What Will This All Mean, Will A Very Large Proportion Of Computers End On The Scrap Heap?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/goodbye-windows-xp-9213134.html

[andy-hughes]

No, because a lot of Windows 7 users would buy a new PC anyway in time, as costs continue to go down, and specs continue to go up.

There will be the die-hards who hang on, like people who have black & white TV's, but most people will update when they would have updated anyway, and switch to Windows 8, and the rest will simply install Windows 8 over their old OS.

Personally, I have reluctantly adopted Windows 8, and I would have XP back in a heartbeat if they would continue to support it, but I try not to be a Luddite.

I have got mine behind a Shell interface, which means my 8 operates as close to the way my XP did as i can get it - no 'touch screening' for a start!.

I still run XP on an old laptop simply to run my CD label printing software - not compatible with Windows 8 surprise surprise, and I get a rush of nostalgia when XP opens up.

Next, I'll be wanting steam trains back on the West Coast Main Line!!!!

[mushroom25]

Windows 8 is too yoof oriented for me - if I click on a photo i'd like it to open so I can see it. I don't want a box asking me if I want to upload it to Facebook.

[youngmafbog]

Nothing to stop you running XP if you want to. Threee of my laptops have XP, another has win 7, one desktop still runs win 97 and another runs xp. The other one runs win7. tablets run Android and the server runs linux.

All run well, although I admit to being IT.

[andy-hughes]

youngmafbopg - nothing indeed - but as the article advises, Mircrosoft are withdrawing tehcnical updates, which will gradually render XP obsolete, and more importantly, they are no longer supporting anti-virus support which will gradually open the door wide to the world's hackers and malcontents who delight in invading the PC's of strangers and providing the microchip equivalent of a hurricane, destroying everything they can.

[mushroom25]

//they are no longer supporting anti-virus support which will gradually open the door wide to the world's hackers and malcontents who delight in invading the PC's of strangers and providing the microchip equivalent of a hurricane, destroying everything they can. //

what will happen long before then is that the Anti-Virus providers will stop producing packages that are compatible with XP.

[Old_Geezer]

It is surprising what assumptions one takes for granted when not an MS employee. For years I have put up with daily irritation on an every few minutes basis due to what I took to be an unchangable feature of Win 7. And yet apparently it is settable and MS only default it to make life as miserable as possible for normal folks, for a laugh. Apparently if you right click on the see desktop button bottom right there is a curious "peek at desktop" option ticked, which of course one never goes near. But it is this, badly misnamed, as it should be labelled something like, "deliberately set to make your life a living hell feature", and it can actually be unticked ! Do so and every few minutes when the mouse/cursor drifts towards that corner, and all the stuff you are trying to look at no longer disappears in a major effort to raise your blood pressure to stoke and heart attack levels ! So that's one downgrade from XP that one apparently need not have tolerated for years. It encouraged me to look for a solution to the second irritant problem, which is how it finds it hilarious to maximise a window you are just trying to move out of the way upon reaching an edge. (And the consequential drawer wetting amusement of putting it right back from where you just moved it away from if you try to "restore" it.) Oh they are such a tonic these MS developers. You can just imagine their sort in the middle ages heating up the irons in the fire and cackling at the poor guy on the rack. Well anyway, it turns out that one can get rid of that downgrade also. Control panel, that thing that's grown so much with each new version it now contains more than one can recall, now has an Ease of Access Centre area (where they seem to want a voice to jabber at you making your colleagues look at what you are doing (oh again what a card they all are)) in which there is a Make The Mouse Easier To Use sub-section. Note nothing to suggest this is about correcting the Windows irritation, it's hiding in mouse things. Well there is a Prevent Windows From Being Automatically Arranged option as they innocently put it; so again one can get rid of another blood pressure raising thing. Heck Win 8 around and I'm just finding out how to make Win 7 bearable and comparable to XP. May I manage to skip Win 8 until they have put that right.

[ToraToraTora]

Most users don't care about the OS, they will change their computer when they need to and use what ever that has. XP is fine, despite what MS think, as is Vista, I have 7 and Vista on my machines. 8.1 is truly appalling to anyone who has a clue about computers. It's designed for tablets so is terrible on laptops/desk tops.

[youngmafbog]

Andy - if you think any microsoft products will protect you against hackers think again !

And do you really think XP updates are a good thing. If they havent got it right by now there is no hope. (yep no hope then I guess)

There will be an anti virus for many years to come. Things will be put about by microsoft to try to force people to move.

There is of course Linux which is free!

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

Everyone knows Microsoft produce a good OS followed by a sh1te one then a good one again etc.
I love XP but I won't touch Vista. 7 is good but 8 is awful.
When I have to, I'll go to 7 or I'll wait for 9

[TTG]

Could try a linux os for fast web surfing. One can load from a cd into ram and use without wiping xp. Puppy Linux for one. Keep xp for offline use.

[joko]

windows 8 is NOT just the tiles interface that is best for tablets!

if you skip all that and set it to go straight to desktop, you would barely know the difference between windows 7 and 8!
they look and act almost the same

[sp1814]

I use Windows at work, but after years of using an iPhone, then an iPad, then an iPad Mini, then finally and iPad Air at home, I've finally succombed to 'The Dark Side' and bought an MacBook for my home laptop.

I don't believe that the death of XP will mean a generation of hardware will end up on the scrapheap (at least not any time soon). People will carry on using XP, even if it's an unsupported release.

[bhg481]

Old-Geezer - THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU for those tips, you've saved my sanity.

[impact5]

how can i put windows 7 on my laptop, instead of XP not to savvi with IT so as step by step as you can, please

[anotheoldgit]

Can one change their operating system without losing important material that is loaded on one's computer?

[bhg481]

Normally re-installing an operating system or installing a new one will wipe out all information on the disc, sometimes all the information on the complete hard drive. You should have backups of all your important data on a separate hard drive or some other medium. You will have to copy back from there and also re-install any software you have added yourself.

[sp1814]

AOG

You asked

"Can one change their operating system without losing important material that is loaded on one's computer?"

It depends on the material. As bhg481 has correctly stated, you should first backup any media you wish to keep to an external drive. In fact, it's good practice to do this on a regular basis to insure against system crashes or hard drive failures.

But there may be additional problems introduced when you upgrade your operating system. Specifically, some programmes you use will be configured to work against XP, but not (say) Windows 7 or 8.

The best way to guard against this is to check the sites where you've downloaded from, and confirm which operating systems they will work with.