too, old. So far I have been able to use old versions of software which I had grown used to with no problems on Win 7 and didn't want to have to buy again, but I haven't tried my scanner yet, so not sure about old hardware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickfly Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 i think i have a solution for all of your needs, it's only a suggestion, Why don't you guys and girls get VMware workstation or player? i think the price is around £80/$80 pending on you're location for workstation, i think player (i think its limited to one O.S.) it is about £30'ish, not sure what it is in dollars. i've been using it for a long time, this is what i do. I have windows 7 its a great operating system but some of the old legacy systems which are compatible on XP wont recognize it, I have main PC with Win7 i have external hard drives with other O.S. e.g. XP, DOS and more VMware workstation is like having lot's of O.S's on one pc example main O.S. (win7) + xp + anything else you want or need (you're get the protection and updates of the a newer O.S. and still be able to use XP or whatever at the same time) This is probably an easier thing to understand, than reading what i'm typing; it is a really great solution, i'm sure there are trials for it somewhere. http://www.vmware.com/uk/products/player/ I gather from your Location "Going to build me a moon base" that you may require something which seems so complex, but I'm staying on Earth, so I'll struggle along with just Win 7 for now, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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