Windows XP

[rlortie]

Windows XP is Retiring

After 12 years of support, technical assistance for Windows XP will end on April 8, 2014. The end of Windows XP support will help us focus resources on delivering you the best, most current PC experience.

So what's the advice on where to go from here? And where can you get the better "desk top" bang for the buck?

Ralph

[TGM]

So what's the advice on where to go from here? And where can you get the better "desk top" bang for the buck?

Ralph

I bypassed WIn 7 and went to Win 8. I run it on a high-powered Intel platform. I use a SSD for the operating system. I love it!

You can still use XP, it just will not be supported. This means someone could develop a vulnerability hack, but that's no different than today.

The ideal thing for you is probably run an instance of a virtual Windows computer with XP as the operating system.


[EDIT] ...and you can keep the advice regardless of the car post!

[Mark]

Basically, there are two options.

1) Upgrade to either Win7 or Win8.
The hardware requirements for Win8 may dictate your choice.

2) Migrate to another Operating System; Linux, BSD, or Macintosh.
I have zero experience with a Mac.
If you are comfortable working with the command line [root console] and compiling programs, then your choices for Linux or BSD are wide open.

For fresh-from-Windows noobs, the best choices for Linux are Mint or Ubuntu. [just my humble opinion]
http://distrowatch.com/
[see the Page Hit Ranking list on the right-hand side of the page for links to each distro's sub-page]

My best recommendation to get away from Windows would be PC-BSD, but it requires a PC with a 64-bit processor. [My 8 year old PC was running the 32-bit version of XP Home Edition, but it turns out that the AMD Sempron it has is really a 64-bit processor.]
http://www.pcbsd.org/en/about/
http://wiki.pcbsd.org/index.php/PC-BSDÂ ... dbook/10.0

Any "Windows-only" programs that you have can be run in Wine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software)

[rlortie]

I have recently upgraded from Windows XP (32 bit) to Windows 7 (64-bit) processor. My computer geek was able to save the majority of my files and apps, maintaing the use of "Windows Office" 2003 version.

The upgrade from 32 to 64 bit cost me the use of Microsoft "Encarta" a program that has not been produced since 2008, I miss it. looking for a good desk top dictionary!

I also lost personal folders and contacts in "Outlook" The documents for the better part can be retrieved from "Word" but the contacts are gone.

So, If there are any members that knowingly supplied me with private e-mail addresses wish to stay on my list, please resend to rlortie@Q.com.

Fletcher and Chris need not, theirs I have!

Ralph

[preoccupied]

Windows XP closed its support year 2010 and then reopened it. How do you know that they won't change their mind again? They might reopen support in a few months if they repeat the same behavior.

I have windows 8. I have a T hard drive and an i3. I'm jealous of my brother and his quad i7 or whatever it is that he has. I spend almost as much as he did on my computer. He must have found a nicer builder website because I just bought from the store front. Also he has had his computer longer than I have had mine. I call BS on Best Buy. You gave me a bad deal!

rlortie you should not only have been able to keep your contact information from emails, should have probably recovered all deleted emails from all previous dates for your records. They do it all of the time on government issues, when they recover emails. The deleted emails are just recovered and saved. I need to do that on something sometime later when I have more resources. If any government issues claims that they can't just recover deleted emails, then they aren't really looking. I think that sounds familiar to me. That is why I said it. What the hell is on my mind?

I know you are a different generation than me rlortie but my generation would have recovered their emails that were deleted and all contact information. Over half of the people I knew in high school bragged about hacking old computers before they got to know me and realized that I was ignorant about computers. Oh, maybe, yeah, it's the IRS scandal. They are the one's who don't know how to recover old emails. They need help from a smarter generation.

limp bizkit - my generation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE9CXWV1alg

[Wubbly]

looking for a good desk top dictionary!

You can use one of the many on-line dictionaries. For example: www.dictionary.reference.com

And if you want to understand your grandchildren, you can look up their slang on: www.urbandictionary.com

[rlortie]

Thanks Wubbly,

I went with http://www.dictionary.reference.com/

Ralph

[agor95]

Yes another advert. ZoneAlarm does the job.

Note. Win XP PC should not be connected to the internet.
You could run Ubuntu as well for internet access?