XP is coming to an end on 4-8...What to do?

[uglyboywith11fingers]

I have 4 units that are happy running XP now for many years. I really DO NOT want to change; but it seems from what I read that I shall be overrun with malware and viruses if I don't upgrade to something else. It seems that the monthly updates and security updates from Microsoft have kept me issue free and that this is gonna end on 4-8. A huge can of worms is coming my way??? Is this true???????????

Just fear mongering !
remember the big fuss about Y2K ? Nothing happened.

as said earlier, just keep running your XP machines and keep virus protection up to date.
All will be well until YOU decide to upgrade hardware, etc.

Pete

 

[Egbert]

...start your moderate change to apple as soon as you can...

Oh my! I'm sorry - but I really have to wonder why anyone would move to apple.

Do yourself a favor - IF you choose to leave WinDoze behind, move to a LINUX platform. Apple? Oh my ....

 

[John White]

I am sort of in the same situation. I have three programs that are old DOS based. I have thousands of files on them. (Business and taxes for last 20 years) They are very simple to use and I have not found any thing that will replace them that a older person like me can use. I have not found any other hardware that will even open these files up so you can read them. Originally I think they were 16 bit. I went through every version of windows using them. Windows 7 came out and most computers were 64 bit and they would not work. I had to have a 32 bit operating system installed. I think I might have to switch to Linux too. Or just have a couple of old laptops with windows 7 on them and not use them for any thing else. Sucks, we had typewriters for 100 years and the alphabet never changed but with Microsoft every few years every thing you have is no good. These programs will not print on the newer printers. I have 3 old printers I bought at the thrift store, stashed away to use when needed to print something.

 

[Tollster]

...start your moderate change to apple as soon as you can...

Oh my! I'm sorry - but I really have to wonder why anyone would move to apple.

Do yourself a favor - IF you choose to leave WinDoze behind, move to a LINUX platform. Apple? Oh my ....

That is an option, but many just wish to use a OS without becoming an IT professional, so they use what comes on the computer. I personally have others things I would rather do than deal with Kernels, UNIX and changing the interface between my computer and my server.
There is a learning curve involved with Linux for those who have a life other than sitting at a computer IMO.

Particularly those on a tractor website.

I found this on a Linux website showing some Linux commands:
Piping allows you to take the output of one command and redirect it to another command..

like:
Code:
ls | sort
will sort by name (which ls already does)

Code:
ls |sort -r
will sort the output of ls in reverse

if you have a lot of files like in /etc and they scroll by when you type:

Code:
ls -l /etc/
then you can pipe it to less so you can scroll through it:

Code:
ls -l /etc/ | less

Sorry, but there is the reason Apple or Microsoft are the primary OS on 99% of all computers sold today..!

 

[aczlan]

But there are only two OS's available, apple and MSFT, and apple has had apps since.... who knows.. MSFT has a lot to learn before they ever get it right.. and they won't be doing it on my dollar!

There is a 3rd option, Linux.
Its not for everyone though.

Aaron Z

 

[DennisArrow]

PLEASE KEEP THE APPLE vs MCRSFT stuff out of this........PLEASE........

I really do not want to upgrade the hardware we have because it WORKS

The unit I pretty much work with all the time ONCE was quite the horse that I edited video on for umpteen years using Maxtor video editing hardware and the Adobe suite of softwares. MANY MANY hours of heavy duty video have been produced on this thing, Oprah, outdoor channel, USAF, Army, Navy, weddings which we hate, and on and on..........Also we use 2 Dell laptops that 5 years ago were the best they made.......
That said will MY unit run the newer Microsoft OS........7/8/8.1 I hear is the best???.

Windows XP PRO
Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.40 Ghz
3.39 ghz, 2.00 GB of RAM

I appreciate the above comments about not being able to update software as the newer stuff will not run on XP........it's kinda like the old days when MS-DOS changed to 3.1 and then that went to Windows 95........I guess those things happened in just a very few years and now my old friend XP that has been around a very long time is being retired...........

Do I have to learn a whole new way of functioning???????? Will my system work with just the 7/8/8.1 upgrade and will it be just fine?
Do I have to get MANY different upgrades for our 4 units or do they make a multi-unit upgrade........

Thanks for the thoughts guys..........God bless.......Dennis

 

[newbury]

I started working at IBM Burlington producing computer chips before they put 3 transistors on a chip (about 1970?) I started out programming with punch cards in 1971 and I've carried a computer in my pocket since about 1997. The only thing that doesn't change is change itself.
Windoze is like democracy and english, it may not be the best but it's widely used and sort of a standard.

I had been using a 10" netbook bought in 2009 running XP up until a week ago when the power supply started to go. So I went to Best Buy and got my first 8.1 windows 11.6" touchscreen laptop for $270. I need Windoze because I've got a $27K VW w/ a $200 chip programmer that only runs on Windoze. I am now learning Windoze 8.1. It sure beats Vista. But I read someplace that windoze 9 may be coming out soon.

So if your flexible enough I'd say run your XP until you fry it, but have everything backed up in a form to transport it to something new. I still prefer media with holes punched in to record data so I like to back up to DVD. I'm not a fan of the NSA monitored "cloud".

 

[Tollster]

Deny, I have XP on my older Toshiba, windows 7 on my desktop I use only for photo processing, and Windows 8.1 on my new sony laptop..
I am kind of leaning that your system appears dated for many of the new stuff that runs in the back ground with 8.1, granted you may be able to turn some of it off, but there is much more than in XP..

I loved windows 7 and it was a major step over XP, and initially thought perhaps 8.0 was a little more refined, but instead a totally different platform.
I can't say of your hardware will run it as good as your does with XP, normally, when a new OS comes out, it put more demand on the hardware, such as the processor and RAM..
My desktop has 12GB of match ram, and an upgraded chipset and MB, simply because I use very demanding graphic software.

I apologize for coming across as brash, but my disgust for windows 8.1 is ...well..just that...

 

[sailfast]

It is fear mongering.

Stick with XP.

- switch to Firefox web browser which will still work, is more secure, and regularly updated

-keep your virus software updated

You won't have any problems

 

[aczlan]

PLEASE KEEP THE APPLE vs MCRSFT stuff out of this........PLEASE........
I really do not want to upgrade the hardware we have because it WORKS
The unit I pretty much work with all the time ONCE was quite the horse that I edited video on for umpteen years using Maxtor video editing hardware and the Adobe suite of softwares. MANY MANY hours of heavy duty video have been produced on this thing, Oprah, outdoor channel, USAF, Army, Navy, weddings which we hate, and on and on..........Also we use 2 Dell laptops that 5 years ago were the best they made.......
That said will MY unit run the newer Microsoft OS........7/8/8.1 I hear is the best???.
Windows XP PRO
Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.40 Ghz
3.39 ghz, 2.00 GB of RAM

That CAN run Win7 or 8 (preferably with a RAM upgrade), we ran 7 and 8 on similar hardware at work for testing, but I wouldn't as it will be SLOOOW.
Do you need to go online with these machines? With a decent antivirus package (I would pick something from the top two levels of http://www.av-comparatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/avc_prot_2013b_en.pdf such as Avast) and a browser such as Firefox or Chrome running AdBlock Plus you should be ok for a while as long as you don't do anything overly foolish online (make sure you have good backups though).
I know of people who are still running NT4 which has been unsupported for almost 10 years (I don recommend it though).
If you want to get a "Basic Win 7 laptop" you can get an off-lease Dell Latitude with Win 7 for $150-$200.
If looking at used machines, I wouldn't get anything older than a Core 2 Duo to run Win 7.

Aaron Z