XP support terminates March 2014

[Tarbaby]

So what are all you XP owners going to do? (including me). I don't want Windows 8 or 8.1. Win 7 is slated to terminate January 2015 (but I imagine it COULD get extended since Microsoft is bungling Windows 8 ). So no sense getting Windows 7. My present hardware is a bit too old, it failed in two areas when I ran the Windows software to determine if it could handle Win 8 - plus I want to keep this machine intact for other older software I run on it. Not to mention the myriad custom settings after all these years. Or I could switch to a Mac. Or even come up on Linux. I have some versions but haven't played with them. Learning curves everywhere. Or should I just try to get by on my iPad? Dunno if it is robust enough to replace my big screen PC.

But aren't some of you facing this same dilemma? We're out of time!

Oh! Hey! I forgot one option: Keep using XP and ignore the consequences.  Well, I'm not prepared to do that. It'll be open season on XP malware-wise.

And I also omitted "sandboxing" and virtual machine (VMware). Anyone having success with these two? And will they be sufficient once Microwoft support ends?

[steelbot]

So what are all you XP owners going to do? (including me). I don't want Windows 8 or 8.1. Win 7 is slated to terminate January 2015 (but I imagine it COULD get extended since Microsoft is bungling Windows 8 ). So no sense getting Windows 7. My present hardware is a bit too old, it failed in two areas when I ran the Windows software to determine if it could handle Win 8 - plus I want to keep this machine intact for other older software I run on it. Not to mention the myriad custom settings after all these years. Or I could switch to a Mac. Or even come up on Linux. I have some versions but haven't played with them. Learning curves everywhere. Or should I just try to get by on my iPad? Dunno if it is robust enough to replace my big screen PC.

But aren't some of you facing this same dilemma? We're out of time!

Oh! Hey! I forgot one option: Keep using XP and ignore the consequences.  Well, I'm not prepared to do that. It'll be open season on XP malware-wise.

And I also omitted "sandboxing" and virtual machine (VMware). Anyone having success with these two? And will they be sufficient once Microwoft support ends?

Windows 7 64bit - made the switch from xp to vista back to xp - and then to 7 and never looked back.  There is nothing my windows 7 box can't do, that I couldn't do on xp, but xp doesn't support everything my windows 7 machine does, so it's kinda a no brainer for me.  Windows 8 - not a fan.  Hoping they give us a windows 7 like version with 9...but I don't think that's gonna happen.  I've played with linux, and mac os - not a fan of mac os prior to one of the cat named releases of about 5 years ago, but linux and windows machines, plus in the AirForce work I used em both quite often.  7 is the best so far for my creativity and archival/backup processes.  Plus the 3d Rendering stuff just works well on my 7 box vs previous linux clusters i ran.

[bateman]

Windows 7 64bit - made the switch from xp to vista back to xp - and then to 7 and never looked back.  There is nothing my windows 7 box can't do, that I couldn't do on xp, but xp doesn't support everything my windows 7 machine does, so it's kinda a no brainer for me.  Windows 8 - not a fan.  Hoping they give us a windows 7 like version with 9...but I don't think that's gonna happen.  I've played with linux, and mac os - not a fan of mac os prior to one of the cat named releases of about 5 years ago, but linux and windows machines, plus in the AirForce work I used em both quite often.  7 is the best so far for my creativity and archival/backup processes.  Plus the 3d Rendering stuff just works well on my 7 box vs previous linux clusters i ran.

Agree with all of this. I just installed a Samsung 840 EVO solid state drive too. Couldn't be happier with my setup.

[steelbot]

Agree with all of this. I just installed a Samsung 840 EVO solid state drive too. Couldn't be happier with my setup.

Nice, I'm still rocking Intel 320 series *120 gb drives x2  But I love em, and my machine is blazing fast with an old 6950 2gb Dirt3 Edition AMD card - it runs all games at top shit - so i'm not complaining.  NO BF4 test yet but bf3 just fine.

[cweb]

I think Microsoft will end up extending Windows 7 support, and that Windows 9 will be more 7ish than 8ish. But I'm being optimistic.

The college I work at has ZERO intention of going to 8 at this time. We have professors who struggle with Google Chrome, for goodness sakes. A new OS would make them insane.

When I finally get around to building myself a new PC, I am going to avoid Windows 8 unless I absolutely have to use it. That said, my old XPS box is still chugging along on XP and I have no plans to upgrade. I should add that the XPS is basically an offline machine at this point (use my 5-year-old MacBook Pro for web browsing, email, etc).

So, to answer your question Tarbaby, I've gone to another platform. Not huge on the newer OSX Macs, but if you're not doing gaming you could do much worse. Linux is also an interesting option if you don't mind a learning curve.

[MV/Liberace!]

actually, windows 7 will continue getting updates through january 14, 2020.

[steelbot]

actually, windows 7 will continue getting updates through january 14, 2020.

Should have saved that for the spec sheet - Now we don't have to listen    That is actually good to know.

[wr250]

i dont run any windows operating systems , combo of linux ,mac osX , ios, and android

[coaster]

I have windows 7 64 bit and it is just as clunky as the rest of them.

[DigitalPigSnuggler]

I worked with a linux distribution back in 2003 when I was considering moving to linux rather than XP.  Went with XP and have been using it since then through several hardware upgrades.  Actually running a 32 bit version on 64 bit hardware right now.

If I am pushed off of XP, I'm moving to linux.  I like to feel like I have some control with what I am using and I don't feel that with Win 7.  I would not use Google Chrome or Android or any other Google OS or product at the point of a bayonet.   At some point Google is going to take over the Internet and at that time I will reduce my Internet presence to anything that can't be done out of a library or other public PC.

[Juan]

I have a PC-BSD box.  Ir has WINE, so it seems to run a lot of Windows programs, etc.  I haven't fooled with it a lot, but it seems solid.

[Tarbaby]

Steelbot: Thanks for the good feedback. Yes, I've heard Win7 is arguably the best windows version ever. BUT - I'm told Microsoft support for Windows 7 will end January 2015. So if I switch to that I'll be going through this all over again in one year.

bateman: Yes, my original plan was to build a new machine with a 256gb SSD and a 3 tb external. But I'm also sick and tired of worrying about stuff like CryoLocker and its armada of variants. Mac or Linux would probably preclude such.

cweb: Right. Businesses and Corporation are not moving to windows 8 either, nor are apparently most everyone else. Despite Microsoft's attempts to force customers to do so. Yes Linux has a learning curve but is not being targeted by malware makers. Nor is Apple for the most part. Yes, your XP will be vulnerable if its sitting there online via the operating system. So I agree with your idea to change platforms for the important machine in use, say, for banking, etc. I don't play games any more (though I used to) due to my vision loss. By the way, the NSA (from what I'm told) can penetrate all platforms; it installs itself in the BIOS and even if one resores the entire HD it presence remains in the BIOS. I have no reason to fear the NSA but I'm just saying if they can do it so can other really smart people.

MV: Thanks for confirming that. I had heard it but my source was vague. Can I ask you how sure you are? Because this is a pivotal point for my decision. If I knew it for sure I'd probably go with it. Although it doesn't solve the pourous defense that I worry about. And the "official" end-date I was just given yesterday for WIN7 was January 2015. Yet everyone thinks it will be extended and yes I had heard 2020. But what is considered a reliable source for that end-date? Microsoft itself?  They can't find their ass with either hand.

Coaster: I recently acquired IOS 7.0.4 and an iPad Air and was stunned, despite how "reliable" and "user friendly" Apple IOS was supposed to be (I've always used Windows stuff) that it seems to me every bit as crash-prone as windows ever was. BUT, it does seem to recover after the APPS or OS crashes (for the most part). I looked at the crash logs and there are pages and pages of crash reports.

DigitalPigSnuggler: Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it!

KEEP IT COMING, EVERYONE!

[zeebo]

I'm still running XP on a 6 year old laptop tank with a classic 4:3 screen that you can't even get anymore and if I had my way I would keep everything the same but just make it faster.  I'm so tired of learning new systems where they break the interface and add a bunch of bloat I don't need.  I especially hate windows for having such little respect for backwards compatibility.  Ok if you're gonna force me to upgrade fine but at least let me do things the old way I'm used to so I don't have to learn everything again especially when I just need to get some work done.  Note, I have 7 on my desktop and it's ok (because it's like XP) but I hated Vista and completely loathe 8.

[Little Hater]

I'm probably going to finally move to Linux (probably Mint) on my two computers and the four belonging to family members that I support. The biggest stumbling block will be the plaintive wail from my sister about losing her (Windows-only) games. I have a couple of programs I use that don't have Linux versions, but I can find alternatives/live without them.

[wr250]

I'm probably going to finally move to Linux (probably Mint) on my two computers and the four belonging to family members that I support. The biggest stumbling block will be the plaintive wail from my sister about losing her (Windows-only) games. I have a couple of programs I use that don't have Linux versions, but I can find alternatives/live without them.

many games run under wine. install playonlinux, as it has a easy installer for most windows programs and allows you to choose your wine version, up to the very latest.usually the distros are 1-3 versions behind on wine.example, current wine version is 1.7.something. my version of debian (sid which is the testing version as opposed to wheezy which is the production version) is 1.4.

[cweb]

many games run under wine. install playonlinux, as it has a easy installer for most windows programs and allows you to choose your wine version, up to the very latest.usually the distros are 1-3 versions behind on wine.example, current wine version is 1.7.something. my version of debian (sid which is the testing version as opposed to wheezy which is the production version) is 1.4.

I remember looking at the Wine "compatibility list" for games and being quite impressed at the titles supported!

If Win7 is sticking around until 2020, my next machine will probably run that platform. However, I will likely be looking to add Linux capability to become more familiar with it. Right now I have a Raspberry Pi running debian that I need to fire up and play with some more. It might not have a ton of horsepower, but my concern right now is learning my way around and getting versed in the shell. That way, if Windows goes off the deep end, it's Linux for me.

By the way, the NSA (from what I'm told) can penetrate all platforms; it installs itself in the BIOS and even if one resores the entire HD it presence remains in the BIOS. I have no reason to fear the NSA but I'm just saying if they can do it so can other really smart people.

You're right that if someone smart really wants to get into your computer, they can find a way. I've been very fortunate in avoiding problems, but my "lay low" strategy sure isn't invincible. My parents' computer, on the other hand, has had some really annoying viruses on it.

[wr250]

You're right that if someone smart really wants to get into your computer, they can find a way. I've been very fortunate in avoiding problems, but my "lay low" strategy sure isn't invincible. My parents' computer, on the other hand, has had some really annoying viruses on it.

and if if the govt really wants it, they will simply take it (with or without a court order depending on your location). and they will extract the info even if it means you sitting in jail until you supply the encryption password.

[MV/Liberace!]

I especially hate windows for having such little respect for backwards compatibility.

then you'd have a stroke if you were an apple user.

[MV/Liberace!]

i've been running windows 8 on my main work machine for about a week now.  with start8 and modern mix installed, you essentially can't tell you're running win8, and this version of windows definitely outperforms win7 in nearly every metric.  i recommend the upgrade.  you just have to do a little tweaking and pay $7.99 to get the operating system out of your way.

[Tarbaby]

zeebo: Right, I agree. I'm resentful that I have to abandon a perfectly good machine and the XP OS but people (like my brother) try to convince me OS's have to change. Apple is even worse at obsoleting their soft/hard ware. Windows has always tried to be backward compatible. I think you have a valid point about trying to keep the system familiar to the user even though software and hardware upgrades are "necessary" (which is subjective). But this entire shift to the "TILES" was heavy-handed.

Little Hater: Yup. That was my concern for a long time, didn't want to abandon Windows because I was a gamer since, well, since my Atari 800. But then Windows for the most part.

wr250 (and any Linux users): I do have a CD here of PuppyLinux. I burned a copy to CD (about 2 yrs ago) and was planning to investigate it. But haven't yet. Any opnions on it? Is it too old now? I picked a particular version because it seemed to be good for a machine of my vintage (old dual-core) and it had support for FireFox which I generally use the last few years. Chrome on my iPad. I've heard of 'debian' but not 'wheezy'. I'm scrutinizing your post.

cweb: Spot on! We non-Linux users need to prepare for OS Armegeddon and start dabbling with Linux.

MV: Again, thanks! I was waiting to hear that from someone (besides Leo Laporte). Taking it under advisement.

Thank you, everyone! Exactly what I wanted to hear!
KEEP IT COMING! Maybe more info on Linux…

[wr250]

that version of puppy is too old. in addition puppy linux is nolonger maintained. get a current version of knoppix (which is debian/ubuntu based) or ubuntu live cd (although i hate unity, its far far better than win8 tiles).

[Tarbaby]

Aha. Great, taking notes.

[MV/Liberace!]

...(although i hate unity, its far far better than win8 tiles).

i know, isn't unity the pits?

[DigitalPigSnuggler]

KEEP IT COMING! Maybe more info on Linux…

Have you looked at Knoppix?  It's a free download.  Comes as either a bootable CDrom or bootable DVD.  Download, burn it, pop the thing into your optical drive, set the BIOS boot order to optical drive before hdd, and off you go.  Boots off of the optical disk and does not access your hard drive at all.  You can run a linux distribution, play with it, and when you are done, just reboot your puter into your usual OS.

If you find that you like what you see, you can install it on a hard drive at some later point.  I think it uses the Debian distribution but not sure.

One thing that has always bugged me about Linux is the snobbery.  This expresses itself in the form of menu listings that use acronyms or obscure file names rather than a comprehensible program name or, god forbid in the case of utilities, what the fuck the program does.  Linux is like the France of OS software: you have to struggle through using the native language in order to prove yourself worthy and qualify for further assistance.

[MV/Liberace!]

One thing that has always bugged me about Linux is the snobbery.  This expresses itself in the form of menu listings that use acronyms or obscure file names rather than a comprehensible program name or, god forbid in the case of utilities, what the fuck the program does.  Linux is like the France of OS software: you have to struggle through using the native language in order to prove yourself worthy and qualify for further assistance.

amen.  the people condescendingly slithering around in linux forums are really insufferable.  they piss and moan about how much they'd like to see desktop linux take off, but they snark the shit out of anyone who has the audacity to actually try learning/using their precious operating system.

[DigitalPigSnuggler]

amen.  the people condescendingly slithering around in linux forums are really insufferable.  they piss and moan about how much they'd like to see desktop linux take off, but they snark the shit out of anyone who has the audacity to actually try learning/using their precious operating system.

Exactly.  The poor dears are caught in an unresolvable paradox -- they want linux to be popular amongst the masses, but that necessarily means philistines defiling it by just wanting to use it and not giving a shit about how vastly superior it is to "windoze."  It's kind of like dropping a cat with a sliced of buttered bread strapped to its back.

[cweb]

i've been running windows 8 on my main work machine for about a week now.  with start8 and modern mix installed, you essentially can't tell you're running win8, and this version of windows definitely outperforms win7 in nearly every metric.  i recommend the upgrade.  you just have to do a little tweaking and pay $7.99 to get the operating system out of your way.

I will have to check this out down the road. Still wanna learn Linux. But if I can have an environment that's similar to Windows 7 except better-performing, sign me up!

(I'll just have to take the $8 extra out of my drinking fund.)

[Mind Flayer Monk]

I think drivers/driver updates are a bigger problem with linux than snobbery is.

Linux used to be much better than Windows because of how files are searched for and indexed (-grep) but Windows 8 really closes that gap as its much easier to search for files on windows 8.

Tarbaby, why not just get a good antivirus software? I think they offer upgrades to windows 8 for something like $60 and then you can get MV's $8 retool.

[Morgus]

I've used this excellent freeware utility with Windows 7 for a couple years, allows you to customize the start menu to look more like Windows XP or even Windows 98, plus many other customiizable enhancements. They now support Windows 8 & 8.1 as well:
Classic Shell
http://www.classicshell.net/

[zeebo]

I remember looking at the Wine "compatibility list" for games and being quite impressed at the titles supported!
If Win7 is sticking around until 2020, my next machine will probably run that platform. However, I will likely be looking to add Linux capability to become more familiar with it. ...

I love Linux and would change over today if I could just be gauranteed all my software would run there.  However I've tried switching over several times and invariably I end up back in the Windows trap.  I just don't have time to mess around with Wine compatability lists or open-source app alternatives when, especially for work, I just need a particular software to run, and run right. 

I've tried dual-boot setups, and that just ends up complicating things, so eventually I always just end up back in Windows even though I hate it.  I think until most software runs natively on Linux, it just won't ever be able to be reliable as a desktop platform, which sucks for me since I love it for many reasons (speed, control, flexibility, backwards compatibility, command-line power, software install management, different interface choices, different distribution choices, etc.)