perry 82 #1 Posted April 2, 2014 what are the rest of you XP users going to do ?. with WIN XP to go away what is the best and CHEAPEST windows to switch to . vista , win7 or win 8 ? I am running old laptop and PC . they work fine for what i do, fast with plenty of memory . will 7 run on the older machines ?. all i here about 8 is no good . and is Vista still supported ?. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrightorchid 261 #2 Posted April 2, 2014 7 is far better than vista. Might be cheaper to replace it, than upgrade at this point. I would not try to load 8 on an XP machine. Your XP machine will not suddenly die, it just means that Microsoft will no longer support it, meaning security patches and such will not be available. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmsgaffer 2,043 #3 Posted April 2, 2014 windows 7 ~ $100 for the home premium New decent laptop ~$300-400 I personally put the money towards a new computer with newer technology for my Wife and mom. $100 is a lot to invest on a computer that's old. (over 4 years is old for computers) Windows 8 is not bad at all, people just generally don't know how to use it. It stull does have a few small problems that most people would never notice, so if you find a new computer running win 7, go with that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nylyon-(Admin) 7,114 #4 Posted April 2, 2014 Keep Windows XP, no reason to change it. Microsoft has stopped supporting it, make a good backup, download the latest patches and enjoy. My personal opinion, if the laptop is older, time for a new laptop. Put a little aside each month and buy a new one. Putting a modern OS on an older computer is usually a recipe for poor performance and potential incompatibility. Keep XP on your machine and make a plan for a new one. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
perry 82 #5 Posted April 2, 2014 what is the best way to back up a copy ?. do you need back-up software ?. I have a extrnal hard drive i could put it on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
perry 82 #6 Posted April 2, 2014 found it . backup on xp. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZrX4Vb4ui4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SousaKerry 500 #7 Posted April 2, 2014 XP hell I still have an old functional laptop running Windows 98 although I have not turned it on in about 3 years... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
meadowfield 2,545 #8 Posted April 2, 2014 Stick with Xp till it breaks! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheeledhorseman 573 #9 Posted April 2, 2014 Stick with Xp till it breaks! Certainly will be Mark (on my desktop at least). Anyone that's made the journey from Windows 3.11 to XP will have experienced progress towards an excellent operating system for desktop computers though I'd have to say that the improvements were driven more by third parties producing useful addons along the way that MS subsequently incorporated into each new release rather than it being the sole result of MS innovation. I've always built my own desktop computers, the one I'm typing this on is just over a year old. I can't harness all of the speed of the motherboard using XP but its fast enough and powerful enough for all that I do often with multiple applications running. I bought a laptop about 5 years ago for use around the house and that had Vista on it - I still hate using that laptop so my wife uses it mostly to surf the net, do her emails etc. I did install Windows 7 on the computer before this one (ran a hard drive which booted Win 7 and another which booted XP) After a couple of months came to the conclusion I hated Win 7 more than Vista. It will be interesting to see what happens next - I suspect in a year's time there will still be huge numbers of desktops running XP and MS won't understand why this is so. Simple to my mind - they lost the plot big time. Just my Andy 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
perry 82 #10 Posted April 2, 2014 Stick with Xp till it breaks! yep , I am going to do what Karl said and backup my computers . I dont see myself going out and replacing all the computers in the house anytime soon . but thats what they want you to do. there is a ton of companys and personal user's still running XP . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
perry 82 #11 Posted April 2, 2014 Certainly will be Mark (on my desktop at least). Anyone that's made the journey from Windows 3.11 to XP will have experienced progress towards an excellent operating system for desktop computers Andy I still have win 3.1 and DOS program on floppy . probably safe to toss that out by now huh ....lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redidbull 54 #12 Posted April 2, 2014 I run Win7 on this laptop and love it. It took some getting used to but it is a good system. I also have a couple computers running XP and will just leave them as is. If something happens the internet will be able to help if MS isn't going to. Vista Os is iffy at best. Had a lot of bugs like networking printers. My Son has a Vista desktop and he had no problems doing HS homework but I got him a local printer because of the network issues. Bottom line keep the XP. Jim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nylyon-(Admin) 7,114 #13 Posted April 3, 2014 What I would do.... (and have done already) Save for a new Laptop (I prefer Apple, but they are expensive). The newer computers really are a lot better with the modern operating systems. Copy all the data from the old machine to the new one. Then load Linux on the old laptop (like Ubuntu) which will really revive the system performance wise. It's a big learning curve, but once you get it it opens up a lot of possibilities. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 10,256 #14 Posted April 3, 2014 From what I understant XP will have security issues that escalate with time. Windows will not have the patches to protect new threats. I agree about not loading a newer operating system on an older computer. I see too many issues. I don't mind Vista (my desktop) or 7 (wife's desktop) and I'm getting along fine with 8.1 (my laptop). Windows will be releasing an upgrade to 8.1 that it supposed to make it friendlier to the mouse and touch pad users (me). They also just announced Windows 9 but no release date is set. Apparently 9 isn't the same as the upgrade to 8.1. I'm so confused Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C-101plowerpower 1,605 #15 Posted April 3, 2014 What I would do.... (and have done already) Save for a new Laptop (I prefer Apple, but they are expensive). The newer computers really are a lot better with the modern operating systems. Copy all the data from the old machine to the new one. Then load Linux on the old laptop (like Ubuntu) which will really revive the system performance wise. It's a big learning curve, but once you get it it opens up a lot of possibilities. i agree with the ubuntu on an old xp pc, the basic version is free, works like a charm, the only pita about it is installing ms software on it. Koen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
boovuc 1,090 #16 Posted April 4, 2014 A view from the corporate side of computing..........Win XP Pro won't be supported and likely within a year, the antivirus programs, malware programs and other third party support will also die out. That said, if you do any financial things on an XP PC in the not to distant future, your risking being hacked. (All operating systems risk hacking but XP would allow newbies to even do it). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 36,941 #17 Posted April 4, 2014 Yes sir, the threat to your old system is very real, better to just let it go now. Because of the risk involved, we shut ours down about two months ago. The new eight point one really does suck in the beginning...but you'll learn to work with it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheeledhorseman 573 #18 Posted April 4, 2014 (edited) Before entering panic mode, here's what appears to be a well informed guide to securing your pc when MS support for XP ends. It puts a lot of things into perspective, including the fact that almost 30% of the desktops round the world are still using XP. I found this a very useful article to read at a time when MS remind me daily that 'their' support is about to end, even implying that their 'security essentials' will not be supported if you have XP. Security essentials is not a highly rated anti virus / malware product but if you use it with XP there will be updates from MS until July 2015. Please read this http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/software/1304965/when-windows-xp-support-ends-this-is-how-you-secure-your-pc-and-save-all-updates before entering headless chicken mode (which MS seem to be doing their best to encourage at present). Andy Edited April 4, 2014 by wheeledhorseman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nylyon-(Admin) 7,114 #19 Posted April 4, 2014 I didn't read the link, but many of the security concerns are around 3rd party products. There will be an increasing risk now that XP is unsupported by MS, these 3rd party add-on's will become unsupported in them selves. While this isn't an overnight thing, it will happen. I do agree, no need to panic, but there is certainly a need to plan. That plan should begin now with a complete full backup of your system which can be used to FULLY recover in the event of a problem. It will become more difficult to find downloads and drivers as time goes on, so the ability to recover in the event of failure should be first on the plan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
perry 82 #20 Posted April 4, 2014 I am having troubles backing up my system with the windows backup feature. is there safe backup software to download that will work ?. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites