Please, let Windows XP die with dignity

[Night Hawk]

There's one thing I ran into back in 2009 about XP written games that would not install or run on Vista not 7 would however install and run on the 32bit 7 not 64bit. Note this was without the use of the compatibility mode. I have one game title I know for sure wouldn't run on Vista regardless of what method was tried out.

Often you will find programs as well as games that simply won't run on the next version to come. OS upgrades are looked at by the corporate world as the need for software and equipment upgrades. This is why many businesses will maintain an older version longer then most with the exception of individual preferences of the average home user.

The one advantage XP will certainly have once support is gone forever will the volume of driver sets archived at various sites over the years for the now existing hardwares not those to come. Some of the latest boards however do not see XP chipset drivers as found when going to look for a replacement board on the previous build here. So it won't just be the service packs and other updates that will hopefully be found on 3rd party sites no longer at MS but not being able to use XP with what comes next in the hardwares as well as devices catagories.

 

[Computer0304]

Yup thats the problem of end of support.

 

[Night Hawk]

Precisely! And that won't just be MS alone that will simply drop all support. Software as well as hardware menufacturers will likely archive driver and updates for older items and programs for a period of time while discontinuing the active support for new products since XP now is simply too old for them to invest further in maintaining a support level.

 

[Richter Scale]

Longest running Windows Version

XP can go down as a record breaker:

It's the first Microsoft product to live longer than a common house cat.

 

[ashttreylil]

xp is still on lots of enterprise machines.....

 

[gulls777]

XP can go down as a record breaker:

It's the first Microsoft product to live longer than a common house cat.

i believe windows 7 is also here to stay

 

[gregrocker]

After a huge scare campaign to try to force business into Windows 8 due to Secure Boot protecting them from imaginary BIOS infections we've never seen here, business responded nearly 100% by deciding to migrate instead to Win7.

This kinda flummoxes MS's plan to shove Win7 into the back room until they can quickly phase it out in favor of the new Apple business model based on renting apps including eventually the OS.

It is also a huge vindication of the unappreciated stepchild Win7 which continues to support the company. Until MS comes around to finally realize they have the best OS ever in Win7, this continues to be its home providing the quality support and advocacy. Since 7F saves MS millions of dollars per year we should see more MVP's awarded here soon commensurate with the expertise we have here surpassing all other forums.

 

[Night Hawk]

Well that's easy enough to explain why businesses are seeing a large flux to 7 since all too many were still running XP systems and old Fat networks. Once the networks saw the much needed upgrades that required a much newer OS to keep the pace. 7 has already been for 4yrs. now and has shown proven results. --- So why not 8 still? Most that did the upgrade to 7 had already been planning a major upgrade to 7 but took longer then expected and 8 came along in the interim. But ask yourself why would anyone want a tablet gui on a corporate machine or at a data center managing main frames? dddaaaaaaaaa...... does not compute. please equip with suitable OS!

 

[andrew129260]

After using windows 8 and 8.1 for about a year combined I have come to the conclusion it is a nightmare.

The main reason my company is not moving to windows 8 is the following:

1.) -Previous versions is missing. This is a tool we use all the time to do quick restores of files without pulling out the backup program. File history also requires another drive to do its pathetic backing up. Which is a nightmare. Windows 7 previous versions and built in backup tool worked fantastic. We do have a backup program on the corporate network as well that backs up every night everyone's files and shared drives, as well as the other network resources. But when a user wants to simply restore a file on their personal network drive or on the documents folder on their pc, we can just right click-previous versions. No need to escalate the issue or pull out the backup software. Quick and easy. Cannot do that as quick on windows 8.

2.) The user interface. Even with windows 8.1 and the option to boot straight to the desktop, we cannot see our users understanding or knowing what to do. Heck when you google windows 8 the most common search is how I turn off my computer. You know things are bad if you cannot figure out how to turn it off! The new ribbon interface in the windows explorer in nice and simple, but also can be quite cluttered. The interface is also always jumping back and forth to metro and windows desktop. As if its schizophrenic. This is ridiculous for a so called polished OS. And to do a simple install of start 8 or any other start replacement app would be frustrating to put on each PC.

3.) Speed. While the speed is fantastic in windows 8, there is a reason why. The system never actually does a full restart or shutdown. It basically does a kind of quick hibernate. Because of this it is quite more of a length process just to get the pc to do a actual full restart and not the quick optimized restart. It also causes issues with some of our software. Yes we could turn off fast startup, but its annoying we have to do this in the first place.
Windows 8: difference between power down and reboot | Ghacks

4.) Windows 8.1 makes it insanely annoying to create user accounts.

I have never been so frustrated with an operating system before. And I used windows Me and early linux distros!


ON TOPIC: I cannot wait to see XP die. Long live 7!

 

[Night Hawk]

I think 7 will be here to stay for some time especially after the drastic move towards tablet and Win Phone MS took without leaving the user with adequate to start with. The blog writers have certainly had field days with the latest offerings from MS without any doubt there. Your grievances there simply illustrate the negative reactions all too many have had even when taking more then just a fast look and replacing an OEM preinstall of 7 with regrets later.

The secure boot process you mentioned becomes another headache for dual booters when the new version automatically invalidates any other OS! When first looking at the CP and RP builds for 8 the boot entry into 7 was no issue. The boot into 7 from the 8 BCD however lead to both versions crashing by frozen desktop until running the Disk Check on both drives. The 7 install survived while the RP install this was tried on failed. XP on the other hand will have it's own legend in the history books of OSs as being the largest used while not being the best version ever seen which of course has been proven as 7 with Vista and 2000 also being favored by the skeptics.

I know several that would rather drop back to 2000 then XP. Others simply grew too accustomed to always having XP and perhaps skipping over Vista. Yet no matter good 7 is and how Windows 9 or what next comes proves to be there are also the die hard Vista fans who went to the previous after a fast look at 7. User's choice of OS there once again. When first running Vista I wasn't actually too thrilled by the first version to see the Aero themes and certainly not the annoyance of the side bar but did like the introduction of the concept of gadgets. With 7 you no longer needed the side bar but saw them placed on the desktop instead showing MS was headed in the right direction as far as a progressive organization being seen with a software company. Suddenly we know see a mobile software product instead?

As you can see from just one company's view Win 8, 8.1 wouldn't be viable options since the staff would need to be trained for Tablet not Desktop. Just going from XP to Vista was an effort back then with the new look and services. The transition to 7 was much easier for most once you took a good at it. For 8 however that's a productiive workstation's nightmare by all accounts due to the frustrations from the hide and seek Crawler tool bar, hidden right click menu under the Metro corner making things a bit awkward. This is the Real World taking a look not simply a bashing.

For me personally I ran XP in a dual boot with Vista until 7 was out in RC form when I let the older versions go entirely keeping the then new XP Mode and Vista on VM instead and planning on the 64bit retail 7 running the show later. As I have mentioned on different occasions once finding 7 to be a first place winner for MS what followed next would be a hard sell but hopefully be a progression on what they had going with 7.

WRONG! MS Fumbled the ball big time! It still is afterall a hard sell but unfortunately for the not so good reasons. Despite the improvements at the core level they foobared the rest alright.

 

[FuturDreamz]

Yeah I think Windows 7 is here to stay also. It's the last real Windows OS, and it has been rebuilt with security in mind. I think it will be supported as long as XP has with the only real sign of it's obsolescence is f tablets take off.

 

[Night Hawk]

One thing many may not even be aware of the CE edition of XP, not sure on Vista but most likely, and the CE 6.0 form of 7. That's the embedded form of Windows on the tablet platform. Talk about a stripped down OS there isn't much you can do there besides browse the web as long as the limited form of IE will allow it!

You can't do much more install apps or upgrade IE even in that limited form or even adjust much settings wise for anything. The convenience of having something a bit larger not by much however then a smart phone is what you get there.

Surprizingly however one friend was done with desktops and custom building in general has found he wants to stick to using a 7 laptop now that he has run 7 for a period of time and realized it far surpasses what XP is and soon to be was. He didn't care for Vista at all while never running the previous however but has fallen in love with 7 and has a negative opinion about 8. A die hard XP fan who swore he would never be interested in upgrading the older version to anything else was suddenly converted to 7?! That's a win, win for him there!

As XP goes it's way 7 will be here to stay!!!

Well here's an update courtesy of Google as far as still using a browser and receiving updates at least for their own browser up until 2015.

Google to support Chrome XP until April 2015 at least

Summary: When XP support ends next April will you still be running it? Use Chrome and at least your browser will keep getting security updates. There's a good argument that Google is indulging lax security by doing so.

By Larry Seltzer for Zero Day

October 16, 2013 -- 18:33 GMT (11:33 PDT)

Google has announced that it will continue to support the Chrome browser on Windows XP until at least April 2015, one year after Microsoft will end support for it.

For Microsoft, 2014 is an important year for Microsoft support lifecycles. Windows XP, Windows Exchange Server 2003 and Office 2003 are three of the very popular products for which Microsoft will stop providing security updates.

see full report