Got a friends PC to fix and its runnign XP any way to update to a newer version

LaVail

For Free??

200motels

LaVail wrote: »

For Free??

It all depends what the specs are, but not for free, if you want to go down the free route then Linux is the way to go.

vibe666

LaVail wrote: »

For Free??

Windows XP is a 15 year old OS and and reached EOL (end of life, where it will be no longer updated by microsoft to patch bugs and vulnerabilities) in mid-2014.

you'll need to update it to something newer, but chances are it will be too low spec to upgrade and even if it isn't, there's no free windows upgrade from windows xp to anything newer, so it'll cost money.

there was a free upgrade offer from windows 7, Vista & 8 to Windows 10, but that's over since last month (although it still works as of last week if you have the win10 updater executable and skip entering a product key when it asks).

the other issue is that it will cost more to upgrade it to a point where it can run windows 7, 8 or 10 (and then pay for the OS) than it would cost to just go out and buy a new laptop of similar specifications.

at this point, for light usage for most people i'd go with a cheap hybrid laptop/tablet type deal for most people, a cheap chinese Core-M3 (same as the MS surface pro 4) based tablet with a decent keyboard/dock like the Cube i7.

Fysh

Unless the hardware profile dates from around 2006 or later (which doesn't preclude XP but would normally involve Vista being mentioned on the CoA sticker), I wouldn't bet on the machine running a current version of Windows well enough to be worth using. If there's truly no money available, Linux is the only option. If there is money, your friend would be best off buying a new machine.

LaVail

Thanks lads. I should have copped most of this myself. Sure when I checked the specs on it, tis barely only able to run whats on it.

Sure browsers like chrome etc don't even support XP anymore. I'll wipe it and her kids can use it for some games I suppose.

PropJoe10

There's no direct upgrade path for an XP machine to anything really, so you'd be better wiping it off and installing Linux on it! If you want to post the machine specs here, feel free and I can give a bit more specific advice on what it'd run.

Fysh

LaVail wrote: »

Thanks lads. I should have copped most of this myself. Sure when I checked the specs on it, tis barely only able to run whats on it.

Sure browsers like chrome etc don't even support XP anymore. I'll wipe it and her kids can use it for some games I suppose.

You could chuck on a low-overhead Linux distribution with one of the less-demanding GUIs and they'd probably find plenty of free games on there to enjoy. Something like Mint with XFCE, for example.

landmarkjohn

I asked a similar question as the OP recently and went with Linux Mint and am very pleased. So pleased that I installed it in another notebook that had been chugging away on Windows 7. Try it and see how it performs, it includes a suite of applications compatible with MS office and all the other stuff average joe looks for.

When installing you get an option for dual boot (keep XP and install new OS) which keeps all existing files.

two wheels good

MS continued to provide updates for XP long after the announced end date. They're probably still be available. It's worth a look. Ensure Service Pack 3 is installed then try a normal update. (I'm assuming user is happy to plod along with familiar XP)

PropJoe10

two wheels good wrote: »

MS continued to provide updates for XP long after the announced end date. They're probably still be available. It's worth a look. Ensure Service Pack 3 is installed then try a normal update. (I'm assuming user is happy to plod along with familiar XP)

There's been no OS updates for Windows XP since April 2014.

Fysh

two wheels good wrote: »

MS continued to provide updates for XP long after the announced end date. They're probably still be available. It's worth a look. Ensure Service Pack 3 is installed then try a normal update. (I'm assuming user is happy to plod along with familiar XP)

No, they released a couple of small security fixes within a couple of months of the end date, and have an unspecified number of contracts at significant cost with large customers who need to continue running XP in production environments and are willing to pay extra to continue to receive security updates from Microsoft.

Continuing to use an OS that old on an internet-connected machine is to ask for hassle and potential pwnage.

two wheels good

PropJoe10 wrote: »

There's been no OS updates for Windows XP since April 2014.

Well okay. How about: "MS continued to provide updates for XP-based PC systems long after the end of life date."

CatInABox

two wheels good wrote: »

Well okay. How about: "MS continued to provide updates for XP-based PC systems long after the end of life date."

April 2014 was the end of life date, so no, they didn't provide support "long after the end of life date". The only way to get any kind of patch out of them is to subscribe to an expensive support plan. Virus definitions may have been updated for a while afterwards, but that's all, and even that stopped after a year.

To be honest, if someone came to me to ask advice about XP, the only responsible answer either involves Linux (for the no budget people) or a new computer (for everyone that can afford it). Urging people to stay on XP is the equivalent to urging people to stay in a burning car.

ItHurtsWhenIP

two wheels good wrote: »

Well okay. How about: "MS continued to provide updates for XP-based PC systems long after the end of life date."

+1 for CatInABox.

As this article points out:

Windows XP isn’t dead and buried yet. Microsoft will be creating security updates for XP for years to come, but those updates won’t be available to normal users. No, they’re just for large businesses and governments with money to burn.

and

Microsoft’s quotes for custom support have apparently ranged from $600,000 to $5 million for the first year alone:

“An IT manager, who wished to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, told Computerworld that Microsoft had quoted his company $1 million for the first year of custom support to cover 5,000 Windows XP machines, $2 million for the second year, and $5 million for the third.”

Worse yet, these quotes apparently only include the price of critical security updates. If you want an update for an issue only considered “important”, you’ll have to contact Microsoft and pay extra.
The UK government is apparently paying £5.5 million for the first year of custom support, while the Dutch government is also paying several million euros for its own deal.

PropJoe10

two wheels good wrote: »

Well okay. How about: "MS continued to provide updates for XP-based PC systems long after the end of life date."

They provided a couple of extra critical updates just after support ended, and continued to provide some updates for the anti-malware program - however, there's been no actual OS updates for Windows XP for at least two years. Nobody should be using Windows XP on the internet these days if they value their personal information.

Fysh

two wheels good wrote: »

Well okay. How about: "MS continued to provide updates for XP-based PC systems long after the end of life date."

The only methods of getting Windows XP to see OS updates on a regular basis since the OS hit EOL status are:
1) Pay a boatload of cash for a contract to get access to the continued updates that Microsoft are developing for paying customers, or
2) Follow instructions from the Internet equivalent of "My mate Niall who's dead handy with computers and can get ya all the good stuff for free, like" so that your now-unsupported client installation of XP thinks that it's actually Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, and therefore accesses that version's update stream.

There are no sane reasons for a home user to stay on Windows XP. Even if you're a hardcore gaming enthusiast who wants to play games that won't run on post-XP hardware - get a PC made at some point in the last 10 years and you can almost certainly run a VM instance of XP that'll do just fine.

PropJoe10

I do not understand people that want to keep using XP - as you said, there is no valid reason to keep using it, outside of keeping it to run legacy software and disabling the network adapter (even that won't keep it safe if you plug external hardware into it). XP is slow, freezes constantly and another problem is that most third-party software vendors have stopped supporting their products on XP. It's time to let go!

kumate_champ07

tesco self service checkouts are running windows xp

CatInABox

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

tesco self service checkouts are running windows xp

So long as it's kept away from the open internet and there's no physical access to connect USB drives, then using XP is ok. I've even seen ATMs running XP.

Obviously, I'd much prefer that any computer handling anything important is running a much more secure OS though, and what I said before still applies, these companies should really be looking to update their software to a more secure standard.

homer911

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

tesco self service checkouts are running windows xp

So are most ATMs

FrancieBrady

I have two XP's running workshop machines that I haven't gotten around to replacing -updating software etc. They are connected to the internet. Apart from an occasional message to say Support has ended I have had no issues whatsoever.
As well as running the machine software they also run fairly resource sapping design software.
Stripped down and cleaned up there might be a bit of life left yet OP.
I found XP to be the best software ever released by Microsoft, have been a user since 2.1 I think.

ItHurtsWhenIP

CatInABox wrote: »

So long as it's kept away from the open internet and there's no physical access to connect USB drives, then using XP is ok. I've even seen ATMs running XP.

Obviously, I'd much prefer that any computer handling anything important is running a much more secure OS though, and what I said before still applies, these companies should really be looking to update their software to a more secure standard.

homer911 wrote: »

So are most ATMs

Aren't ATMs running the XP embedded version that is still receiving M$FT updates?

FrancieBrady wrote: »

I have two XP's running workshop machines that I haven't gotten around to replacing -updating software etc. They are connected to the internet. Apart from an occasional message to say Support has ended I have had no issues whatsoever.
As well as running the machine software they also run fairly resource sapping design software.
Stripped down and cleaned up there might be a bit of life left yet OP.
I found XP to be the best software ever released by Microsoft, have been a user since 2.1 I think.

Future soldiers for a bot net army :eek: ... If they're not already :rolleyes:.

FrancieBrady

ItHurtsWhenIP wrote: »

Future soldiers for a bot net army :eek: ... If they're not already :rolleyes:.

I have been told that manner of stuff about computers since I first started using them, generally by people who are trying to sell me something.
I keep them virus checked, run clean-up software regularly etc. as I said, no issues at my end.

ItHurtsWhenIP

FrancieBrady wrote: »

I have been told that manner of stuff about computers since I first started using them, generally by people who are trying to sell me something.

But my snake oil is cheaper and more potent than all the others!!!

FrancieBrady wrote: »

I keep them virus checked, run clean-up software regularly etc. as I said, no issues at my end.

Fair enough, as long as the software vendors keep supporting XP, but that may not last forever.

Also you are taking the risk of running old hardware. Just make sure you have a good contingency plan to replace them when the inevitable happens, cos it will and at the worst possible time (Murphy's an old buddy of mine).

FrancieBrady

ItHurtsWhenIP wrote: »

But my snake oil is cheaper and more potent than all the others!!!



Fair enough, as long as the software vendors keep supporting XP, but that may not last forever.

Also you are taking the risk of running old hardware. Just make sure you have a good contingency plan to replace them when the inevitable happens, cos it will and at the worst possible time (Murphy's an old buddy of mine).

Fully aware of that. When it happens, everything will get upgraded (it owes me not a cent) Just relating a real world experience. If it is critically important, upgrade OP.
Outta my cold dead hands they will take XP