You still have Windows XP?

johnlobb

Well-known Member
I do. I was wondering how many still do, and what are the thoughts on upgrading. It works fine for me as of yet. I prolly will have to get a new or newer computer if I do.
 
at work we have one old non internet connected pc with xp, we do MOST of our accounting on it.

I have an old netbook with xp on it that i use in rare occasion when I need something more than a phone when mobile. I do have a surface tablet, but it is an old type one running RT and a few things won't run on RT.
 
If it works for you, keep it until you can't use it anymore. 7 is "almost" as good as XP, 8.0-8.1 is an even bigger pile of dog crap than everyone says it is (yes, it is THAT bad), and from what I understand 10 has a lot of private snoop stuff in it.
 
if it's working for you, use it till it dies - then throw the whole thing out - buy a new computer.

It's time.

Don't try to shoehorn today's technology into an antique machine like that.

to keep it tractor related - It'd be like putting a 2015 fuel injection system onto a 1945 tractor engine. There are too many wires and hoses that simply have nowhere to go - it aint ever going to work well. :)
 
sure
dunno, 6 or 7 networked XP machines here, nothing newer.
Some of my ham radio interface, contest software demands xp.
(original authors are deceased)
Everything works without issues.
sad to say though that the internet xp machine is starting to struggle online.
Decently muscled machine for its day....but there is just so much junk on every page online now.
ad/flash/etc blockers have got me by, but the day is coming soon where it just won't handle it.
(ever notice it's the embedded ads and snoop stuff that must be allowed to see content are the ones that make a machine stumble?
machine has no problem at all with the actual page content.)
I used to hit the stop button when I saw text, but those ad guys are crafty. some pages now load every little thing first, text last......
 
I have that. What JR Sutton said is exactly my feeling. These things last so long then become so annoying that you are forced to upgrade . Mine is showing signs of a failure pretty soon.
 
Not to mention the cheapest machine you can find today - WELL under $500 will BLOW AWAY that old machine! Even an inexpensive laptop that will give you a lot of freedom and convenience.

If all you're doing is upgrading an ancient artifact, your standards are low enough that the world is your oyster - you can pay next to nothing for what others would turn their noses up at - and you'll still be thrilled with it!
 
I still have one old laptop running on xp. Doesn't get used much, just a spare for kids surfing, and I use it for data logging on the dyno. When it dies it dies...
 
I still run XP on several machines. I have applications that 7 and above don't like. I also have the "unofficial" SP4 upgrade. Here's the thing. Computer hard drives go bad and that's a fact. So, you have your XP software, replace the hard drive, install your copy of XP and go to Microsoft to verify that its a valid copy so that it doesn't lock and shutdown after 30 days, but it's missing all of the Service Pack updates, some that are needed to run certain applications, and Microsoft doesn't support XP and you can't get the Service Packs. Solution that worked for me, not sanctioned by Microsoft? Google isn't necessarily my friend, but do a Google search of "Windows XP SP4", and you will find a link to "...unofficial..." SP4 update by a company called Softpedia, and what it is are SP3, SP2, and SP1 bundled together. It has all of the latest, last updates that Microsoft included, offered for XP. It's free, I have a copy of it, I don't know how they get away with it, but they do and it works. I stumbled upon an article about it while skimming through the No. 1 computer magazine, and one of the initial concerns listed about it was backdoors that would allow the writer access to the users documents, etc. Microsoft has such backdoors, and I'm certain that our government implements them as well, when and where it can. A year or two ago, the IRS admitted to accessing peoples emails, stating that if people save or don't delete them, that they were up for grabs. Anyway, there were concerns that the writer may incorporate backdoor accesses, none that anyone has been able to show, none that I've experienced.

HD's do go bad, they get replaced, software gets loaded...and I have a copy of all of the latest and last updates ever offered for XP, and used Google just a few minutes ago, "Windows XP SP4", the unofficial update from softpedia is still there, accessible, downloadable. I have no idea how long it will be there, but its been there for at least a year that I know of.

Good luck.

Mark
 
I still use XP Pro on 2 machines that I do not need to get online with.
I can get online if I wanted but I feel that is risky.
I use Ubuntu 12.04LTS to do my online stuff. Running "duaL boot is not that difficult.
 
I've got 5 machines hooked up at home. 3 are XP still, 1 is W7. One might still be Win 2k. It's sitting in the basement and I haven't turned it on in quite a while. It still has a Floppy drive which is why I keep it around. I've got a lot of floppies in boxes (old accounting stuff, files from past real estate transactions and backups of old computers) so if I ever need to look at one, I've got a machine to do it on. I figure the minute I throw it out, I'll need it. :lol:

Wife uses one of the XP machines for all her facebook, banking, etc. I use the W7 mostly for surfing and some design stuff. 2nd and 3rd XP machine are for backing up the other machines, though I'm thinking of just getting an external HD for that purpose. Oh, I forgot the 2 laptops I have that don't get used much that are still XP. Haven't turned them on in a loooong time.

As more and more web content is multi-media, the XP machine used mostly is bogging down some. That's the candidate for replacement but, like others, I'm reluctant to go to the newest Microsoft OS when I do replace it. Waiting as long as I can until the dust settles.
 
one more thought on XP - I wouldn't be keeping anything too personal on it - certainly wouldn't be doing any banking!

Your pc's basically an open book to anybody who's wants read it.

And there's no shortage of kids around the world with nothing better to do but hack around on insecure computers.

If you've got personal info like a social security number - address - birth date - anthing like that - it's free money to these kids. They're out of the country and can't be prosecuted, they've got nothing to lose.
 
(quoted from post at 12:41:36 10/08/15) one more thought on XP - I wouldn't be keeping anything too personal on it - certainly wouldn't be doing any banking!

Your pc's basically an open book to anybody who's wants read it.

And there's no shortage of kids around the world with nothing better to do but hack around on insecure computers.

If you've got personal info like a social security number - address - birth date - anthing like that - it's free money to these kids. They're out of the country and can't be prosecuted, they've got nothing to lose.

Are saying that current anti malware, fire walls and routers are not protecting XP less than W7 ?
 
I still have XP on my backup computer. Works fine, but the lack of browser support was the big reason to switch to Win7 on my main machine. I tried FireFox for a while, but I really didn't like it. Chrome was even worse. Latest available for XP was IE8. Win7 is OK, but there are a few things that I don't like. Windows Live mail is one that I do not like. It is functional and usable, but I really don't like it.

Not so sure about going to Windows 10. There are some things like re-learning the interface, lack of a license number, and the inability to re-install without begging to Microsoft. I also have heard that there are some restrictions in the "free upgrade" version that are not present in the purchased version.

What puts me off the most is that from time to time, when I upgrade my hardware, recover from a hard drive failure, or otherwise need to re-install my OS, with the "free" Windows 10, that may not be possible without buying a new license from MS. At this point, it has been quite a while since I have had a "disaster" here at home, but in the past, I have gotten ransomware that I had to wipe out and re-install to get rid of it. Overall, I am not so sure that I want to move away from Win7 until I have to.
 
Just starting to use a computer with XP again. Other than the lack of support, I like it every bit as much as 7. 7 is a fine OS, but I ain't going to be a guinea pig for any OS. 7 has proven itself. I ain't going near 8.x, and have very little interest in 10.
 
Still running XP, the most developed & stable system Microsoft ever had. Big corporations ran it as long as they could.
"Early adopters" always are bent over the barrel. Just like first model year of a total new re-design car/truck. Don't do it. Wait, time will tell you, yes/no.
 

It's not safe running XP, period. It is "safer" running with virus, firewall protection, but that's it. Do not use Internet Explorer, for any reason, etc. Having unpatched vulnerabilities in the core system opens up the possibility of being compromised quite easily, with or without protection. They can simply turn off/disable what protection you do have. And you may not notice.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/15/xp_antimalware_support_axed/

And here's an old article from before support was cut off. http://www.slashgear.com/windows-xp-is-469-percent-more-infection-prone-than-windows-8-02303908/

Linux is free, or Desktops/Laptops with Windows can be found for less than $200 (even $100), more practical than paying for a Windows upgrade on old hardware. Chromebooks/Chromeboxes, around $100 to $200 and they have no virus issues (as they use a Linux distribution). I use Linux on my own and I fix others in the neighborhood on occasion, can't count how much bad stuff I've cleaned up, with mine I don't have to think about it at this time.
 
I have one computer with XP and that one is seldom used to access the internet. I kept it because of the programs I had on it.

The laptop I am using, the laptop at the weekend house, the travel notebook and my main desktop computer are all using Windows 10. I am loving the heck out of it. Though I have desktops with two different layout, both are robust and friendly.

With 10, I am finding drivers work for older printers and such. Much better than they did with 7 or 8.1. I would not update an XP machine to 10 since I might not be able to handle the OS.
 
Oh Yes, I definitely use XP... wife has 7. laptop has vista. And I use Chrome(like it)just tried Firefox for 2x, could not play many videos. also tried Opera, same thing. back to Chrome! It was working slow but deleting and re-installing has helped a lot.
also use Avast, Malwarebytes & Eusing Reg. Cleaner... Anyone else tried Opera ?
 
Strongly disagree. That whole bit about being "unsafe" is a lot of nonsense passed around by some folks that have an anti Microsoft agenda.

FACT: XP was a strong, stable, and viable operating system for over 10 years. Still is, just unsupported by MS.

FACT: Virus protection does NOT depend on the OS to function. Rather the OS is PROTECTED by the anti-virus software.

FACT: If XP were nearly as unsafe as you claim, it would not have been a mainstream business OS for the last 10 years or so.

If it were not for the lack of a good (read current) browser, I would still be on XP. A solid, stable, and current OS does not make MS any money hence the push to "upgrade" to 7, 8, 8.1, and now 10. Continual "upgrades" fill the MS coffers with money.

Regarding Linux: Linux is open source. Any programmer/hacker worth a salt lick in a cow pasture can easily find the holes in it by simply downloading the source code. And, I am sure it has holes as well as security issues. Since Linux users are such a small minority of computer users, why target them??? For that matter, how about Apple? They seem to escape most virus attacks, but again that is because they are such a small market share. I'm sure that they have security weaknesses as well.
 
"Strongly disagree." You're entitled to your opinion, but don't know why you felt the need to spread false information.

"That whole bit about being "unsafe" is a lot of nonsense passed around by some folks that have an anti Microsoft agenda."
No it isn't, can't argue with facts on that subject. How can a system with known flaws, more found as time goes on, that will never be fixed, be "safe"? How can someone argue otherwise?

"FACT: XP was a strong, stable, and viable operating system for over 10 years." While it was supported, sure. You said it correctly, WAS.

"FACT: Virus protection does NOT depend on the OS to function. Rather the OS is PROTECTED by the anti-virus software."
You've never seen malware disable antivirus before even on updated systems by exploiting known security vulnerabilities? Have you worked on computers before, for other people?

”FACT: If XP were nearly as unsafe as you claim, it would not have been a mainstream business OS for the last 10 years or so." Never said anything about when it was supported, because security was being addressed then.

"A solid, stable, and current OS does not make MS any money hence the push to "upgrade" to 7, 8, 8.1, and now 10. Continual "upgrades" fill the MS coffers with money.". Well, businesses make money somehow, can't gain much supporting obsolete software for free, takes resources from doing new things. Windows 10 is the last version though, updates and upgrades are free from now on, they are taking the Apple approach sort of, changes will be made on a rolling update basis. There isn't going to be an 11, at least for likely a very long time.

"Regarding Linux: Linux is open source. Any programmer/hacker worth a salt lick in a cow pasture can easily find the holes in it by simply downloading the source code. And, I am sure it has holes as well as security issues. Since Linux users are such a small minority of computer users, why target them??? For that matter, how about Apple? They seem to escape most virus attacks, but again that is because they are such a small market share. I'm sure that they have security weaknesses as well."
I see you don't know much about this subject besides your gut feeling. Suggest you research the subject before commenting. Everything has vulnerabilities. Difference is there are several key differences that make what you say not relevant, one being they are patched MUCH quicker in most cases. FYI, well over half of all websites run on open source software, stores, banks, everything. Haven't seen statistics lately, but if I were to guess, over 70%. In many cases open source is more secure.

Don't care what you use, I just provided some facts about what the op mentioned, and some alternatives, both free and not, don't know why you decided to single me out on the topic and argue against facts.
 

How about the good old days of 98SE ? Probably some joker out there still running it.
btw 98SE did everything we needed. Where is the advantage of the later bulkier software ?
 
Upgraded all computers at our shop (11 units) to 7 pro and all is well. We couldn't take a chance on running an unsupported system so we bit the bullet and bought all the software before they stopped supporting XP. Saved a lot before the demand went up.

No reason to fear going to 7. Easy transfer system keeps all programs and settings. doesn't take long to do the swap.

Now that windows 10 is out you can get a valid copy of 7 on Ebay for less than $60.00
 

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