I noticed yesterday that support for Windows XP is being finished in 2014. Can anyone tell me if my computer will then become less secure because of no updates or will I be able to carry on as normal. Also if I did switch to Windows 7 would all my old progams work with it. Finally my hard drive is partitioned so could I load W7 onto the D portion & boot from that whilst retaining XP on my C drive. As I am not particularly PC savvy I want to start preparing if I really need to switch to a new operating system, Many thanks.
XP support
- Thread starter jj4091
- Start date
J
joinerjohn
XP won't suddenly become any more unsafe when Microsoft stop support for it. Some programs might be able to run on Win7.
It might be worth checking whether your computer is capable of running Win7
Check it here http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=20
It might be worth checking whether your computer is capable of running Win7
Check it here http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=20
Its generally advised that you don't use an unsupported OS. Whilst it wont immediately become insecure but a year down the road is a different thing.
What are the specs of the machine and how old is it? If it is old you might not run W7 full stop.
Personally if I was you I would dual boot with linux especially if its for home use; ZorinOS, PinguyOS or Linux Mint are very friendly easy to use distributions. If you start today by the time XP becomes unsupported you'll be able to use linux easily.
What are the specs of the machine and how old is it? If it is old you might not run W7 full stop.
Personally if I was you I would dual boot with linux especially if its for home use; ZorinOS, PinguyOS or Linux Mint are very friendly easy to use distributions. If you start today by the time XP becomes unsupported you'll be able to use linux easily.
No, if your computer runs XP is should easily run a mordern linux distro. And if you choose a popular mainstream distribution as detailed above you'll be supported for years. There are also a lot less you need to worry about security-wise with linux, ie no AV etc.
It will be a learning curve as Linux is not Windows. Its an option to think about.
J
joinerjohn
I'd just add to the Linux bit, ,,, Ubuntu 12.04 is being released in April and is a Long Term Support version. They usually release a LTS every 2 yrs.
I use Ubuntu, probably the best thing about it is the very fast boot time (from 0 to blazing the internet within 30 seconds) Takes a bit of getting used to though. Installing most software is fairly straight forward . You can run windows programs if you install WINE or Play On Linux.
Email is easy to set up. Using the terminal (very similar to the run command in windows) is a bit harder, but there are plenty of support forums for Linux users. There are no viruses out there specifically aimed at Linux systems (although you can unwittingly pass Win viruses on to Win users.
You can download the OS onto a usb stick and use that to run your computer (you have to go into the bios and select usb device first in the boot order though) And you can make the usb stick persistent, so that's your OS and this leaves your HDD for storage of personal files etc.
When Linux goes wrong though, it will go wrong BIG TIME, but a quick re-install usually fixes it.
As daozen says. You can make your computer dual boot, so you select which OS loads on startup, Win or Linux.
I use Ubuntu, probably the best thing about it is the very fast boot time (from 0 to blazing the internet within 30 seconds) Takes a bit of getting used to though. Installing most software is fairly straight forward . You can run windows programs if you install WINE or Play On Linux.
Email is easy to set up. Using the terminal (very similar to the run command in windows) is a bit harder, but there are plenty of support forums for Linux users. There are no viruses out there specifically aimed at Linux systems (although you can unwittingly pass Win viruses on to Win users.
You can download the OS onto a usb stick and use that to run your computer (you have to go into the bios and select usb device first in the boot order though) And you can make the usb stick persistent, so that's your OS and this leaves your HDD for storage of personal files etc.
When Linux goes wrong though, it will go wrong BIG TIME, but a quick re-install usually fixes it.
As daozen says. You can make your computer dual boot, so you select which OS loads on startup, Win or Linux.
Microsoft have quietly (no fanfares) extended the Lifecycle Support for most of their products.
The latest dates can now be seen in this site:
Support Dates
Select your Country and then the product and the Support expiry dates will display.
Remember that it does not mean that your system will suddenly shut down and stop working. It is just that your computer will probably be goosed by then and a replacement will have a later version of the software or OS installed.
Keep your security software up to date and run regularly, and DO NOT click on links you do not know and you should be safe even after support ends.
dave
The latest dates can now be seen in this site:
Support Dates
Select your Country and then the product and the Support expiry dates will display.
Remember that it does not mean that your system will suddenly shut down and stop working. It is just that your computer will probably be goosed by then and a replacement will have a later version of the software or OS installed.
Keep your security software up to date and run regularly, and DO NOT click on links you do not know and you should be safe even after support ends.
dave
Don't panic and upgrade your Windows version in haste! I'm still running Windows 2000 server. and several instances to boot, at work. It's been end-of-life for a couple of years now, but still working fine. Just a case, as others have said, of keeping AV software up to date. The only time problems may arise if if you need to re-install your old version of Windows.