Wyatt Earp SASS#1628L Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I use XP on my computer in my workshop/loading room. Am now geting dire warning messages from Microsoft that my computer will be at risk after support goes away. Wha are y'all who run XP gonna do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bristol Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I am still going to continue running XP. As long as there are good firewalls and anti-virus programs for it I don't think I will have a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONEYARD BILL, SASS #39,030 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I agree with Billy Bristol - if you do decide to "go up" in Operating System - let me suggest Win 7 - rather than Win 8. Win 7 is 99.9% just like XP - whereas Win 8 has a lot of bells and whistles that you may not need (or like). You will have a HARD TIME finding a PC with Win 7 - but - they are out there. - Just my 2 cents. - BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Still have XP on the home machine... it works fine. XP was troublesome when introduced, but the fixes - particularly the service packs - made about the most stable OS of all time, in my not-so-humble opinion. And speaking of opinions... Microsoft's big claim to fame has always been how "powerful" their programs (Office Suite) are. And they are. Which might be terrific if you want to publish an encyclopedia with heavy emphasis on a great deal of obscure math and such... but in my observation, most people won't use 5% of it's capabilities. Which means navigating around the other 95%. There's a great deal of credit given to MS and in particular Mr Gates that's not necessarily warranted... MS and Mr Gates have been successful at killing off the competition, but not by offering a better product. I know a programmer who used to work for MS, who told me that they used to laugh and say "The job's not done 'til Lotus won't run!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Ron Wayne Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I agree with Billy Bristol - if you do decide to "go up" in Operating System - let me suggest Win 7 - rather than Win 8. Win 7 is 99.9% just like XP - whereas Win 8 has a lot of bells and whistles that you may not need (or like). You will have a HARD TIME finding a PC with Win 7 - but - they are out there. - Just my 2 cents. - BB I have three laptops with XP. My pc guy told me to stay away from 8. Just ordered a new Dell with 7 . FYI . My bank issued a XP warning . It stated if you are a XP user and your account is hacked its on you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Who do ya bank with, Mudd...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bull Skinner Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 My tech guy said if you got a good antivirus program and aren't doin' rocket science on it that XP will be just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Cubbie Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I'm going to get a new Apple. They will take whatever I want from my XP and load it on the Apple for me. I'm pretty much "done" with MS....... . I loved XP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amarillo Rattler Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I had three Windows computers totally crash in 10 years. Got tired of that and replaced all with an iMac in summer 2013. Installed necessary wp/spreadsheet and financial programs and am happy. Then the tax season rolled around and discovered the shortage of IRS programs for iMac. So, picked up a new 2 GB ram, 500 GB Windows for $300 and it never goes on line. All docs are printed and mailed through USPS. Catch me if you can, hackers!!! AR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawg Hair, SASS #29557 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 You might try Lynux. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Spurs Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I'll keep running XP also- with good protection. I agree with BB (both of them- ha) If I do change it will be Windows 7. Windows 8 sucks. I put that parallel with Windows Vista. It's amazing how they spend so much money on something that is horrible yet still try to cram it down your throat. Like Miss Cubbie said, I'm getting sick of the monopoly of MS also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Spurs, their marketing logic is that you'll have to come back in a couple years and buy a newer version that'll work. MS has a history exactly that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrel Cody Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Where I work supplies us with a laptop that they upgrade every 2 years; I got "upgraded" today. It has Windows 8.1 installed. Windows 8.1 is a little better in that it can be made to function a lot like Windows 7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I'm XP here as well. I'll stick with it as long as I can. If forced to change, it'll be 7, don't want nothingf to do with 8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I recently bought a Windows 7 Dell, but haven't had time to set it up and transfer files, programs, etc. I may keep the old one, running it off-line for financial work. I also have downloaded Maleware software and will renew my anti-virus when it comes due about the same time XP loses support. I'll install both on the new computer. My biggest concern with the old XP computer is how long the hard drive will hold out. (About 6 years is supposed to be the average service life. I had the original hard drive on this beast take a dive after about three weeks! That was about 6 years ago. It was replaced by Dell under warranty, but was a pain in the clarn to reload everything and recover data. I now backup on an external hard drive periodically, hopefully to minimize the pain if the current drive dies. Apple's OS was better, at least until Steve Jobs closed the architecture of the original Mac, which p.o.d everybody, and allowed the IBM PC et al to gain assendency. The Microsoft OS's were never the best, but like Sony overtook BetaMax, it was the 400 lb gorilla in the room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubborn Dutchman, SASS # 61363 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I have two computers with XP. Don't plan to upgrade at all. If this thing dies, I might go without until I can afford a MAC or something in a Lynix system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uno Mas SASS #80082 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 And DON'T run as an Administrator. Run as a user with limited rights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shoer 27979 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 And DON'T run as an Administrator. Run as a user with limited rights. Why is that Uno ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace_of_Hearts Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Windows XP is a very stable platform. Upgrading your current computer to a newer operating system is very unlikely. The hardware inside will not run Windows 7 or Windows 8. Microsoft will not be offering any updates on Windows XP and they will no longer assist you over the telephone. Your computer will not self destruct. There will be no more software offered that will run on XP. Just as an anecdote. I have a computer that I use for equipment programming that is running Windows 98. Your only choice at this time if you wish to upgrade is to buy a new machine. I would suggest that you download "MALWAREBYTES" and "SPYBOT" in any case. Both are free software and will remove most anything you will pick up surfing the web. As in all cases, never run 2 antivirus programs at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uno Mas SASS #80082 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Why is that Uno ?? If a malware invades an Administrator's session, it has all the rights of the Administrator, specifically to add new programs (the virus.) A user with limited rights cannot add new programs and neither can malware during his session. My parents were forever getting viruses. So I changed their sessions to limited rights - no more problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyatt Earp SASS#1628L Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 Thanks for all of the helpful replies. I'm using Microsoft Security Essentials and this will not be updated in the future, so maybe a change to another anti-virus program is all I need to do. I used Spybot in the past and it removed a really nasty trojan horse, so maybe I'll go with that as well as the malware program. I don't do any financial stuff on this machine as we have a newer computer in my wife's office for that. I mostly just surf the web and hang out on a few forums. All of our personal email goes to the other computer as well, I just use hotmail for this site and places like Brownell's, Midway, etc. I do have a new laptop we use when travelling, it's an HP with Windows 8 that I just upgraded to 8.1, but I like my 24" monitor and separate keyboard of this desktop. This machine is getting a little slow and I sometimes have issues with certain websites, so maybe I should just dump this one. My local Costco has a couple of HP's and a couple of Dell's in stock with Windows 7, so that's another option. ETA: Uno, I listen to the Tech Guy (Leo Laporte) and that is what he suggests, even though he was at first advising dumping XP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Monte McCrae SASS #61622 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Go Free like I did. OpenSuSe 12.3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey Shayne Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 3 of mine are running on XP. Im hoping as long as I keep a good external hard drive back up, that I can keep them all running for a while. I have one still running on ME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouchy Greg, SASS#71981 Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I'll just keep on truckin' with what I got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucker McNeely Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 If you want a tower computer, there are plenty of websites with good info to build your own. Highly recommend this route. Very easy and you can get everything exactly how you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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