Still on Windows XP? Here’s Some Bad Advice

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    Still on Windows XP? Here’s Some Bad Advice


    Posted: 29 Mar 2014
    Windows XP is dying. On April 8, Microsoft will stop supporting the ancient operating system that was released in 2001 — and at one point was used by 400 million people.

    You might think that an operating system that was actually engineered in the late 90s would be fully obsolete and unused by now. After all, since XP came out, Microsoft has released several major replacement versions: Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 (recently upgraded to Windows 8.1).
    But there’s something about Windows XP. It’s basic, stable, fast enough, and good enough for a lot of people. It’s still running on more than 10 percent of the world’s computers, and it’s huge in China.
    Source

    -untitled.png
    Bill Gates introducing Windows XP in
    October, 2001. Photo: Getty Images.
    Britton30's Avatar Posted By: Britton30
    29 Mar 2014



  1. Posts : 299
    openSUSE 13.1 64bit
       #1

    I've never read so much nonsense in my life!!
    Yes don't stay on XP; but to then knock the majority of alternatives as a bad move is just poor advice.
    Windows 8 isn't all that bad.
    Ubuntu wouldn't be that big a jump for most people if all they do is a bit of internet and some email.
    Chromebook...same as Ubuntu (Or most of the mainstream linux distro's)

    And the good advice would be ...move to a MAC OS??? Yep pay 3 times the amount for a system that won't run windows software; the main reason the author dismisses Linux and lead you down the expensive upgrade cycle that is Apple.

    He also omits the fact that a lot of people on XP still run outdated Internet Explorer; that is the biggest issue with sticking with XP.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 53
    Windows 7 32-bit
       #2

    I'd milk XP as long as I possibly could. Windows 7 isn't bad, but here is the basic difference so far between XP & 7. In Windows 7 Microsoft is trying to wrestle more and more control away from the consumer and make their decisions for them. Microsoft will tell you what you really want--not the other way around. I'm not going to go into the details.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 4,566
    Windows 10 Pro
       #3

    wow
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 542
    Windows 7 Pro 64bit
       #4

    i still run Internet Explorer 8 and i have no problems and i honestly hope Internet Explorer 8 and 9 will continue to be suppported until 2020 that would be so nice, but as for running XP they should have retired support for it in 2011 and then people would have been able to upgrade to Windows 7 instead of that trashy Windows 8.1 nobody likes
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 53,363
    Windows 10 Home x64
       #5

    MS is a business, and it's not like they didn't set up the end of life date from the beginning. Could a user continue to use it safely? (Hell, do they use it safely now??) It's likely the average user who doesn't surf the dark side, has a layered, up to date security phalanx, could continue to use it safely.

    Will anyone even know when new vulnerabilities are discovered? Will only the bad guys know, and actively exploit them? Will security companies continue to monitor that issue and try and mitigate the risk?

    It's not unlikely the average user on XP is already infected to varying degrees. Has poor security, and bad habits. Their lives would change very little, same old same old. It is the mom and pop users who have auto updates on, an up to date AV program, and just visit "safe" sites that would conceivably see a change. They can be infected via an as yet unknown new vulnerability via a known "safe" site, because MS didn't/won't patch that vulnerability.

    But XP has been out 13 years, and every month they find new vulnerabilities to patch. An assumption can be made that these vulnerabilities have been there 13 years, and were only just discovered. Another assumption can be made that every month new vulnerabilities will exist, and never be patched.

    Would you want your Mom/Grandmother using XP in this situation though?

    I believe that XP users are already victims in great numbers, but that this number will now increase with no new support. It's not like "Oh well, that's their problem". Insecure PCs can be found everywhere, and security issues affect us all if there is a breach.

    All you can basically do is protect yourself as well as possible, and your loved ones as well as you can.

    A Guy
      My Computer


  6. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #6

    I have been running all day with Linux Mint Mate from my USB Flash drive. If I wanted to stay on XP, that's what I would use for all internet work. You can create it with 3 clicks and easily set it up with the help of my tutorial.

    There are a few advantages with that approach over e.g. a virtual system:

    1. It is very fast, especially for the internet.

    2. It uses your whole system and you need not share the RAM between the host and virtual systems. That makes it especially suitable for older modest PCs.

    3. It is safe. Few pieces of malware exist for Linux Mint. But I still make images of my stick - just in case.

    4. You can access all files of the XP system, So if you need to refer to something, that's easy to do.

    I think this is a win/win for the XP users. All it costs is $7 plus change for a 16GB USB flash drive (16GB recommended).

    I think I am going to make a tutorial for those guys.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 24,479
    Windows 7 Ultimate X64 SP1
    Thread Starter
       #7

    I just thought this was interesting when I read it. Bill (A Guy) makes some good points about some vulnerabilities being out there for maybe 13 years.

    If everything after XP was secure we wouldn't have nor need security helpers on forums. w7 regularly has security updates to address some unspecified problem. I find 23 from Mar 11 2014 on my machine, one for Office and two for .NET framework. Maybe these address 13 year old problems too.

    I too thought the author's "good plan" was to buy a MAC or Chrome Book. I think to use most applications for Chrome the user has to use it from the net and can't install them locally. That sounds like a great plan.[/sarcasm] (For you Sheldons out there )
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 548
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #8

    Nigsy said:
    I've never read so much nonsense in my life!!
    Yes don't stay on XP; but to then knock the majority of alternatives as a bad move is just poor advice.
    Windows 8 isn't all that bad.
    Ubuntu wouldn't be that big a jump for most people if all they do is a bit of internet and some email.
    Chromebook...same as Ubuntu (Or most of the mainstream linux distro's)

    And the good advice would be ...move to a MAC OS??? Yep pay 3 times the amount for a system that won't run windows software; the main reason the author dismisses Linux and lead you down the expensive upgrade cycle that is Apple.

    He also omits the fact that a lot of people on XP still run outdated Internet Explorer; that is the biggest issue with sticking with XP.
    I actually largely agree with the article. Windows 8(.1) is completely alien to XP diehards (it's already alien enough for us Windows 7 users) and Linux is an operating system "for nerds" as the author put it as it is simply not user- or consumer-friendly by any stretch of the imagination.

    Besides just keeping XP, which itself isn't actually a bad choice assuming you have the proper justifications, the "better ideas" of upgrading to Windows 7 or OSX have their arguments in sound reasoning. Windows 7 is a proven Windows-family operating system as many here will attest, and Apple software is renowned worldwide for being user friendly.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 757
    Win10 Pro 64-bit
       #9

    "Microsoft really wants you on Windows 8, obviously. A Microsoft spokesperson took pains to remind me that Windows 8 is more secure, faster, and uses less energy than Windows 7."

    Um, that's a fail: Testosterone Pit - Home - LEAKED: German Government Warns Key Entities Not To Use Windows 8 ? Links The NSA
      My Computer


 
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