[eye30]

I've been aware of this for sometime but just had notification from ms that they are ceasing to support XP soon, think April.

So what do I do now?

Is there any os (free?????) I can download which won't delete all the data I currently have on the hard drive?

Or should I just carry on ......................

[Surferdude]

System will still work, surely.
Just, no more updates.
I have 2 units with XP. Won't be changing them for as long as possible.

[asathorny]

System will still work, surely.
Just, no more updates.
I have 2 units with XP. Won't be changing them for as long as possible.

 

[diablo]

I recall putting a pirate copy of XP onto a machine I already had  about ten years ago (though dual booted with 98 IIRC so I could use my scanner) and it worked for quite a few years without any updates apart from another pirate version which incorporated one of the service packs.

It was the first version of Windows where the Microsoft site could check that your OS was valid before you could download patches.

It worked fine all the time I had it, so I reckon any machine running XP now will last until it expires through extreme old age.

Ignore anyone who tells you that Linux can do just as good a job - unless your needs are very limited indeed. 

[asathorny]

I recall putting a pirate copy of XP onto a machine I already had  about ten years ago (though dual booted with 98 IIRC so I could use my scanner) and it worked for quite a few years without any updates apart from another pirate version which incorporated one of the service packs.

It was the first version of Windows where the Microsoft site could check that your OS was valid before you could download patches.

It worked fine all the time I had it, so I reckon any machine running XP now will last until it expires through extreme old age.

Ignore anyone who tells you that Linux can do just as good a job - unless your needs are very limited indeed. 

I am imagining that your stab at Linux was intentionally designed to be provocative I shall therefor refrain from rising to your bait.   

[Phil №❶]

Anything new, won't be able to run in XP environment, as win7 + 8 use different architecture, so, if you're not adding "leading edge" software, you'll be fine for years. I have a hack XP machine which I still use occasionally.

However, I would buy a good cheap traded pc's with 7 on it and migrate what you have, over to it then retire the XP machine.

[Dazzler]

I liked XP a lot more than Vista but Win 7 has been my pick of windows versions to date .. I intend staying with Win 7 as long as possible on all our (3) Windows based machines.

[asathorny]

Anything new, won't be able to run in XP environment, as win7 + 8 use different architecture, so, if you're not adding "leading edge" software, you'll be fine for years. I have a hack XP machine which I still use occasionally.

However, I would buy a good cheap traded pc's with 7 on it and migrate what you have, over to it then retire the XP machine.

 

[Surferdude]

I have W7 on this one (my PC) and XP on the two laptops.
But I wonder how much longer they'll service W7?

Not a bad idea to buy a s/h W7 machine. 

[asathorny]

I have W7 on this one (my PC) and XP on the two laptops.
But I wonder how much longer they'll service W7?

Apparently they've decided to extend support for windows 7.   

Not a bad idea to buy a s/h W7 machine. 

If I stumble across the article on the 'Tech Republic' web site I will post it for you..    Although with my memory deficits I wouldn't hold yer breath waiting 

[Surferdude]

Thanks asa.

Got this from pcworld

Through January 12, 2015, Microsoft will provide the same complete support you have today. You'll receive both security and non-security updates. Your warranty claims will be considered and possibly honored. If your license came with no-charge incident support (yes, it exists), you'll continue to receive it. Microsoft may even add features and change the design (but not, I hope, removing the Start menu).

But in 2015, Windows 7 will go onto extended support, which just covers the basics. You'll still receive free security updates, but non-security-related hotfixes will only be available on a paid subscription--and you'll have to start the subscription before April 15, 2015 (if you live in the USA, that's a date with unpleasant associations in any year). There will be no free support, Microsoft won't honor warranty claims, and the company will not add new features.

By the way, XP's mainstream support ended on April 14, 2009; Vista's ended on April 12 of this year. So if you're satisfied with the support you're getting on this operating systems, you probably won't have much to worry about with Windows 7 for another seven years.

For what it's worth, XP's extended support ends on April 8, 2014. Vista's will end on on April 11, 2017.

[The Gonz]

Ignore anyone who tells you that Linux can do just as good a job - unless your needs are very limited indeed. 

Puppy Linux Users Group

[Surferdude]

Ignore anyone who tells you that Linux can do just as good a job - unless your needs are very limited indeed. 

Puppy Linux Users Group

Gonz, I have a question for you.
I've been reading up on the dangers of continuing to run XP due to the increasing "holes" for hackers, now support has ceased. I can see there are pitfalls for the unwary.
I used to run Ubuntu on my old laptop with dual boot.
If I run it on my current laptop which has XP installed, would it be OK to run it as dual boot if I don't access XP while connected to the web.
Or should I bite the bullet and replace XP completely?

I then have to decide what to do with my wife's laptop. She is unlikely to go W8. Now she's out of the workforce, she has no desire to go about learning new programs.

[The Gonz]

Ignore anyone who tells you that Linux can do just as good a job - unless your needs are very limited indeed. 

Puppy Linux Users Group

Gonz, I have a question for you.
I've been reading up on the dangers of continuing to run XP due to the increasing "holes" for hackers, now support has ceased. I can see there are pitfalls for the unwary.
I used to run Ubuntu on my old laptop with dual boot.
If I run it on my current laptop which has XP installed, would it be OK to run it as dual boot if I don't access XP while connected to the web.
Or should I bite the bullet and replace XP completely?

I then have to decide what to do with my wife's laptop. She is unlikely to go W8. Now she's out of the workforce, she has no desire to go about learning new programs.

My Linux boot USB is used on both my XP and W7 laptops. When in use, the Windows files are seen as nothing more than inoperative ballast. As you know, Linux can still mount any drive and manipulate files if you specifically wish to do so.

No problem at all with what you propose and I still recommend playing with Puppy as the ideal transition Linux for XP users.

[eye30]

This popped up on my pc today.
=====================

 Support is ending soon
On April 8, 2014, support and updates for Windows XP will no longer be available. Don't let your PC go unprotected.
   
What is Windows XP end of support?

Microsoft has provided support for Windows XP for the past 12 years. But now the time has come for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources toward supporting more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences.

As a result, after April 8, 2014, technical assistance for Windows XP will no longer be available, including automatic updates that help protect your PC. Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP on this date. (If you already have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, you will continue to receive antimalware signature updates for a limited time, but this does not mean that your PC will be secure because Microsoft will no longer be providing security updates to help protect your PC.)

If you continue to use Windows XP after support ends, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Also, as more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimize for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter greater numbers of apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP.

What does it mean if my version of Windows is no longer supported?

Which version of Windows am I running?
How do I stay protected?

To stay protected after support ends, you have two options:
Upgrade your current PC

Very few older computers will be able to run Windows 8.1, which is the latest version of Windows. We recommend that you download and run the Windows Upgrade Assistant to check if your PC meets the system requirements for Windows 8.1 and then follow the steps in the tutorial to upgrade if your PC is able. For more detailed information, read the FAQ.

    Download and run the Windows Upgrade Assistant

    Tutorial: Upgrade to Windows 8.1 from Windows XP

Get a new PC

If your current PC can't run Windows 8.1, it might be time to consider shopping for a new one. Be sure to explore our great selection of new PCs. They're more powerful, lightweight, and stylish than ever before—and with an average price that's considerably less expensive than the average PC was 10 years ago.
Find your perfect PC
How do I move all my Windows XP stuff to a new PC?

You can move your Windows XP stuff with Laplink, a free data migration solution that will walk you through all the steps to getting your files, setings, and user profiles from your Windows XP PC to your new Windows laptop, desktop, or tablet. (Note that you will need your Windows XP PC to migrate your data, and you can only migrate to a PC running Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1.)

Learn more
What do I get with Windows 8.1?

Windows 8.1 makes it easy to do all the things you're used to doing with Windows XP while opening up a whole new world of possibilities for you to explore and enjoy.

[Lorian]

Whatever you do, don't ignore the warnings.

Realistically you have until 14th of May until the security risks have the potential to start ramping up rapidly (I can explain why if anyone cares).

I don't want to be a doomsayer unnecessarily, but if you have any private information, banking etc on your PC on Windows XP  then do yourself a favour, fork out to upgrade to Windows 7 or 8.1 before then. And I speak as a person who is tight with his money.  It will save you money in the long run, and a whole pile of hassle.

I'm fresh from running a year long programme upgrading thousands of machines. We just finished on schedule

[eye30]

Just finished running the upgrade assistant.

indicates a lot but not all apps on pc are compatible if I download win 8 to the pc.

Then when I click to download it went on to say Win 8 not available here in uk for download!

I run McAfee via BT so should this be OK?

[Aussie Keith]

Folks too much is made of security holes in XP. It has been round long enough to be quite secure. And its foolish to rely on your operating system to provide adequate security in any case. Irrespective of the OS used you should have some sort of end point security such as MS Defender or Avast or similar. These are regularly updated to cover known virus and malware. If you are truly paranoid, you might consider putting scanning on the edge of your network to add an extra layer of active protection. And finally practice safe surfing. Stay away from dark sites, don't open email you don't recognise, don't load your computer up with toolbars and other garbage, run regular malware scans and perform routine housekeeping etc.

And don't worry about XP support, its a stable and mature OS. Run it til your computer stops or you find you can't get drivers for any new hardware you might try to connect to it or it rejects new apps you may want to run.

This is a good thing for those who need the extra peace of mind and could be bothered: Get Untangle

[Aussie Keith]

Realistically you have until 14th of May until the security risks have the potential to start ramping up rapidly (I can explain why if anyone cares).

I'm interested. Please explain.

[The Gonz]

When I was using XP online, I used regularly updated 3rd party anti-virus, lots of security and privacy related Firefox plugins and avoided running predictable vanilla configurations. With linux I'm slowly adding the same kind of layered defence but at a much slower and more selective pace.

[rustynutz]

Folks too much is made of security holes in XP. It has been round long enough to be quite secure. And its foolish to rely on your operating system to provide adequate security in any case. Irrespective of the OS used you should have some sort of end point security such as MS Defender or Avast or similar. These are regularly updated to cover known virus and malware. If you are truly paranoid, you might consider putting scanning on the edge of your network to add an extra layer of active protection. And finally practice safe surfing. Stay away from dark sites, don't open email you don't recognise, don't load your computer up with toolbars and other garbage, run regular malware scans and perform routine housekeeping etc.

And don't worry about XP support, its a stable and mature OS. Run it til your computer stops or you find you can't get drivers for any new hardware you might try to connect to it or it rejects new apps you may want to run.

This is a good thing for those who need the extra peace of mind and could be bothered: Get Untangle

Good advice, Keith....

Years back when I was running XP I hardly ever bothered with updates as they seemed to cause more problems than leaving them off.

My mate who ran a computer business back then reckoned fixing the stuff ups from running Microsoft updates were his bread and butter...

[Aussie Keith]

I turn updates off for that reason. I'm running Win7 with no patches on all the desktop machines here, not even SP1. Same when I was running XP, updates were off.

Since I don't have to worry about selling magazines or provide sensationalist copy for my computer blog, its not an issue.