Goodbye Windows XP - news discussion

hodg100

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Microsoft has confirmed it has withdrawn technical support and Microsoft Security Essentials for download on the 12 year old operating system.

Time to move on or is this going to cause you issues?

Goodbye Windows XP | AVForums
 
poor me. its the only system i have used, and being in the mid sixties will the learning curve prove too much. Microsoft should be ashamed for forgetting about us olduns, but life has a funny way of comming back and biting them on the bum. BEWARE MICROSOFT of the backlash.
 
I remember when Microsoft moved consumers from Windows 95/98/ME to the more professional XP, which was derived from NT. A lot of badly written software could not run on XP at all. All the howls of anguish and despair... And now XP is hailed as some kind of golden period. But the truth is that the XP->Vista transition was much smoother than some would have you believe (certainly easier than Win95/98->XP), Windows 7 was identical to Vista under the surface, and Windows 8 desktop is just as easy to use as Windows 7 once you've pinned a few applications to the taskbar.

Having said that, usually you would just expect to carry on using whatever OS your computer came with and be done with it. But since connecting a computer to the internet continuously has become ubiquitous (sometime about the time that XP became popular) it seems that it is no longer a good idea to use an OS which is not being supported. And that seems to imply that upgrading an OS is not entirely discretionary any more. I rather suspect we will get herded into a subscription model sooner rather than later, as they have already started to do with Office.
 
Microsoft should be ashamed for forgetting about us olduns, but life has a funny way of comming back and biting them on the bum.

Microsoft provide far more support than virtually any other consumer software company - Ubuntu Linux 'Long Term Support' is five years for example and Apple updates are only for OSs back to 10.6, launched September 2009 (currently four and a half years ago).

Microsoft have just discontinued support for a product from 2001, and now provide support for Windows versions back to 2007 (and will continue to do so until 2017). Microsoft do a sterling job of support, not only do they provide it for a long time, but they're absolutely clear from the start about when it ends and have even extended it when a replacement product is late or unsatisfactory - XP's original end of support date was two or three years ago.


Personally I'd say dropping of XP support was neither here nor there, it's about the right time for it - 7 years since XP was your only choice of windows version and three new versions later - but XP has already become obsolete with new systems and programs not supporting it.

What we really need is to cut off support for some of the outdated XP era technologies still in use - Windows Forms for example. I suspect that'll have to wait until a new version of windows though, assuming high resolution screens don't force developers to change in the mean time.
 
Good riddance!
 
As they have say good-bye,but I'm not say anything about XP and run with XP as well until when I say good-bye!
 
The only reason support has dragged on for so long is due to the large installed business & government base that uses XP. If it had been a consumer-only OS they would have ditched support back in the 90s.

Its' supposed successor, Windows Vista, got a terrible reputation because it was slower and more irritating than XP. Driver support wasn't that great either. I didn't mind it personally and I still have a 64 bit version around somewhere.

Windows 7 got rid of a lot of the things that annoyed people about Vista - the continual User Account Control messages and the general slowness. Driver support was better on release & housekeeping stuff like hard disk defragmentation was moved to idle time instead of when the user was trying to use the computer. It a good OS and a worthy upgrade for XP users.


Windows 8 is a schizophrenic mess for the novice user and looks far too amateurish for most businesses to consider. Next year's Windows 9 will allow the touchscreen garbage that blights Windows 8 to be disabled. I think that'll be a real winner for Microsoft. It also follows the crap/good/crap/good product cycle that Microsoft seems to work to.
 
Its been a good Run for XP but unfortunately there's always a time to upgrade and it seems that times now.
 
It makes me laugh when one of the arguments to upgrade is lower costs. Most of our customers have had their XP systems for well over 5 years, most haven't quite lasted a decade through total hardware failure or massive performance issues (my how things have changed since the Pentium II!). So these businesses must invest in new hardware, newer server side software to be able to control them through policy management, usually meaning newer server hardware again, and CALs! There's also other knock-on effects, for instance other client and server software needs to be replaced at the same time. On top of this, the on-site techs needs training on all of this technology, and the users need training on the bits they use. Plus the project manager's nightmare of resistance to buy-in because users (and sometimes managers too) can't understand the benefits or don't have time to take out of their busy days (sometimes a result of staff roll consolidation and other short-term cost cutting measures).

None of this is Microsoft's fault. My company has repeatedly suggested to SMBs in our area to get with the times, or feel a massive blow when the rug gets pulled out from under their feet. Well it's here, and trust me the panic has started!

What was that about lower costs again!?!
 
I will be moving over to "Windows 7" in the next couple of weeks or so. I've noticed some sites are not supported, or ever have been, by "XP". For example I have to go to "Mozilla Firefox" to get onto "Flubits" website.

I've been with "XP" for years now so I suppose like many things in life its had its run. "Windows 7" is a natural progression for me from "XP" with regards to operating it, and it's well proven. I'm no computer highbrow expert user it's just for my personal and domestic use. Plus a little bit of business accountancy stuff on "word" as i'm self employed, so the basic operating layout of "7" will suit me fine. If I do have any operating problems number two daughter can help me out if needs be as she has had "7" for some time. Also as far as I know "Windows 7" is being supported by "Microsoft" untill 2020.

"Windows 8" has had too many problems and although the .1 upgrade has sorted out many glitches, from what I can percieve and given my limited knowledge of such things, it appears that it's more styled towards tablet use and the ultra latest computers which (a) I don't have or (b) do not need at the moment.
 
I will be moving over to "Windows 7" in the next couple of weeks or so. I've noticed some sites are not supported, or ever have been, by "XP". For example I have to go to "Mozilla Firefox" to get onto "Flubits" website.

I've been with "XP" for years now so I suppose like many things in life its had its run. "Windows 7" is a natural progression for me from "XP" with regards to operating it, and it's well proven. I'm no computer highbrow expert user it's just for my personal and domestic use. Plus a little bit of business accountancy stuff on "word" as i'm self employed, so the basic operating layout of "7" will suit me fine. If I do have any operating problems number two daughter can help me out if needs be as she has had "7" for some time. Also as far as I know "Windows 7" is being supported by "Microsoft" untill 2020.

"Windows 8" has had too many problems and although the .1 upgrade has sorted out many glitches, from what I can percieve and given my limited knowledge of such things, it appears that it's more styled towards tablet use and the ultra latest computers which (a) I don't have or (b) do not need at the moment.

Win 7 is the easy way to go though from a hardware perspective transitioning away from win xp, win 8.1 is actually a better option than win 7 as it has lower system requirements.

The start menu is not present in win 8.x but Microsoft have announced it will be returning in win 8.1 update 2 or something along those lines. Update 1 to win 8.1 also introduced behind the scenes changes where the tablet UI elements are suppressed by default when it checks the bios/uefi for a flag stating this computer is desktop (yes), hybrid (yes) or tablet (no), if no flag at all is present it defaults to desktop mode.

There are many start menu replacements out there already which can even give you win xp style start menu such as startisback and it's really no different from windows 7 in this fashion just a bit faster.


On a side note for anyone who is interested in migrating to Win 7 or Win 8 and doesnt want to lose data or apps it is possible to retain all your files and applications but it's an involved process that requires multiple versions of windows that most people wont have lying around;

If running WinXP Home
* Get Windows Vista and install as upgrade put disc in while windows is running, don't bother activating as it's only a stepping stone
* Install service pack 1 on Windows Vista and install any driver updates present in windows update (needed for transition to win 7)
* Get Windows 7 and upgrade Vista to Win 7 Home same way as vista, get all updates from windows update and activate the os.

If you get to Win 7 level and wish to go to Windows 8.x
* Get Windows 8.0 [not 8.1] then upgrade to Windows 8 standard
* Install free update to 8.1 from windows store built into Windows 8.0

That will take a few days to do but it should keep everything going, you can't skip over an OS as MS remove the OS migration after the next release, for example 8.1 does not have the Win 7 OS migration feature only Win 8.0 has it, only Vista has the XP migration.

Also if by some chance you have XP Pro you will be in a bind as that only upgrades to the expensive business/ultimate/Pro versions of Vista/7/8 so on Win7 what you can do is downgrade to Home through a trick and that will get you back on Windows standard upgrade path, probably works at vista level too.
 
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On a side note for anyone who is interested in migrating to Win 7 or Win 8 and doesnt want to lose data or apps it is possible to retain all your files and applications but it's an involved process that requires multiple versions of windows that most people wont have lying around;

If running WinXP Home
* Get Windows Vista and install as upgrade put disc in while windows is running, don't bother activating as it's only a stepping stone
* Install service pack 1 on Windows Vista and install any driver updates present in windows update (needed for transition to win 7)
* Get Windows 7 and upgrade Vista to Win 7 Home same way as vista, get all updates from windows update and activate the os.

If you get to Win 7 level and wish to go to Windows 8.x
* Get Windows 8.0 [not 8.1] then upgrade to Windows 8 standard
* Install free update to 8.1 from windows store built into Windows 8.0
If anyone tries this do make sure that you back up anything you can't afford to lose first. Things can go wrong and it is not worth the risk not to make a safety copy first.
 
On a side note for anyone who is interested in migrating to Win 7 or Win 8 and doesnt want to lose data or apps it is possible to retain all your files and applications but it's an involved process that requires multiple versions of windows that most people won't have lying around.

Thanks for the info "next010" not just for me but for others who also may not be too computer literate.

As it happens we have a guy who is a genuine whizz at all this and gives a warranty on his work as well. In fact in the past he has eradicated the odd virus or four, of which one was a real nasty bu**er and needed some real heavy delving into the computer's nether regions to get rid of the sod. Also, with my blessing at the time, he upgraded the computer at a very fair (read extremely reasonable) cost. So he will be doing the migration to "Windows 7" for me.

As regarding the above you have mentioned, he will be doing all what's necessary with reference to my data, apps and files, etc, etc, and he has all the requirements to do this properly. On another upgrade some three years ago he increased the memory and ram, and also biased the computer towards better compatability with "Windows 7" when the situation deemed it necessary, which of course has now arrived. At that point he already knew about the demise of XP, apart from the fact that "Windows" later on decided to extend "XP" to April 2014 from last year due to the amount of people using the system. He told us about the April 2014 extention before most others even knew about it, so he really is on the ball. When I have this migration done I am also having the older style hard drive upgraded to the latest solid state type which will increase the speed of the computer by quite a margin plus a couple of other things as well.

This for me (apart from any viruses that may need eradicating in the future, but hopefully not) will be the last major upgrade or work doing to this particular computer. Unless I have a really big problem which would cost an amount that would be out of proportion with its age and would therefore warrent a new one, as long as this computer trundles along untill such time I will be a happy soul.

If a company like "PC World" was to do what our guy will be doing for me it would cost a fortune. With "Mr man" he comes round, picks up the tower and then brings it back to me, all I do is pay, and pay an amount which is very fair and very reasonable...simples. ;)

By the way wifey usually uses either her work laptop or her new "I pad" thingy wotsit for her needs.
 
On a side note for anyone who is interested in migrating to Win 7 or Win 8 and doesnt want to lose data or apps it is possible to retain all your files and applications but it's an involved process that requires multiple versions of windows that most people wont have lying around;
Although this upgrade path is possible you are likely to be limited to staying with a 32bit version of Windows - the most likely version of Win XP for most users. You can't do an in place upgrade from a 32bit to a 64bit version of Windows, you need to do a clean install.

Mark.
 
There's no upgrade path from XP anyway, only Vista/7, and yes you can't upgrade from 32/64-bit to 64/32-bit architectures. Regardless, I'd always suggest backing up, performing a fresh install together with freshly installed apps. It's long winded, yes, but it's the best way to help against corrupt data. Call me thorough!
 
It makes me laugh when one of the arguments to upgrade is lower costs.
You remind me of someone cutting down trees with a blunt saw. If you have a sharp saw you cut down more trees. You just need to spend some time sharpening the saw to get the result but people would rather just carry on using the blunt saw.

New hardware and software is much faster. Sometimes I've had to go off and make a coffee while waiting for my computer to start up, and the retraining only applies to those who have been in the business for years. People coming in would immediately begin with the software whatever it was.

In fact when using XP it is that different from what a lot of people use presently they are hampered by it being unfamiliar to their present home computer. It took me a while to remember how to search on XP having being used to the new versions.

Throw in less secure as well. Eventually you need to update. It might as well be now as any other time.
 
"Windows 8" has had too many problems and although the .1 upgrade has sorted out many glitches, from what I can percieve and given my limited knowledge of such things, it appears that it's more styled towards tablet use and the ultra latest computers which (a) I don't have or (b) do not need at the moment.
Windows 8 can be used in desktop mode just like 7. 8.2 is closer to 7 as well.
 
There's no upgrade path from XP anyway
Well actually yes there is - read post #13
It may not be a direct upgrade, but it can be done. There is a good chance that not all programs will work under 7 or 8 that were running on XP, but the majority should be fine.
I wouldn't recommend going that route though and would suggest a clean install is a far better option where possible.

Mark.
 
At the moment i'm juggling with either upgrading my present tower, which we have had for some years now, or buying a new one. One of my daughters is working a couple of shifts a week at "Waitrose" whilst still at school. With working there she gets a family discount card, not only on our food shopping at the aforementioned supermarket but also at "John Lewis" as it's all part of the same group. So buying a replacement tower with "windows 8.1" and all the other up to date benefits insitu starts to become a more attractive option rather than upgrading our present one, especially with the warranty.

To upgrade our present tower would cost around £260 / £300, this includes the upgrade to "Windows 7" plus increasing memory and ram and fitting a new non moving solid state hard drive which would increase the speed considerably, at present it's pretty slow. That would by the way include the labour and transfer of all our programmes and data etc, etc. But given the discount situation it still makes a pretty good argument and reason to just buy a new one.
 
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Well actually yes there is - read post #13
It may not be a direct upgrade, but it can be done.
I meant directly. Sorry for any confusion.
 
You remind me of someone cutting down trees with a blunt saw. If you have a sharp saw you cut down more trees. You just need to spend some time sharpening the saw to get the result but people would rather just carry on using the blunt saw.

New hardware and software is much faster. Sometimes I've had to go off and make a coffee while waiting for my computer to start up, and the retraining only applies to those who have been in the business for years. People coming in would immediately begin with the software whatever it was.

In fact when using XP it is that different from what a lot of people use presently they are hampered by it being unfamiliar to their present home computer. It took me a while to remember how to search on XP having being used to the new versions.

Throw in less secure as well. Eventually you need to update. It might as well be now as any other time.

And you sound like someone who's never had to get a project to budget! I understand and demonstrate to others why they should upgrade, not just Windows but all IT assets; you're preaching to the converted. Lost productivity through lack of performance, in turn caused by lack of investment is probably my biggest bug bear in the job. Most of the time it comes down to demonstrating ROI; which I believe I do but they say I don't! When it all goes bang, I get the 'oh yeah, that's what you meant, didn't think it would happen to us' response. Too late!
 

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