Windows XP - End of Support

[johnb]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28790582

four months on and I am still using XP with no apparent ill-effects - am I pushing my luck ?

I suspect the truth is that nobody knows to what extent computers running XP will attract hackers (criminal or 'vanilla'). Also nobody expected that there was going to be an onslaught on XP computers immediately after Microsoft stopped their security patches. What is for sure is that as time rolls on more and more holes in XP (and Office 2003) will be discovered and the risks are going to increase, perhaps increase greatly.

There are some obvious things you can do which will help, to an extent:

- make sure you have the latest patches for XP
- make sure your antivirus is up to date (most antivirus providers have said they will continue to support for at least 2 years after the Microsoft cut off).
- if you use Microsoft's Internet Explorer as your browser - change to Firefox or Chrome as they will still get security updates
- if you use Outlook Express or Outlook 2003 for your e-mails - change to, say, Mozilla's Thunderbird as it will still get security updates.

Having said all that, if you bought the computer with XP installed then it will be over 7 years old and, if this is your only computer and you reply on it, you should really be thinking about replacing it in the not too distant future. It might continue to work fine for many years - or it might pack up next week.

[amateur51]

Writing as a technopeasant, many thanks johnb

There are some obvious things you can do which will help, to an extent:

- make sure you have the latest patches for XP

Could you explain how to do this please?

It might continue to work fine for many years - or it might pack up next week.

Cheers!

[johnb]

Could you explain how to do this please?

This process needs to have Internet Explorer as your default browser. If it is already the browser you always use, that's fine. If you use another browser then you need to set Internet Explorer as your default browser:

Open Internet Explorer
Select Tools/Internet Options
Click on the Programs Tab and click on the "Make default" button in the "Default web browser" section

Next, to check you have the latest patches:
Start
Control Panel
On the left of the control panel you should see "Windows Update" - click on that and it should take you to the Microsoft XP update webpage.
It will first scan your PC (this takes some time) then it might offer to install software as part of the scan process.
Once it has finished scanning your system it will give two options: Express Update and Custom Update - for most purposes the Express Update is what you want.

You might be asked to restart your computer after doing the update.

Once the updates are installed, repeat the process - go back to Start/Control Panel/Windows Update - until there are no Express Updates

[amateur51]

This process needs to have Internet Explorer as your default browser. If it is already the browser you always use, that's fine. If you use another browser then you need to set Internet Explorer as your default browser:

Open Internet Explorer
Select Tools/Internet Options
Click on the Programs Tab and click on the "Make default" button in the "Default web browser" section

Next, to check you have the latest patches:
Start
Control Panel
On the left of the control panel you should see "Windows Update" - click on that and it should take you to the Microsoft XP update webpage.
It will first scan your PC (this takes some time) then it might offer to install software as part of the scan process.
Once it has finished scanning your system it will give two options: Express Update and Custom Update - for most purposes the Express Update is what you want.

You might be asked to restart your computer after doing the update.

Once the updates are installed, repeat the process - go back to Start/Control Panel/Windows Update - until there are no Express Updates

Many thanks for this johnb

It seems pretty straightforward Famous last words

[mercia]

four months on and I am still using XP with no apparent ill-effects - am I pushing my luck ?

oops, spoke too soon. Whichever program it is that lets me look at music scores on IMSLP (Acrobat Reader ? ) has suddenly stopped working for me, probably something to do with me still using XP (?).

[Bryn]

oops, spoke too soon. Whichever program it is that lets me look at music scores on IMSLP (Acrobat Reader ? ) has suddenly stopped working for me, probably something to do with me still using XP (?).

Other (less vulnerable?) pdf readers are available.

However, also see http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/otherversions/ to select a version of Adobe Acrobat Reader which may work with XP.

[jean]

My computer is pretty old, with XP and Word 2003. The computer man recommends a reconditioned one with Windows 7.

Is this good advice?

Also, what (other than price) should influence me in deciding whether to replace it with another PC, or get a laptop?

[rauschwerk]

oops, spoke too soon. Whichever program it is that lets me look at music scores on IMSLP (Acrobat Reader ? ) has suddenly stopped working for me, probably something to do with me still using XP (?).

I sometimes have trouble viewing IMSLP files under Windows 8. The file begins to appear but never finishes. Acrobat reader XI still works fine on my old laptop with XP. So not sure if the problem is Acrobat at all.

[mercia]

Other (less vulnerable?) pdf readers are available.

However, also see http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/otherversions/ to select a version of Adobe Acrobat Reader which may work with XP.

thank you for that. It doesn't even seem to want me to download any of them either (leastways not past Step 2 of 3). Something strange going on

[Anna]

oops, spoke too soon. Whichever program it is that lets me look at music scores on IMSLP (Acrobat Reader ? ) has suddenly stopped working for me, probably something to do with me still using XP (?).

I ditched Adobe years ago due to its security flaws. I have Foxit Reader which a quick google tells me is the preferred one for IMSLP music scores. It's free and works fine on my XP.

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader/

[johnb]

My computer is pretty old, with XP and Word 2003. The computer man recommends a reconditioned one with Windows 7.

Is this good advice?

Also, what (other than price) should influence me in deciding whether to replace it with another PC, or get a laptop?

Windows 7 is extremely easy to use if you are used to Windows XP - there is hardly any learning curve. Also the vast majority of Windows XP programmes will run on Windows 7, though you might have to set some to Windows XP compatibility mode (very easy to do).

Having said that, Word 2003 (like XP) is no longer covered by Windows security updates so it would be better to change to something else rather than just reinstalling your Word 2003 on your new computer.

PCs
Usually cheaper or more powerful for the same money.
You can get bigger and much more convenient screens.
More expandable.
Usually they have better and more usable keyboards (but some desktop keyboards are not that good).

Laptops
Much more convenient - you can take them anywhere in the house, though you will need WiFi coverage where ever you use it if you want to connect to the internet.

Many laptops have relatively poor keyboards (even the renowned ThinkPad keyboards are not as good as they used to be), though this only becomes a factor if you do a lot of typing.

If you often use a laptop in one location, say a home office, you can buy a monitor and keyboard which you can use in that location.

I would guess that for most people a laptop is more useful than a desktop but (I might be wrong in this) it is worth checking the screen before buying as higher resolution screens often lead to smaller text. The text size can be changed using the Control Panel but, in my experience, non-default text sizes can seem marginally fuzzier - and that contributes to eye-strain.

One of the tremendous benefits over the last couple of decades has been the introduction of flat screen monitors. They have really precise, sharp text which greatly reduces the eye-strain and with a larger monitor you can have multiple windows in view (very useful). I have a 23" flat screen monitor for my desktop and I wouldn't recommend anything smaller.

As for buying a Windows 7 computer - new Windows 7 machines are readily available from online suppliers, they have to be because of business demand. These have Windows 7 pre-installed through the downgrade rights of Windows 8 - so you also get the Windows 8 DVD. IMO anyone buying a computer online should only do so from a well established, reputable computer specialist retailer - definitely not from Amazon or Ebay.

[mercia]

I ditched Adobe years ago due to its security flaws. I have Foxit Reader which a quick google tells me is the preferred one for IMSLP music scores. It's free and works fine on my XP.
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader/

that's brilliant, thank you very much

is there a recommended alternative to flashplayer too ?

[Lento]

IMO anyone buying a computer online should only do so from a well established, reputable computer specialist retailer - definitely not from Amazon or Ebay.

Do Amazon have a bad reputation when selling computers?

[johnb]

Do Amazon have a bad reputation when selling computers?

Not particularly, but IMO it is better to buy from a specialised supplier who is more likely to be responsive and knowledgeable if there are problems. I remember one poster buying a computer from an Amazon Marketplace supplier and getting very short shift from them when there were problems with the computer.

[MrGongGong]

(I never thought I would say this but)

WHY are you persisting with a Windows computer when you want something reliable ?
I recently bought a refurbished macbook pro running Mountain Lion for £500 for a family member
Open Office is free
it's more reliable and stable than any windows machine I've ever had (including a very top of the range Sony laptop) and if I wanted to I would dual boot it to run Windows as well (or triple boot with Linux).