Microsoft ending XP support on April 8

[Ace-Garageguy]

It's amazing how much RAM is in the new machines. I'm still getting by with 512K.

[highway]

It's amazing how much RAM is in the new machines. I'm still getting by with 512K.

They need it for the operating systems! Obviously you can't be running anything newer than XP, 7 takes 2 GB RAM minimum just to operate. My current machine was an office throw away Dell Optiplex mini tower with an i5 dual core 3.1 (according to properties) processor and 8 GB RAM and running Windows 7 Professional 64 bit and 360 GB (338 usable) hard drive. It runs better for a freebie than the one my friend built for me I've got over a TB of space combined running three hard drives, two DVD drives, and gaming quality video card. It's only draw back is the older mother board, it's maxed at 2 GB RAM, can only support a single core processor, and an outdated network card. I'm just waiting for my friend to upgrade his so I can get his better mother board and network card!

That is also a plus of having a very good friend that is a big computer geek, of the two towers and five laptops (two are my girlfriend's, three are mine) in my house, I've spent maybe $100 for all of them and maybe $300 in extra parts I wanted in the big tower over the past 10 years!

[bobthehobbyguy]

Which means theres a lot more complexity and potential opportunities for hackers to exploit. If Microsoft couldn't get it right with XP they sure won't do it right with win 8.

[martinfan5]

Which means theres a lot more complexity and potential opportunities for hackers to exploit. If Microsoft couldn't get it right with XP they sure won't do it right with win 8.

Nothing is 100% safe

[Ace-Garageguy]

They need it for the operating systems! Obviously you can't be running anything newer than XP, 7 takes 2 GB RAM minimum just to operate...

Which is kinda like telling me I need an inter-cooled, compound turbo-supercharged 5-liter V-16 engine just to get to the grocery store and back every few days, and that my little 3-cylinder 1-liter Geo, which does the job just fine, will be illegal to operate. Can you say "needless bloat" ?

Which means theres a lot more complexity and potential opportunities for hackers to exploit. If Microsoft couldn't get it right with XP they sure won't do it right with win 8.

That's what I'm figuring on, but cost-wise, I'm stuck with Tinylimp for now.

Edited April 3, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[Quick GMC]

my personal computer at home has 16gb RAM, Solid State drive, dual video cards and stuff. I traded services to a buddy who builds computers. It does what I want, when I want, and super fast.

I can download full movies in HD in literally a few minutes. I remember 13 years ago in high school waiting a full minute for a low resolution photo of Pamela Anderson to load.

Edited April 3, 2014 by Quick GMC

[Ace-Garageguy]

Nothing is 100% safe

No, but with Tinylimp's rep for building operating systems on top of patched, bloated junk, and the opinion of some of the very best programmers that only 10% of working programmers actually UNDERSTAND what they're doing, every additional level of complexity just adds potential attack venues.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Yeah that's true but If its new and improved it should be better not worse. There is no doubt in my mind that win8 is a lot less secure than xp. Why should MS get it right when they will just sell you something else and people are willing to accept that. MS is so arrogent that they are ignoring 30% of the users. How is that good business.

[Ace-Garageguy]

...my personal computer at home... does what I want, when I want, and super fast...

So does my obsolete XP machine...

[Quick GMC]

So does my obsolete XP machine...

I wasn't implying it couldn't. I guess I was just bragging, I've never had a computer like this before.

[Ace-Garageguy]

... MS is so arrogant that they are ignoring 30% of the users. How is that good business?

Yup, which is what has my shorts in a wad about this. 30% of the computers connected to the internet are reputed to still be running XP.

Charge a reasonable annual fee to continue to support it, rather than FORCING everyone to replace all their hardware and software. I'd happily pay $50 per year. Multiply that by all the folks out there who want to just keep the old XP systems running in situations they're completely adequate for.

Screw Tinylimp.

I'll find a used 7 machine that will run my peripherals until I can afford to go Mac. No more bucks from me to MS.

Edited April 3, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[bobthehobbyguy]

I agree if it was just $50 to upgrade it wouldn't be an issue. Why should MS care if I buy new hardware they sell software? Also in most cases what most users have for hardware is cosmic overkill for their needs.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Some interesting facts win8/win8.8 is ten percent of users, win7 49 percent, and xp 29 percent. I think MS is annoyed that nobody cares much for either version of 8.

[Ace-Garageguy]

All you cool guys already running Win 7 or 8...how frequently are you getting the old standard message "a security issue has been identified in a Microsoft software product that could affect your system"? Or do you just trust the auto updates to handle everything?

Just curious.

[highway]

All you cool guys already running Win 7 or 8...how frequently are you getting the old standard message "a security issue has been identified in a Microsoft software product that could affect your system"? Or do you just trust the auto updates to handle everything?

Just curious.

Never, and I handle the updates that download myself, but I don't use any of Microsoft's antivirus programs either. I use Avast antivirus and have used it for years on all my machines when they were running XP and now that all run 7, and only had one virus problem, and that was just by accident. I had accidentally clicked on an email that was sent by an email account of my friend's that was hacked instead of deleting it and it crashed the system. That's also the reason I never open attachments to an email if I don't either know the sender or know what I'm opening.

Oh, and that was when my systems were running XP.

[dieseldawg142]

.........

Edited May 11, 2018 by dieseldawg142

[highway]

Which is kinda like telling me I need an inter-cooled, compound turbo-supercharged 5-liter V-16 engine just to get to the grocery store and back every few days, and that my little 3-cylinder 1-liter Geo, which does the job just fine, will be illegal to operate. Can you say "needless bloat" ?

And how do you figure it would be illegal to operate?? All I was simply stating was 7 takes 2 GB of RAM to run properly MINIMUM, and as you said, you only have 512K, so it's quite obvious that anything newer than XP would cause your machine to puke! It's not "needless bloat" as you say, but then again, I like to get the most of my machine, by playing games, using it for creative projects, and more than just surfing the web. Even some of my simplest photo editing software would make you computer throw up!

[Ace-Garageguy]

And how do you figure it would be illegal to operate?? All I was simply stating was 7 takes 2 GB of RAM to run properly MINIMUM, and as you said, you only have 512K, so it's quite obvious that anything newer than XP would cause your machine to puke! It's not "needless bloat" as you say, but then again, I like to get the most of my machine, by playing games, using it for creative projects, and more than just surfing the web. Even some of my simplest photo editing software would make you computer throw up!

"Illegal to operate" is simply an analogy for being unable to safely continue to use this old machine for what I use it for. I don't NEED a hot-dog system to play games on because I actually DO stuff. I sure as hell don't need an operating system that takes 2 gigs of RAM just to run. My CAD system is entirely off-line and never SEES the internet.

I'm GLAD you enjoy and use to the fullest all that massive computing power, BUT I DON'T NEED IT, AND I'M BEING FORCED TO CHUCK A PERFECTLY FUNCTIONAL SYSTEM TO GET SOMETHING WAY BEYOND MY CURRENT HOME NEEDS.

THERE ARE TENS, MAYBE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS LIKE ME.

IT'S A SIMPLE CONCEPT.

Edited April 4, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[martinfan5]

As long as you keep the anti virus software updated, then by all means continue using XP, its a great OS, and I even though I do miss XP at times, I love my new laptop , more so that its leaps and bound better then my laptop that I was using before

I bought my laptop in 2005, it had a 60GB HD, 512 wroth of ram, my new one has a 1TB HD and 6GB of ram, its like going from a pinto to a super car ,and its not even close to being a top of line computer

[Ace-Garageguy]

As long as you keep the anti virus software updated, then by all means continue using XP...

That's the plan. I've got good AV and firewalls, and I keep everything updated and backed up. Still, it's probably just a matter of time before some super hack renders XP useless.

I've got a 7 laptop with a fried hard drive, but the previous owner lost the 7 installation disc. I figure by the time I replace the drive and find a disc, I could buy a low-end 8 machine. Still, I have this stupid thing about throwing away anything that can work well with a little effort.

[martinfan5]

That's the plan. I've got good AV and firewalls, and I keep everything updated and backed up. Still, it's probably just a matter of time before some super hack renders XP useless.

I've got a 7 laptop with a fried hard drive, but the previous owner lost the 7 installation disc. I figure by the time I replace the drive and find a disc, I could buy a low-end 8 machine. Still, I have this stupid thing about throwing away anything that can work well with a little effort.

In many ways I can agree, I still have my XP laptop, its still works, and I will keep at least a few more years as long as it stays working , or tell I get new laptop when W9 comes out

[bobthehobbyguy]

The bigger issue is how long before the AV stops for XP. AV onlys deals with the problems but depends on MS fixing the security issues.

[1930fordpickup]

Bill agree with you about not wanting to buy a new computer . But I had an electrical problem with mine and had to replace it. I do not have MAC money so I found one on sale. Overboard is better than nothing. MS does not care about the older stuff. They want us to buy new. That way their employees are working on new stuff not keeping the old stuff running.

[charlie8575]

All you cool guys already running Win 7 or 8...how frequently are you getting the old standard message "a security issue has been identified in a Microsoft software product that could affect your system"? Or do you just trust the auto updates to handle everything?

Just curious.

In the four years I've used 7/8, I think I've had that come up maybe once. Between a decent antivirus and letting MicroSoft do its automatic things, I have very little trouble.

Charlie Larkin

[Quick GMC]

All you cool guys already running Win 7 or 8...how frequently are you getting the old standard message "a security issue has been identified in a Microsoft software product that could affect your system"? Or do you just trust the auto updates to handle everything?

Just curious.

"already" running windows 7? It's only been out for 5 years.

Microsoft Security Essentials is all you need. It's live, free and updates itself. Takes a few minutes to download.