Microsoft Asks Windows XP Holdouts: Upgrade to Windows 8 Already

[steve2470]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2451550,00.asp


Windows XP has but 59 days left to live – officially, that is. On April 8, as we've reported numerous times previously, Microsoft is officially pulling the plug on the operating system. The not-so-insignificant number of users running the legacy OS will still be able to use it, but they won't be able to count on Microsoft for patches, updates, security fixes, and other forms of support past the cutoff date.

That's not quite news. What is news, however, is Microsoft's renewed efforts to convince these (stubborn?) users to switch over. We can only imagine that the flurry of communications, warnings, and outright insistence from Redmond will grow as we approach various milestones closer to the shutoff date.

At 60 days out, Microsoft's big communication is a new blog post that asks tech-savvy readers to help out those who need a little assistance making the big switch.

"As a reader of this blog, it's unlikely you are running Windows XP on your PC. However, you may know someone who is and have even served as their tech support. To help, we have created a special page on Windows.com that explains what "end of support" means for people still on Windows XP and their options to stay protected after support ends on April 8th," wrote Microsoft senior marketing communications manager Brandon LeBlanc yesterday.

[steve2470]

1. good news here:

What LeBlanc doesn't mention, however, is that Microsoft has officially extended Microsoft Security Essentials updates for Windows XP users all the way through July of 2015. That include both updates to the application as-is, as well as signatures updates for virus and malware detection. While that still doesn't do much for those who would prefer an up-to-date operating system, it's still a bit of a consultation prize for those planning to ignore Microsoft's pleas and continue running XP post-cutoff.

[randome]

73. 'Consultation prize'? Good God, being in IT doesn't necessarily mean being only semi-literate.

But too often that's the case.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.[/center][/font][hr]

[steve2470]

74. yea...so much for vocabulary knowledge

That was really egregious.

[PoliticAverse]

2. That assumes people running XP can upgrade to 8...

that their machines meet 8's minimum requirements and 8 has all the necessary drivers
for their old hardware. I'd still consider upgrading to 7 instead.

[Lancero]

116. If the machines running XP...

Odd's are that its now obsolete junk. It's doubtful that they will be able to run 7.

[Lasher]

121. My laptop will become obsolete junk only when I can't run XP on it anymore.

It works just fine now but if I have to go to Windows 7 or 8 it probably won't.

[whistler162]

140. If you have the CD then

download and run WSUS Offline and grab all the updates available, put on thumb drive or external hard drive and you will be fine.

http://download.wsusoffline.net/

Alot of panic going around for nothing.

[Lasher]

142. As a matter of fact I do have the CD

Thanks, I will do that.

[Rex]

3. Maybe if Windows 8 didn't look like Windows Media Center on crack

rock, more people would be inclined to move. Personally, I will NOT leave Win7 until I must. Microscrew is infamous for wasting OUR money on pointless new versions, while leaving behind great OSs for more PROFIT.

Bottom line - FUCK THEM.

[yourout]

6. +1.....not going to 8 until 8 looks feels and behaves like 7.

Played with windows classic shell on 8 and I still think it sucks.

[PoliticAverse]

52. I made my 7 look like XP... n/t

[Blanks]

94. I made my windows 7 machine look like windows 95...

Ironically, windows 8 looks closer to windows 3.1 than any previous windows interface.

[X_Digger]

111. +1 here too.

Screw animations, gradients, shadows, etc.

If I wanted candy-coated shiny crap, I'd sell a kidney and buy a mac.

[Silent3]

123. Yes, indeed. Classic, simple look-and-feel...

Small icons, narrow taskbar, a Start menu that doesn't fill nearly the whole screen when it pops up.

[Fawke Em]

134. I did, too.

On both my home and work computers.

[dionysus]

34. work just sent me a brand new desktop.. windows 7. the admin said he has no plans of

rolling out windows 8.

sadly, a bunch of the support servers are windows 2012 server, which sucks badly...

[Rex]

39. Yes it does! Had to upgrade a server from 2003 to 2012 last year.

OMG! The cosmetic changes are awful! I HATE the 'new look' for Windows! It is a desktop unit...not a fucking ipad wannabe! GRRR...

I will say however, it was easy to upgrade and use, just looks...blech.

[dionysus]

42. i had to ask the sysadmin how to log off! i didn't want to click on a power button icon,

without knowing it would give me the regular log off\shutdown\restart options, because I didn't want to accidentally power down a support sever with dozens of people logged onto it.. I was embarrassed

[Rex]

45. They really did us a disservice by jumping on the 'mobile' bandwagon.

I didn't expect them to apply it to the server OSs! Don't feel embarrassed, I had to get a book on 2012 Standard Edition since it is so different than 2003. Had to use a copy of 2008 just to get the dam thing upgraded!

Made me feel like I had XP and Win7. You need Vista to upgrade between the two!

[Jamastiene]

44. Windows 7 all the way here too.

Until they physically force me from Windows 7, I'm sticking with it. It has been the most stable version yet and I love it.

[Rex]

47. Same here! They will have to take Win7 from me out of my cold dead

hands!

[hlthe2b]

4. I have a laptop running Win7, but my workhorse still runs XP...

Out of curiosity, I went to their website to see what options they were offering to XP users... A small discount on Win 7 or 8?

LOLOL... no way... In a few words their solution is to BUY A NEW COMPUTER.

Well, my laptop was intentionally downgraded to WIN XP so that I could still run some statistical software that was too expensive to replace... Thus, it is likely fast enough for 8, but if i do anything at all, it will be to find a WIN 7 license and move it over.

OR, I may just take it off the internet permanently so as to remove the major security risks from running un-supported XP.

[Walk away]

5. I upgraded from 8 to 8.1 (for free)

it is really much better.

[steve2470]

12. I think so too

We're the minority opinion. If M$ had just tweaked Win7 with an option to do the metro interface, they would have been a lot better off. Forcing everyone to use the metro interface was a major fuckup and good example of groupthink. Even I had trouble adjusting to it and I've been using Windows for 21 years now.

[Walk away]

27. Like you, I have been through almost every Windows incarnation for...

over 20 years. 8.1 is really pretty and quick. I've only been using it for about 2 months and it took some time to get used to. I still have problems moving photos around to different apps for work but it's getting better.

I have a 24 inch touch screen at my desk and it's fun to use with 8.1.

[dionysus]

35. i think the touch screen is why it doesn't suck for you. ;)

[Walk away]

48. That was the only problem I had going from 8 to 8.1.

I lost Touch Screen and it wasn't as simple as updating a few drivers. I went on a blog search to find answers and nothing worked. I got in touch with Microsoft help and their answer was for me to buy their tech service for $160 and they would do it for me. After that I doubled down and tried a few more fixes. I honestly don't even know which one worked but by the end of the day everything was working perfectly.

p.s. I only had 8 because my desktop with 7 broke and Dell replaced it with a new one with 8.

[Jamastiene]

49. If I had a touch screen, I might want Windows 8.

It looks like it NEEDS to be on a touch screen system.

[Brainstormy]

58. I have a touch screen, too

Hate it! And Really hate Windows 8.

[BlueStreak]

76. Me too. My notebook has a touch screen

It is worthless. Yes, if you want to use those tiles, touch is useful. But I want my desktop to be MORE productive than my cell phone. I don't want to reduce my highly productive workstation environment to the level of a cell phone. I don't care how nimble a person's thumbs are, you can't do much productive work on a screen the size of 6 postage stamps. And I can't get that same interface to help me use a proper desktop environment.

Smart phones are great for what they do well. Pull up current weather? Get stock quotes? Do a little light Internet browsing? READ emails (but don't try to compose an email that includes serious content)? Yes, a smart phone is fantastic for these things. That's not what I do with a desktop. I do graphics, web design, music composition, studio recording, complex spreadsheets, large manuals. Sorry, touch just gets in the way using today's technology. Maybe there will come a time when this will work better. But even then, I don't want the same experience on the desktop that I have on the smart hone. I expect my desktop experience to be 100 times more productive, allowing me to do higher quality products and more complex tasks.

What about this is hard for Microsoft to understand? My guess is that their focus groups have been mainly millennium kids who have never done any jobs that actually require computer output that involves much planning and attention to detail.

[Brainstormy]

150. Have you ever tried to clean it?

Mine goes crazy after any attempt to clean it, sometimes for 20 minutes, and shut down doesn't help.

[Walk away]

158. You can pretty easily disable and enable the touch screen

Maybe this will help

[SteveG]

22. Took me 2 weeks to fix the problems when I upgraded to 8.1

The wifi drivers in win8.1 are wretched. My machine (a Toshiba) would not stay connected to the internet. This turns out to not just be a problem with Toshiba's, but with a lot of systems. And to make matters worse, 8.1 kept replacing the correct driver until I manually removed it from the system. It also does not work as smoothly with classic shell.

Win8.1's supposedly better start button is crap. I do tech support for a large university, and very few of our people are moving to win 8 or 8.1. we are staying on win 7 until microsloth cleans up it's act, as apparently are a lot of corporate users. We are only ordering machines with Win 7 pre-installed.

[themaguffin]

156. actually i've had no problems since upgrading from 8 to 8.1, but still think that

they should maintain consistency in style and function with 7 for desktops.
Tablets are different, but it's a pain in the ass to open applications in 8. It's ridiculous.

[bluestate10]

104. Not much better. I made the same upgrade. Still had some of the same problems.

One that was infuriating was that Win8 and Win8.1 screwed up my Printer/Scanner/FAX machine to the nines. That almost caused me to come to a standstill when I couldn't transfer important business agreements. I finally got in touch with the Printer troubleshooting people and was lucky enough to have gotten a guy who not only knew his shit, but knew what was F'ing up my printer. It turned out that Win8 and Win8.1 put a damned file on the computer that caused connected devices like Printer/Scanner/FAX to go nuts, working sometime, not at other times. The Printer rep logged on to my computer and went about the process of assisting me in fixing the problem.

[840high]

130. I did, too. Much better.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

157. Do all the apps on XP run on 8.1?

My vinyl-to-mp3 converter gave up the ghost at Vista (and win7).

So I have an old computer running XP just for that application.

I'd bet many old corporate applications will have trouble on Win8. And some are from companies that are long folded, so support is nonexistent.

I should try win8.1 one of these days. But not for work.

[LostOne4Ever]

7. If windows 8 didn't suck...

They might be convinced.

[TroglodyteScholar]

87. If Windows 8 didn't suck...

...then people would have less reason to buy Windows 9 in whatever 5-10 months that'll take to hit the market.

Microsoft has learned one very valuable lesson from XP: don't make your commercial OS too good, or nobody will want to ever buy the next thing that comes along. No, just keep turning out pieces of shit...some will sink, some will float, and MS shareholders may be satisfied for another quarter....

[bluestate10]

105. Chip power and Applications are such that some people have to upgrade to do their

line of business. For example, XP can't handle modern Graphics Packages, it simply doesn't have the horsepower. Many modern business spreadsheet Apps can't be done on XP. The problem with Microsoft, I hope that gets fixed now that Balmer is history, is that development teams don't fucking remember that lessons that previous teams had to learn the hard way. Instead of using every day users as Beta testers, Microsoft development teams appeared to have used religious computer geeks. A business person simply wants a system that allows him or her to conduct elements of business, that person doesn't give a shit about the inner workings of a computer or software unless those components prevent the person from doing what he or she needs to do.

[bravenak]

8. No. I don't want to switch.

I like XP. If I want to see something that looks like 8 on my computer, I'll watch Shepard Smith online.

Or use my iPad.

[Warpy]

15. I still keep a couple of ancient, wheezing XP machines around

because there were a few programs that refused to run on 7. I doubt they'd run on 8, either.

XP is still my favorite OS, rock stable, intuitive interface, plenty of things to do with it.

I haven't upgraded to 8. I'm still using 7. I have a touch screen computer (unless somebody steals it) that's all ready for 8. I just can't see upgrading to something I'll probably hate more than I hated 7.

[Spider Jerusalem]

19. ...

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows7/install-and-use-windows-xp-mode-in-windows-7

Things that won't run on Win7 that did run on WinXP probably won't run because they're 16-bit (you can't run 16-bit applications on a 64-bit OS without emulation), or because of using very old versions of libraries not supported under current Windows versions. XP mode or another emulator like DOSBox will solve that without needing to keep a separate XP machine.

[bravenak]

24. I hated windows 7 with a passion.

It's like they had finally got things the way I wanted them and knew they weren't going to keep getting paid. I never bothered to switch to 8 after that. My mom has 8 on her computer and I gave to go over there and help her log on. It's bullshit. She's only 51 and she feels like an old lady trying to run a newfangled device. I'm trying to get her to just use her kindle for web surfing so she don't be all angry.

[dionysus]

37. what were your problems with 7? i had XP, then 7 home premium and liked them both.

[Warpy]

61. It's not quite as gimp friendly as XP is

and I still have to wrestle to read the laptop screen. They limited the amount of dinking one could do, really important for those of us who are sight handicapped.

[dionysus]

78. ah, sorry to hear that! (i use a 37" flatscreen as my "monitor")

[hobbit709]

63. I have a music player that originally was for Windows 2000

It works on XP, XP X64, Vista 32 and 64, 7 -32 and 64, and 8.

[Warpy]

65. I still have a couple of DOS games that will run on 7

Unfortunately the stuff that runs on XP and doesn't run on 7 seems to be pretty rigid about it.

[Sgent]

115. Depending on your needs

you may try running them in a virtual machine.

I've got a couple of clients whose point of sale system is locked into XP. Its not as big a deal for the cash registers since they are functional -- but even the manager's software required XP or lower. It would fault out as it was using a 16 bit driver on anything newer.

A XP machine running in VirtualBox worked fine for me. One note though -- you'll have to have 7 professional to be in license compliance, or have a separate copy of XP Pro (Windows 7 comes with a virtual image of XP for this purpose, 8 doesn't).

[tridim]

151. The Windows 8 desktop looks exactly like XP.

And Windows 8 looks just like Windows 7.

I have no idea what you MS haters are talking about. Metro is NOT the desktop.

[bravenak]

153. I just like my stuff.

It works fine, why should I switch? It's their fault, you know. Windows Vista was so shitty I switched back and now I don't trust Microsoft.

[tridim]

154. Nobody, including Microsoft is forcing you to switch.

Look at the rest of this thread, almost every post says the same thing, and they're all wrong. Laughably so.

Pssst DU, if you've never used Windows 8 it might be a good idea to not pretend that you have to feign outrage.

[TreasonousBastard]

164. It's the requirement to whine about microsoft...

just because it's Microsoft.

There's a rule somewhere.

BTW, what are these tiles everyone talks about?

[L0oniX]

9. Microsoft can go fuck themselves. Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is an excellent alternative OS.

Use the live DVD and see for yourself. Unless you "must" use software that will "only" work with MS you should move away from MS. Wine can run a lot of .exe's.


BTW 12.04.4 works with the latest hardware.

[TroglodyteScholar]

85. BAM

Exactly

I only have one Windows box left, which I used almost exclusively to help my parents when they have trouble with their Windows PCs. I replaced XP with Vista last week (had an unused OEM copy sitting around)...and all of the built-in hyperlinks in the OS....you know, the ones that are supposed to help you with Vista problems? They almost all redirect to a hard-sell page with a table comparing Vista and 8.1. And Vista isn't even at EOL!

Fuck Microsoft. I run Linux Mint, OpenSUSE, and Bodhi Linux on my other machines. And they do all I need them to.

[L0oniX]

99. Indeed. I started with Slackware back in 95. Happy to see user friendly Ubuntu kick the lamas ass.

Did the original SUSE, Turbo, Redhat, Mandrake, Debian and FreeBSD which is also excellent for more seasoned admins but can run Gnome or KDE like all the others. I was just thinking of putting together another BSD box. I mean like how much does it cost to buy a second drive like a WD Raptor and install a free Ubuntu flavor? "Oh but I can't run games on linux" Silly excuse. Get a PS3 or 4 if ya want to play games ...duh

[awoke_in_2003]

103. If Apple ever goes out of business...

I will go back to Linux. I do run Ubuntu on one of my cores occasionally.

[TroglodyteScholar]

113. The Linux desktop has come a long way in just the past 3 years, even

Last edited Sun Feb 9, 2014, 12:39 AM - Edit history (2)

Here's a screenshot of my laptop's Linux Mint Cinnamon desktop...



And, for good measure, Bodhi linux (Enlightenment desktop) running off a 4gb thumb drive on the same machine:

[AllyCat]

129. Not tech savvy...can this be run on a machine that is now XP?

Maybe I can start loading it on one of our old machines and experiment. Ticked off about this XP thing. It works fine. My mom has a new machine with 8 and despises it. I can't figure out how to do anything on it. Looks like a stupid billboard, not a desktop.

[d_r]

131. Yes.

go to http://www.ubuntu.com

Just download it. Its free and easy.

Personally I think that kubuntu is perfect for people used to windows xp, but your mileage may vary.

[L0oniX]

132. You can boot it and try it live first then install it along side xp or on another drive.

Set your bios to boot from cd to try it in live mode. I would suggest you use another drive for an install. Ubuntu will give you a menu for selecting xp or Ubuntu. 12.04.4 LTS = long term support to 2017

[Paulie]

10. There is no upgrade to 8 from XP

There isn't one from XP to Win7 either. You can go Win Vista first but who will do that?

They should give away free Surface RT to anyone with a license of XP.

[rocktivity]

11. And whose fault is it that they're being stubborn holdouts?

Last edited Sat Feb 8, 2014, 10:48 PM - Edit history (1)

I guess Windows has forgotten what happened when they said "If you love XP, you'll REALLY love Vista!" The fact that so many people STILL like XP should tell them something, LOL!


rocktivity

[Incitatus]

13. No, and go fuck yourself, Microsoft. mt

[Duer 157099]

14. Screw you MS

When the software becomes obsolete before the hardware, you know there is really a serious problem.

Toss out that perfectly functional piece of hardware because the software no longer works? What bullshit.

[BlueStreak]

16. Windos 8 isn't an upgrade from 7, and probably not from XP

I don't even know what Windows 8 is. The whole concept of "one experience" is just stupid. That is like saying your toaster should have the same controls as your lawn mower or table saw. Or your shower should have a steering wheel so as to be more consistent with your car.

Damned morons in charge of that company.

Ballmer: Worst. Executive. Ever.

[bluestate10]

106. To upgrade to Win8, XP users will have to buy a new computer with Win8 loaded.

XP systems don't have enough memory. Win8 is a freaking hard-drive hog and it drags in all types of files that further clogs up a computer.

[Egalitarian Thug]

17. For those of you for whom this is an issue,

A real operating system for real people (except gamers).

[PowerToThePeople]

21. I gnu that someone would give this solution

It is the best solution imo.

[X_Digger]

25. I tried, I really did..

I replaced an old pc running win xp that I use with my microscope cameras for image capture with one running ubuntu.

I got wine set up and configured to run the image capture software just fine, but damned if I could get the cameras to be recognized.

Every time I dip my toe into linux for desktop use, I keep hitting a brick wall with drivers. Last time it was a graphics tablet.

[Egalitarian Thug]

43. When was that? I ask because I haven't had this happen in years.

nVidia is still not very friendly to Linux and there are still issues if you use their proprietary drivers (sometimes, this box has an ancient 8600 video card and I've run the nVidia drivers for the last five years). Another potential issue is a few brands of WiFi antennas, but they are easy to fix except that you need to be online to access the help.

Ms. Thug just uses the Linux open source video drivers and has no problems with them, but high-end graphics are not vital to anything we do. Maybe the quality she gets is not good enough, but I don't see any difference in what she does do.

AMD has and continues to be the best refuge for those that don't want to deal with M$ BS.

OTOH nothing is perfect for everyone. One area are accountants and the like. Intuit has a virtual monopoly on retail accounting software, and has actively worked to keep their applications M$ only. Of course this fits their model of making their clients pay and pay and pay forever, just like M$.

[PowerToThePeople]

46. Me either

I use Nvidia Cards exclusively. Debian with DKMS. They are great.

It has been 4 years or so since I have had any driver issues. Even then, it was only obscure stuff that gave me issues.

[X_Digger]

59. Well, this is a pretty obscure bit of hardware.

It's a camera that fits on a microscope for taking pictures. Definitely not mainstream PC-land stuff.

[PowerToThePeople]

60. I recall talking to someone about this exact same issue before

Was it you on this board? Or, do I know X_Digger IRL and just do not know it?

[X_Digger]

62. Not me, no. Must be deja vu. :) n/t

[PowerToThePeople]

67. MineralMan has posted about them too.

May have been him...

I did find this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1097530

I remember looking at it when you first posted it.

[X_Digger]

69. *nod* that was probably it. n/t

[X_Digger]

57. This was about two weeks ago.

dmesg shows the event for the USB device being plugged in, and it shows up under lsusb..

But the software running under wine can't see the device.

[Egalitarian Thug]

66. Oh, I misunderstood. There's no doubt that running windoze software under wine is less than optimal

even under the best circumstances. There are probably things that can be done to fix it for you, but that's a road I don't want to travel on this thread.

That said, the first thing I would do is get in touch with the software company as many smaller and/or highly specialized companies already have Linux solutions, especially in the scientific software community.

[X_Digger]

68. Yeah, I looked for open source alternatives to the software..

.. but there's not much to be had.

Any twain-like capture program would work for just taking pictures (even gimp), but the software really earns its keep with calculations it can do with measurements and cell counts.

ie, with a 100x objective lens, 21 pixels = 1µm, so this line you drew across the image is 580.15µm long.



Unfortunately there's also a language issue with the company, so they're not much help.

[Egalitarian Thug]

75. Of course the best solution for all of us is to break the M$ stranglehold on software.

The only reason for any of this is M$'s refusal to follow any standard protocols to lock people in, and then in buying our government/court system to allow them to commit crimes under the banner of laws they also bought.

Thanks Bill.

[IDemo]

29. I've been dual-booting Win and Mint since version 3

I did see a suggestion elsewhere for Windows migraters for Zorin, an Ubuntu derivative which closely emulates the Windows environment and can even be tweaked to look like XP or Win7. I may have to give that a look.

[Egalitarian Thug]

51. The latest Mint (16?) has what is reported to me to be a robust VM built in

for much better wine-type applications to run in. I might get the time someday to look into it.

[LuvLoogie]

36. I use both

I also have a 2006 iMac running Snow Leopard, an XP box and a windows 7 box. Haven't messed with 8 much. I can see how it would be confusing. I was confused.

I also ran XP in Virtual Box on the iMac. That was fun. I'm sure I could grow to like 8 once I figure it out and learn to avoid the pitfalls.

I do cringe when I run across a Vista machine.

[Egalitarian Thug]

54. Much more than the idiotic interface, the actual OS continues to suck.

It sucks up your money, it sucks up your time, and it sucks up and mismanages your system resources so badly it is difficult to believe that it is not done on purpose.

Not to mention all the additional crap you have to put up with and the even more money you have to pay to other companies for their software and updates to keep the M$ OS sort-of safe.

[EvilAL]

72. 5 years ago

I'd had enough of windows, so I decided to install Linux. It had a hard time to find my modem, I was still on dial-up then and really gave me a hard time and I almost gave up. Being on dial-up made it harder to get info and download fixes but I stuck with it until I got it to work, I'm stubborn that way especially with computers. After I got used to it I installed Ubuntu when I finally got hispeed internet service and never looked back.. I recently bought a mac mini and OSX is awesome as well, lot of great features and programs built in. I was gonna dual-boot my mac mini with Ubuntu Studio but decided against it since I have the old desktop running Ubuntu anyway and all I gotta do to use it is change the input on my monitor. Some people don't want Macs for whatever reason, this is my first one and I find it works fucking great. I rarely switch to Ubuntu Studio anymore. The one thing about Ubuntu that can't be beat is the help and everything from the forums and all the awesome programs people put out for FREE!! It took a lot of the hassle away from getting the stuff I wanted and either had to pay or fuck with cracks and all that other shit, sure it doesn't look as polished some of the time, but the functionality is awesome. OSX comes with most of the good music stuff I use for recording and stuff and everything else is a torrent away.

[Egalitarian Thug]

80. "I'm stubborn that way especially with computers."

Sounds like you are perfect to work in this field. It's all about solving puzzles, at least that's how I approached it and it worked well enough that a bunch of people have paid me a bunch of money for me to solve their puzzles.

I used to love Apple, mostly because their OS is BSD Unix at it heart, so it just works. The problems came, I think, later when the marketing took over, which wasn't helped at all when M$ bought a big chunk of Apple to keep them alive.

[EvilAL]

81. I had/have to help

a lot of people when their windows machines mess up. I've never sworn as much as having to deal with conflicts and i/o problems back in the day after a hard drive format with 95/98. Now it's mostly virus problems people call me for with Windows. My neighbor has Windows 8 and when I go try to clean it for him it's a pain in the ass. so ugly and bulky, nothing is where it should be, gotta click all kinds of shit.. I still help him when he needs it, but I hate when he calls, which hasn't been in a while, I guess he finally started using his anti-virus properly. I haven't used an anti-virus in years. I installed one on Ubuntu and tried to infect it, I went everywhere, shady pron sites, free this, free that for hours.. clicking licks and everything.. rebooted and did a scan, clean. I'm not too sure about the Mac, I'm thinking maybe I should slap one on just in case..
I haven't had any problems with OSX yet, it's only been a couple of months though.. when I do I won't be sure about how to go about fixing them, but that's the fun of it I guess..

[steve2470]

83. I read once of a linux virus

Yea they're pretty rare.

[DJ13]

18. I'm on W7 and would migrate to W8 in a heartbeat if Microsoft didnt want >$100 to buy it

To compound it, my W7 is the Pro version, and its nearly $200 for W8 Pro, which is asinine.

[bluestate10]

107. Take my word for it, STAY with Win7. nt

[Warren DeMontague]

20. Screw that! I'm still running Windows 95.

[X_Digger]

26. Don't laugh, but I do actually still have a windows 98 machine.

I use it for a kiosk-type interface that I custom wrote in VB 6.

[Warren DeMontague]

28. I'm not laughing. I had one up until a few years ago.

Finally dismantled it for parts.

[dionysus]

40. i ran win98 for almost 10 years, loved it.

[malthaussen]

160. Only reason I switched to XP was because it was already loaded on the new box.

I'm sick of paying MS licensing fees for crap I don't want.

-- Mal

[Warren DeMontague]

161. There's always Ubuntu

I don't actually care enough to go that way, but some do.

[malthaussen]

162. I'm hip.

I use my computer for limited stuff: playing old games, bullshitting on DU, watching the odd video. XP handles all that just fine.

I'm a firm believer in "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The joys of consumerism temp me not.

-- Mal

[Warren DeMontague]

165. That's totally how I felt about ipads, before I got one.

who would have thought surfing the internet from the toilet could be so essential?

[malthaussen]

166. LOL that. n/t

[truedelphi]

30. Windows XP Users to Micro$oft -

Ever hear of Linux?

[Timez Squarez]

31. XP to Microsoft: Go fuck yourself.

Windows 7 is the last OS I like.

If Microsoft was smart, they'd dump 8.1 like a hot potato and go back to 7 and make it faster.

Not clunky. Not tablet. Fast.

After Windows 7 crashes for the last time on this laptop, it's off to Linux.

[truedelphi]

32. It is linux for our household also. n/t

[Le Taz Hot]

33. Don't do it!

I had to get a new computer this last summer and I had no choice but to get one with Windows 8 already on there. Now, I've been using computers since DOS days and I had no problem at all transitioning to Windows Versions You Name It. But 8.0? I. hate. it. NOTHING is where it's supposed to be. I have to look EVERYTHING up on Google to find out where things are and how to execute the most menial tasks (example: Adding a printer).

[L0oniX]

38. DOS5 rocked ...loved dosshell

[BlueStreak]

70. My experience exactly.

The e is absolutely nothing at all on the "metro" interface I want to access. I have my pcs set up for specific purposes. They all run apps that wouldn't be on the Microsoft store.

I bought a notebook because I needed to do a little consulting on the road and I didn't trust by old XP Notebook (which was 8 years old and only successfully booted about one times in 3.) The only thing I could buy for a cheap price was a notebook with Win 8. How bad could that be? Really bad. I can't stand using it. Even with Start8 and (theoretically) disabling the Metro interface, running under 8.1, I still keep getting myself into that "tile mode" by accident. This has to be the most irritating software I have ever used in my entire life.

I will not convert any of my desktop machines to 8. I am looking to buy a very high-end machine to do recording studio work and I am determined to port my Win 7 disk to that new machine, I have worked out the procedures for doing this with Paragon Partition. That procedure will get me to end-of-life on Windows 7 for all of my desktops, which will probably be about 2019. If Microsoft is still run by idiots at that time, then I'll look for another solution altogether. I'll give Nadella a year to see if he can undo any of the damage done by Ballmer. I'm betting he is just as bad -- a product of Microsoft-think.

There is yet another "Windows 8 salvation" release coming out shortly. And this is just another case of doubling down on the same idiocy that got them into the Windows 8 mess is the first place.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2094722/why-a-leaked-windows-8-1-update-and-microsofts-new-ceo-bode-well-for-pc-lovers.html

[SomethingFishy]

41. This is pretty fucking hilarious..

Microsoft trying to help the poor tech illiterate. Except it's the techs who aren't switching to Windows 8. No one wants a goddamn phone OS on their PC.

[Kelvin Mace]

50. Win 8 would be great if Microsft sold iPads

but it sucks dingo balls on a PC. We won't be moving off Win 7 in my company while I have any say in the matter.

[Igel]

53. Wouldn't work for my home machine.

I'd start to boot up Win 8 when I got home from work Friday and maybe, by the time I hit the sack on Sunday, it would finish booting.

The thing's going to be old enough to head to middle school on its own fairly soon. Might be able to replace it before it asks for a student driver permit. Afraid to see what it'll bring home when it starts dating.

[SheilaT]

55. From what little I know of Windows 8

It is awful. It seems as if it's something that ought to be on a smart phone, not on a real computer. It's fun watching the staff at a computer store roll their eyes at the mention of Windows 8.

All I know is that almost all the upgrades every single time they come out with a new operating system are totally unnecessary.

I keep on saying that computers should be at least as easy to use as my stick shift car, although I'd like to see it as easy to use as a toaster.

I've been using computers a lot longer than most people out there. I went to work in the airline industry in 1969, just as airlines were computerizing their reservations systems. I got very familiar with a command line, and when a quarter of a century later I got my first PC, it wasn't that hard for me. I resisted Windows as long as I could, and almost every so-called improvement isn't.

Apparently the programmers and designers don't have mothers or grandmothers, because those are the people they should be testing new systems on. And, quite frankly, once those mothers and grandmothers get too savvy, new ones need to be found.

[arcane1]

56. Hell I've been spending the past year trying to decide on upgrading just to Windows 7!

I've had 7 at work for a year and getting used to it. Especially with things like Taskbar Tweaker, Classic Shell, etc.

I would have to be forced at gunpoint to use 8.

[BlueStreak]

79. Classic Shell makes Windows 7 a lot more bearable.

It is unbelievable how badly Microsoft screws up with each release. it is as if they ask themselves what they can do that will most irritate their user base. Classic Shell, which is free, fixes a whole lot of those annoyances introduced with Windows 7.

[arcane1]

84. Exactly. Like Quick Launch. It still exists in WIN 7, but you'd never know it.

And it takes several steps to get it back. Why bother keeping it if you're just going to hide it from people? And why change something from a one-click step to a two-click?

Sometimes I think the designers there are just changing things for change's sake, and to justify their continued employment.

[steve2470]

86. it's all about keeping major stockholders and the market happy

They know that by introducing "new and better" (supposedly) OS's, that *some* people will buy them and feel pressured to upgrade. OF course, that helps their bottom line and their earnings per share, which pleases Wall Street and the major stockholders. It's NOT about keeping the user base happy. I was pleased as punch with Win7 and would have gladly settled for logical tweaks to it. Nooooo they had to totally fuck it up.

[BlueStreak]

108. Well ....

I agree with you that they believe they can jam the new OS down their retail chain. The retailers always object at first, but eventually capitulate. So in that sense, Microsoft has learned that they can force the retailers to sell whatever crap they decide to produce.

BUT ... they cannot make the market accept it, and this is the part that world-class-moron Steve Ballmer never understood. Tell me if you think this is a successful product:


And tell me if you think this is performance shareholders should be happy with. (The orange line is the S&P500 average. The blue line is Microsoft stock.)


This is ABYSMAL performance for a high-tech company in a recovering economy. It isn't all because of Windows 8, but the thinking that gave us this piece of crap permeates that company.

I see absolutely nothing that gives me any confidence that Microsoft learned any lessons. The new CEO seems just as steeped in that Microsoft-think as the rest of the company management these days.

[steve2470]

112. oh I agree with you

Ballmer and Win8 have been a disaster for M$. It's only because of their almost monopoly on the PC that they have survived. Maybe the new guy will do better, remains to be seen. I'd be pissed if I were a M$ stockholder.

[BlueStreak]

114. I am and I am.

(I am a Microsoft shareholder and I am pissed.)

[LisaL]

97. I think they are trying to torture us.

[jsr]

64. Nope. Fuck Microsoft.

[BelgianMadCow]

71. wish my XP PC didn't crash

a whole range of stuff I could get to work on that PC which I can't anymore.

[RKP5637]

77. Easy, just use Ubuntu, step up to a real operating system. n/t

[GoneFishin]

82. I refused to buy a laptop from any retail stores because of Windows 8.

I opted to buy a used laptop on line with Windows 7.

[WillowTree]

88. Another, and in my opinion preferrable, option not mentioned.......

.......would be to upgrade to Windows 7. I just ordered a replacement with Windows 7 Pro for my 8 year-old desktop that runs XP. I'm running 7 Pro on both of my laptops and I've found it to be really stable. That should keep me for awhile.......at least until they come up with something better than Windows 8.

[woodsprite]

91. They just ordered new equipment for our workgroup and we all requested Win 7 to be installed.

They ordered Dells, and to have Win 7 installed cost an extra $100 or so for each system, but our dept accommodated the request.

[WillowTree]

95. Word is that they're going to be upgrading to Windows 7.......

......on the machines still running XP at work, too. Nothing like waiting until the last minute.

[woodsprite]

89. I did! I upgraded to an iMac running Maverick ;)

Took the family to the mall the other day and we all noted that the MS store had about 5 customer and lots of salespeople standing around looking bored, where the Apple store was packed and even had a few people in line at the register.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

90. Why not continue to support XP and just nickle & dime people for it?

[nilram]

92. I upgraded from XP... to a Mac.

After having to rebuild my machine several times after executing Microsoft updates. Was never the same update that caused it, and I'm very conservative with what I install on my machine. Apple's a mixed bag, too, imho, but their updates haven't bricked my machine (so far).

[GoCubsGo]

93. I have both XP and 8.1.

XP is on my ancient desk top. There is not enough room on my hard drive to make the switch. While I dislike the lack of future security fixes, I don't mind that there will no longer be updates. They really slow things down. If Microsoft wants me to upgrade my desktop, they can buy me a new desktop that can handle it.

That being said, my laptop has 8.1 on it. It was fine after I installed Classic Shell on it. It bypasses the idiotic "Metro", and goes straight to the desktop, which is pretty much the same as XP. "Metro" is asinine for laptops and desktops...

[LisaL]

96. As far as I am concerned, Microsoft can take their windows 8 and put it where the sun don't shine.

[newfie11]

98. Don't do it

Save your sanity, run away fast if windows 8 comes your way.

[PDJane]

100. Not only don't I like windows 8 or 8.1 (I have the latter)

But the damn think f**** up my (non-standard) drivers on a regular basis. Hate it.

[bluestate10]

109. I had the same thing happen with Print Drivers. Win8 and Win8.1 install a file that

corrupts the function of the Drivers. You have to know that file got added. I didn't know, but a Rep of the Printer company did and helped me fix the mess.

[MineralMan]

101. I don't use operating systems.

I use applications. I don't care what version of Windows is on my PC.

[bluestate10]

102. Window 8 and Windows 8.1 are unmitigated disasters. It is high time Microsoft

fucking admit that and come up with real fixes.

[rug]

110. Windows XP will survive on DU2.

They're hardcore.

[Lancero]

117. Quick history on Microsoft OS's...

[img][/img]

[JoeyT]

119. Ugh. Windows ME.

Worst. OS. Ever.

At least Windows 8 is functional, even if it does suck ass to do anything on it. ME was just a train wreck.

[Jesus Malverde]

125. What about bob...

Microsoft Bob was a 1995 Microsoft software product, intended to provide a more user-friendly interface for the Windows 3.1x, Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems, supplanting the Windows Program Manager. Microsoft Bob presented screens showing a "house", with "rooms" that the user could go to containing familiar objects corresponding to computer applications – for instance, a desk with pen and paper, a checkbook, and other items. Clicking on the pen and paper would open the word processor, and so forth. A cartoon dog named Rover and other cartoon characters provided guidance using speech balloons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Bob

[Lancero]

137. Bob wasn't a OS

It's a GUI software.

But still, it sucked.

[Jimbo S]

118. Still using XP

on both the desktop and laptop. No plans to change. Will continue to use the machines until the motherboards fry.

[no_hypocrisy]

120. I have XP. But I also received a Windows 7 disk with my printer.

I'm thinking about installing the 7.

One question: will it affect my ability to access anything XP and prior in my Microsoft Word documents? Or should I "re-save" any pre-XP to XP documents in preparation?

I honestly don't understand how this works.

Thanks in advance.

[steve2470]

139. you should be OK

Look at the file extensions of your documents (.txt or .doc , etc ). Wordpad or Notepad in Windows 7 should open .txt documents just fine, and you can get a free Word viewer to open .doc documents.

[no_hypocrisy]

149. Thank you very much!

[Silent3]

122. Too bad Windows 8 is what's most current while this push to wean people off XP is underway.

Windows XP to Windows 7 is a much easier, smoother transition. With a few tweaks, you can even get 7 to look and feel a lot like XP.

I'll probably stick with 7 at least until there's a Windows 9, hoping that Windows 9 will be to Windows 8 as Windows 7 was to Vista, Vista being another "upgrade" I happily skipped over entirely.

I hear that Windows 8.1 makes 8 a bit more tolerable, but I still haven't heard enough to lure me off 7 yet.

Then again, a good bit of the time I'm running OS X on a Mac anyway.

[sendero]

124. It a testament to Microsoft's tin ear..

... and general lack of vision that they think the way to win in the phone market is to screw over their desktop users.

The phone market ship has sailed, it is never going to happen - the phone market is one place their lack of vision could not be overcome by monopoly practices and bullying.

Real smart.

[Timez Squarez]

126. Well, I just jumped ahead and went Ubuntu.

Got any advice for me - just dumped Windows 7 for Ubuntu. I actually like how fast it is for a laptop.

Even my external mouse works just fine and acts the same way.

Now if I can find my substitute subtitle search program (and I use Subtitle.si a lot!)

[OregonBlue]

127. XP to Windows 7 with classic shell. Acceptable. But in reality, XP is much more

user friendly and much more stable. I'm using 7 because my computer came with it. My son and grandkids new computers came with 8. Both are a waste of time and memory just to run their stupid mobile style desktop.

Microsoft is so unresponsive to the needs of their users. Why not create a system for all the ultra young and ultra hip ultra creative, and maintain a good, reliable, stable version like XP for those of us who use our computers for work, not flash.

[AllyCat]

128. We have 4 machines that are still just fine running XP

I don't want to buy a new computer. If I have to buy a new computer in order to have a "modern" OS, I'll get a Mac.

[TheBlackAdder]

133. 59 Days until many POOR and ELDERLY are forced to decide on food or the Internet. nt

[whistler162]

138. No... XP doiesn't stop working

MS just stops issuing patches, fixes etc. for it.

[TroglodyteScholar]

143. Right...

...it just becomes infinitely more vulnerable than it already is.

Here comes the true age of the botnet....

[TheBlackAdder]

155. ^ Someone who knows what I was getting at.

MY daughter has an XP laptop and she can't use it at her college because the OS is too old.

Once Microsoft drops XP support, all of the websites will follow suit, because the risk of viruses and malware will become too great!

Those PCs will be rendered useless and the poor and elderly cannot afford to buy new machines.

[whistler162]

163. Do you actually mean websites will stop coding for

Internet Explorer 8! Lot of FUD being spread in this thread.

[TheBlackAdder]

167. As someone who maintains a half-dozen personal sites myself, yes. It's not just that.

Third-party security products won't have a requirement to support code that is deprecated by Microsoft.

After all, if the OS company will not apply security fixes to their products, there is NO WAY that security companies can properly indemnify their security tools to prevent malware from infecting a desktop or from being spread. Office tools, browsers, etc. do not have to support WINXP-based systems either and XP will gradually get pulled from their product's support. Websites will shun XP machines as they might be potentially compromised. I do not perform eCommerce so I am not as much in threat. Sites that allows posts, file transfers, or eCommerce probably will.

I've been in IT over 30 years and I am an IT officer for a multi-national firm. I think the FUD are folks like you who think they posses some type of IT knowledge when your posts indicate otherwise.

[ladyVet]

135. I can't afford a new computer, or an upgrade.

So I'm stuck with that bad old XP, because my computer can't handle the newer systems.

[s-cubed]

136. No way! My next computer will be a MAC.

Now before this launches a PC vs Apple war, let me say that I have had extensive experience with both platforms since the early '80's. There are pros and cons to both. But at this point I'll vote with my dollars.

And no, I won't get embroiled in a discussion of why.

[steve2470]

141. more good news !

from page 10 of dead tree Maximum PC magazine, March 2014 issue:

A few third-party companies have stepped up to offer security patches after Microsoft stops doing so, though how they plan to do that without access to the OS's actual source code remains to be seen.

[ucrdem]

144. Hm, I smell Y2K.

I really don't think any personal PC user has to worry about their XP going poof on the Ides of March and I doubt if any hard-pressed institutions still running it on their library terminals etc on it really need to take immediate action either. But I imagine Microshaft would love to sell a few hundred thousand more licenses to its latest ugly duckling before they start giving it away for free . . .

[steve2470]

146. If they were smart, they would keep selling licenses

and supporting it. Eventually XP will become a true dinosaur like DOS is now. I tried running XP the other day and one of my apps kept crashing on it.

[Shoulders of Giants]

145. I am typing this from a Windows 8 PC, and can tell you DONT UPGRADE!

[Miles Archer]

147. My biiggest complaint about Windows 8 is easily fiixed...

...with IObit's free "Start Menu For Windows 8."

http://www.iobit.com/iobitstartmenu8.php

It restores the traditional start menu.

The other complaint...opening a PDF file and closing the doc but Reader stays open...is a minor one. I do CTRL-ALT-Delete and close it manually. Other than that, I have Windows 8.1 and it really doesn't bother me that much.

[steve2470]

148. I did my own start menu on the Taskbar

Right click Taskbar, Toobars, New Toolbar, go to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows, click on Start Menu icon, voila...your own Start Menu on your toolbar. Yea it's a PITA but I'm used to Win8.1 now. Your method is much simpler, I have to admit.

[tridim]

152. Open your PDF's in Acrobat, not in the metro app.

"Open with" has worked the same way since at least Windows 95.

[malthaussen]

159. You can have my XP when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

I think I can live without your support, thank you.

-- Mal

[rocktivity]

168. UPDATE: Windows XP Market Share Grows AGAIN,

Last edited Sat Mar 8, 2014, 01:19 PM - Edit history (1)

Outstrips Win 8.1 surge

http://www.democraticunderground.com/109510354


rocktivity