XP Revival?

[-pops-]

There have been a number of enquiries, here and elsewhere, about various aspects of Windows XP.

On a couple of occasions I have tried to point out that there is not much that can be done of XP that cannot be done on Windows 7 but this seems to be ignored and struggles trying to find obsolete drivers and methods of dual booting continues.

Windows XP is obsolete now and should only be of real interest to computer buffs/experts/historians.

Is there a more general XP revival movement going on?

[rong]

I am on an XP computer at the moment and find it much better than the windows7 laptop I have, this is probably as much to do with familiarity as anything else but there are things in W7 that are very annoying that didn't need changing

[CurlyWhirly]

I am on an XP computer at the moment and find it much better than the windows7 laptop I have, this is probably as much to do with familiarity as anything else but there are things in W7 that are very annoying that didn't need changing

Your always moaning about operating systems !

First it was Vista and now your on about Windows 7 :P

[pawz7]

pops, I think in the minds of many folk XP is far from 'obsolete'. Rather it is a familiar and trusted friend which gets the job done and is reliable. It has served us faithfully in the daily grind of work-related tasks, and has earned the respect and gratitude of those who remember the too-frequent blue screens of windows 9x hand-wringing experience. Windows Seven is still an unknown, and therefore to-be-feared pool of deep water for many, and those who cannot swim well would rather not approach for fear of getting out of their depth and into trouble. Their fears may be quickly allayed when they do have to take the plunge, but for now they would rather watch others dive in from the safety in XP which they are comfortable with and have no desire to venture from.

[-pops-]

I was thinking more of users reverting to XP rather than just continuing to use it on their old machine(s). I've recently had a superb XP machine die on me. I had it right from the birth of XP in 2001 and I have to admit that I do miss it.

What I was intending to question was: are people reverting to XP in preference to W7? As I said in my opening post, there is not much XP software or programs that cannot be made to function on, or be directly transferred to, W7.

The term "obsolete" in my first post refers to the ending of the sale of the operating system in October, last year.

[Digerati]

pops, I think in the minds of many folk XP is far from 'obsolete'. Rather it is a familiar and trusted friend which gets the job done and is reliable.

While totally true, that's not the point. XP was designed over 10 years ago to support legacy software and hardware from the DOS era 10 to 15 years before that! It was designed before ANYONE even imagined Internet usage would "explode" as it did or more importantly, before ANYONE could predict or imagine how insidiously badguys would exploit its weaknesses.

While XP may be familiar and trusted, and it may get the job done, it can no longer ensure a "normal" user (or their families) can get it done safely! And that's the key. Security. Security trumps all - but not with XP. And that's not to blame them. Microsoft's biggest clients, governments and big corporations, insisted they not have to retool again and develop new programs again if they migrated to XP. They did that (at great expense) with nearly every new OS since CP/M, and were tired of it. Microsoft was forced to weigh legacy support over security. And besides, it was Norton and McAfee who had the job of ridding the world the malware, right? At least that's what they told Congress and the EU. :(

Microsoft still today gets bashed right and left for XP's and IE6's vulnerabilities. Granted, they've made some business decisions that deserved bashing and they got a bunch from me too. But it was badguys who put us in this security situation, not Microsoft.

So now - 10 years later... Microsoft no longer wants to be blamed for the actions of badguys - especially for products two generations back. The Nortons and McAfees and the rest of the anti-malware industry have failed to rid the world of malware, as they promised. Of course there's absolutely NO incentive for them to rid the world of malware. No one saw that coming when they threated to split up MS if MS included an AV in Windows? I digress.

My point, Microsoft now puts security first, and Windows 7 is one result of that. As Internet users, part of "practicing safe computing" is staying current in security so our systems are not compromised and we become a [zombie] threat to others. It is getting harder and harder for the "normal" user to keep their systems secure with XP. XP versions of software, and most importantly, companies are cutting back XP support funding for their security solutions, so options are becoming more and more limited.

It the end dire? No, but the end of the tunnel is in view.

I am not suggesting everyone run out and upgrade to Windows 7 now. In fact, if using hardware designed for XP, I would advise against it. Much of Win7s bad rep came from angry users who tried to upgrade incompatible (read: legacy) hardware to Windows 7. But I do suggest anyone buying or building a new computer go 64-bit Windows 7 (32-bit is history too - let it go). And for those still using a perfectly good XP machine, I recommend, when budget permits, turning it into an EXCELLENT network storage/backup device, or to stream music or video through your house. Then buy or build yourself a modern computer, with current hardware, and a modern OS designed with your security in mind, first.

Like anything that's different, once you are used to it, it is easy. The change is like moving from Windows 3.x to Windows95. Or moving from 95 to XP. If you think Window 7 is too different, wait until you see (or should I say, "touch") Window 8. I skipped Vista and migrated my systems to Windows 7 in October 09. When I step up to an XP machine now, it is the one that is foreign.

Windows XP is obsolete now and should only be of real interest to computer buffs/experts/historians.

Because badguys have forced us into this environment where security trumps all, then in that aspect, XP is obsolete. Can a careful user remain safe with XP? For awhile. But support is dropping fast.

Let me put it this way. I would feel more comfortable with my grandkids using a Windows 7 than I would if they were using a fully updated XP machine. Not because of them doing something they shouldn't, but because I know badguys seek out kids. Would I feel safe using an XP machine that was properly maintained? Yes. Well, if I was behind a router. ;)

I get attached to my machines. I think that happens when you own it and you are the sole user, you've kept it running good, and in return it has served you well. Not like a good dog, but maybe like a good old truck. You are sad to trade it in.

I sure like my new truck. ;) It hauls around the same junk I had in my old truck, but has better breaks, better traction, skid control, more air bags, gets better gas mileage (though nothing to brag about), much quicker, rides nicer, and looks pretty good too. :P

[pawz7]

well... I guess that's told me...

[Digerati]

Yeah, I got carried away. Sorry about that. I think I'll go mow the lawn.

[andsome]

I was thinking more of users reverting to XP rather than just continuing to use it on their old machine(s). I've recently had a superb XP machine die on me. I had it right from the birth of XP in 2001 and I have to admit that I do miss it.

What I was intending to question was: are people reverting to XP in preference to W7? As I said in my opening post, there is not much XP software or programs that cannot be made to function on, or be directly transferred to, W7.

The term "obsolete" in my first post refers to the ending of the sale of the operating system in October, last year.

I am running some programs from Windows 98 with a bit of fiddling about. One of these is O'Foto.B)

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

I just came back from Akihabara, where I bought my first Windows 7 machine (for less than $400). It will replace my faithful Windows 2000 system.

Most of the computers in the house are still XP, and most of them still run extremely well. Some day they will perish, and if they need replacement, then it will be a new system with the latest available Windows version.

I do not understand that person in the other topic who wants to put XP on a brand new machine. As -pops- pointed out in that topic, Windows 7 can run in XP mode if needed. Why to install an old Windows version - that may soon no longer be supported - is outside of my understanding.

[bludgard]

As stated before, I started with Windows 7 and regressed to older versions as a way to get a fuller perspective on this particular operating system.

That said, I do feel that Windows 7 is a superior OS and will be able to cope with the many changes to come computorially.:lol:

However, I do prefer to use XP as there is less demands from hardware and the system is slim (500MBs compared to W7 3+GBs) and more responsive. Adobe products tend to freeze up on my Win 7 machine but are lightening fast on XP. The same with MS Office products. Gaming is more responsive on XP as well as video playback. This has been my experience with Windows products and there are others who will swear that they have the same results.

We all know that XP will be left behind eventually. But for the time being, I prefer this OS to other Windows and will more than likely hold this opinion until....

Edit: As Digerati has mentioned in his diatribe against XP, I do hide behind a router.

[Digerati]

However, I do prefer to use XP as there is less demands from hardware and the system is slim (500MBs compared to W7 3+GBs) and more responsive.

Hmmmm, the exact same reasons folks gave for refusing to migrate to XP from 98!

New operating systems always take more resources. Why? Because we keep expecting more and more from them.

As far as XP with 500Mb being more responsive than W7 with 3Gb, I am afraid I would have to see that to believe.

I do believe if you take XP era hardware and attempt to run Win7 on it, XP will run better. But if you buy the latest and greatest hardware, Win 7 will win easily. I also note as more and more programs are designed to run Win7 first and XP second - that is, when the software industry catches up to the hardware and W7, then you will see W7 shine.

[bludgard]

Ah. Seems I have missed another post.

I agree that Windows 7 is a superior operating system and that XP will indeed eventually be a thing of the past.

Digerati quoted bludgard:

“As far as XP with 500Mb being more responsive than W7 with 3Gb, I am afraid I would have to see that to believe.”

The size was just an observation. I see that Windows 8 will be smaller in size than W7 (at the moment 2.75 GBs). I am playing around with Win 8 now and I do not notice a whole lot of difference so far; different FS (Protogon), facial recognition software, and decreased boot time are a few changes. Although to be fair, Windows 8 is nowhere near finished.

I do in fact run XP on older hardware. 7 simply will not run on some of the machines I have. A major plus for XP is that one does not have to go out and spend mountains of cash on high-end hardware to have access to a computer. I have picked up a machine off the side of the road and switched out the HD, installed more RAM that I had lying about, installed XP, and BAM; I am online with a perfectly good machine. I am typing on the machine at this moment. How convenient is that?

I love Windows 7; I just prefer to use XP for resource intensive programs: And for thrashing and trashing with VMs.