Since I got a laptop with Windows 8, I mainly use my old desktop computer with XP for Rhapsody (I have to update permissions on my MP3 player about once a month.) & a couple of other old programs I still use. I understand Rhapsody doesn't work well on Windows 8. (Most of the tunes on my MP3 player are oldies.) I am wondering if I should get Vista or Windows 7 for the old desktop to avoid security worries. Any ideas?
To dump XP or not
- Thread starter MarkMyWord_81
- Start date
You should want to do Win 7 as it really is a VISTA fix up. (Hopefully you will be able to find all needed drivers.)
We may be seeing some light at the end of another tunnel:
http://webserver.computoredge.com/editorial/3216/coverprint.htm
On all about computer show it is being said (observed?) that, "ironically as Windows versions progress (eg, Win 8.1 and particularly proposed Win 9), it appears that they begin to be morphing into looking like older versions (eg, Win 7)." These guys on the talk show, who own sales & service businesses, have been with computers since CPM and know fully what their seeing & saying.
We may be seeing some light at the end of another tunnel:
http://webserver.computoredge.com/editorial/3216/coverprint.htm
On all about computer show it is being said (observed?) that, "ironically as Windows versions progress (eg, Win 8.1 and particularly proposed Win 9), it appears that they begin to be morphing into looking like older versions (eg, Win 7)." These guys on the talk show, who own sales & service businesses, have been with computers since CPM and know fully what their seeing & saying.
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Mem
Lifer
- Apr 23, 2000
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XP can't be directly upgraded to anything except Vista. Do that, smooth out any driver issues, and then Vista can be directly upgraded to 7. Then, 7 can be upgraded to 8 and 8.1.
OTOH, some hardware is not worth the effort. Just wanted to point out how it can be done if you have all those DVDs handy.
OTOH, some hardware is not worth the effort. Just wanted to point out how it can be done if you have all those DVDs handy.
ninaholic37
Golden Member
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gmaster456
Golden Member
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Mem
Lifer
- Apr 23, 2000
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Another option is Linux(being free is a bonus too,use either as dual boot or clean full install on the XP PC) which is good for music,general browsing etc and very good on security,I guess it depends on what programs you need,but you have Win8 already which would cover most Windows stuff in general.
Why use an old desktop in addition to the new laptop? Why not let the laptop take both roles?
IMO even if you want a separate desktop, it's not worth the time to upgrade an old XP-era machine. It will need replacing soon so just wait to upgrade hardware at the same time.
Chiefcrowe
Diamond Member
- Sep 15, 2008
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For security alone i'd switch to windows 7 (or higher if you can). There are going to be more and more problems with XP as time goes on.
VirtualLarry
No Lifer
- Aug 25, 2001
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Install Linux Mint LTS, or dump it.
XP is hardly worth running anymore for a consumer.
Could download and burn a (legal ISO) copy of Win7 (install it in trial mode), and see how well it runs on older hardware.
XP is hardly worth running anymore for a consumer.
Could download and burn a (legal ISO) copy of Win7 (install it in trial mode), and see how well it runs on older hardware.
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John Connor
Lifer
- Nov 30, 2012
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I use XP on a netbook. Can't install 7 and I heard people that have had really slow or craptacular performance. My software on the netbook won't run in Linux either.
VirtualLarry
No Lifer
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I found (quite by accident) that Windows 7 runs better than XP, on most XP hardware (ok, as long as you have 1GB RAM or more). You sure you cannot shoehorn Win7 32-bit onto that Netbook? I would be curious what the issues were.
John Connor
Lifer
- Nov 30, 2012
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Believe me, I read about putting Win 7 on the netbook a Dell Mini 910 and from what I have gathered it had varied results.
Windows 7 performance on old hardware is rarely unbearable. It will sooner not work at all.
It may not be snappy, but it will rarely be unbearable.
In my experience, XP was and is usually snappy. But snappy doesn't mean fast. On slow machines it CAN be unbearable.
It may not be snappy, but it will rarely be unbearable.
In my experience, XP was and is usually snappy. But snappy doesn't mean fast. On slow machines it CAN be unbearable.
Charlie98
Diamond Member
- Nov 6, 2011
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BonzaiDuck
Lifer
- Jun 30, 2004
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I think I had been snickering at folks who didn't dump XP for Win 7, but then -- they'd have to look at my own follies. I went from XP to VISTA (before SP1) -- and THEN -- to Win 7.
Win 7 works so well for us here that I'm actually adverse to updating old hardware with Win 8, and I think I might find more troubles with such a troubling HW and SW mix. And here is the reminder about that.
The writing was on the wall, so to speak, with the VISTA and Win 7 releases: If you got OEM OS licenses, they were soon bound to the hardware and you were at the mercy of MS's policies about activation. That link would only have become tighter with Win 8. The Mainstreamers don't care: Scotty is beaming them up -- their everyday needs are all contained in a disposable device for which cell-phone subscription-providers offer great promotional upgrade options.
There is this sub-market -- a "faction" if you will -- of folks like us who visit the forums here. This sub-faction includes a lot of people who've racked up thousands . . and thousands . . . of posts. We all have our little LED headlamps; our soldering irons, screw-drivers, kruft-encrusted carpets, fan-collections -- old hardware we've yet to recycle from a parts-locker that has become a pre-recyclable circuit-board graveyard.
If you build it and don't just buy the whole enchilada, you're constantly looking for ways to balance the "FYOO-TURE" with the present and past.
Think about the Star-Trek movie in which the Trek-crew goes back in time to rescue this old hippie hardware-freak from the Borg, who want to prevent the invention of the [TM] Warp Drive. The Mainstreamers are the Star-Trek crew, and -- here's where the analogy breaks down completely -- they ain' . . . gonna . . . rescue us from being absorbed into the Mainstreamer Lemming frenzy.
On the complete other end of the spectrum, I spoke to a 90-year-old lady in No. Carolina the other day who had telephoned my own 90-year-old Mom seeking computer advice. The bank told her "they didn't support XP anymore." Quite understandable, that. It doesn't mean she couldn't use her old Win 98 box with XP to do online banking: it means she was "on her own" for issues of security and malware. I just told her to buy a new computer.
But I don't follow my own advice. I don't "buy" computers; I build computers. I'm not going to be happy with a $500 Dell desktop, even if it's bundled with Win 8. I'd dread running the spreadsheet numbers to tally several years of purchases and time-spent, though. I'd be lucky to break even with a Mainstreamer pocket-book.
Win 7 works so well for us here that I'm actually adverse to updating old hardware with Win 8, and I think I might find more troubles with such a troubling HW and SW mix. And here is the reminder about that.
The writing was on the wall, so to speak, with the VISTA and Win 7 releases: If you got OEM OS licenses, they were soon bound to the hardware and you were at the mercy of MS's policies about activation. That link would only have become tighter with Win 8. The Mainstreamers don't care: Scotty is beaming them up -- their everyday needs are all contained in a disposable device for which cell-phone subscription-providers offer great promotional upgrade options.
There is this sub-market -- a "faction" if you will -- of folks like us who visit the forums here. This sub-faction includes a lot of people who've racked up thousands . . and thousands . . . of posts. We all have our little LED headlamps; our soldering irons, screw-drivers, kruft-encrusted carpets, fan-collections -- old hardware we've yet to recycle from a parts-locker that has become a pre-recyclable circuit-board graveyard.
If you build it and don't just buy the whole enchilada, you're constantly looking for ways to balance the "FYOO-TURE" with the present and past.
Think about the Star-Trek movie in which the Trek-crew goes back in time to rescue this old hippie hardware-freak from the Borg, who want to prevent the invention of the [TM] Warp Drive. The Mainstreamers are the Star-Trek crew, and -- here's where the analogy breaks down completely -- they ain' . . . gonna . . . rescue us from being absorbed into the Mainstreamer Lemming frenzy.
On the complete other end of the spectrum, I spoke to a 90-year-old lady in No. Carolina the other day who had telephoned my own 90-year-old Mom seeking computer advice. The bank told her "they didn't support XP anymore." Quite understandable, that. It doesn't mean she couldn't use her old Win 98 box with XP to do online banking: it means she was "on her own" for issues of security and malware. I just told her to buy a new computer.
But I don't follow my own advice. I don't "buy" computers; I build computers. I'm not going to be happy with a $500 Dell desktop, even if it's bundled with Win 8. I'd dread running the spreadsheet numbers to tally several years of purchases and time-spent, though. I'd be lucky to break even with a Mainstreamer pocket-book.
ninaholic37
Golden Member
- Apr 13, 2012
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@BonzaiDuck: What? This is what I got out of your post:
"I snickered at people until I looked into the mirror then watched Star Trek so much I started believing it (and Lemmings) was real and told me don't buy a computer M$ is trying to control us... I can't afford anything over $20."
Did I miss anything? :awe:
"I snickered at people until I looked into the mirror then watched Star Trek so much I started believing it (and Lemmings) was real and told me don't buy a computer M$ is trying to control us... I can't afford anything over $20."
Did I miss anything? :awe:
Here is the biggest issue of Win XP support getting mothballed: Everyone that did not upgrade from it are using it because it works. They do not view computers through the same lens as we do; nor understand why it is better to build it versus buy it.
My home server is running an AsRock Dual-VSTA with an auto down-clocked Q6600 because I had purchased the hardware (mobo) in the past based on price point and features.
Most people do not buy computer hardware piece by piece like this; they just get a new OEM box when the old one feels "slow".
All people see is that $XXX.XX more gets you bigger numbers (i3 to i5, i5 to i7, 4GB RAM to 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD to 1TB HDD).
There is no reason for them to care that a high quality part bought from Newegg will last years and years in reality.
The unit as a whole is the only thing seen.
I would never buy an OEM box, but I always recommend pre-built to most people that have older comps and balk at the cost of a few upgrades.
Edit: I am also playing with fire by running Win XP on the home file server until I get around to replacing it...
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- Mar 4, 2000
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I have Win 7 on my laptop, and have a machine that runs Win 7 and Win 8.1 via multi-disk selection. On the other hand, I have my XP Pro/SP3 system that simply cannot be upgraded. I built it from scratch 10 years ago - an old P4 processor and 2 GB of RAM. It controls all my main peripherals, flatbed scanner, Dymo twin turbo label and stamp printer, a Laserjet and a Deskjet along with over 50 programs that get used regularly. I do not game nor do I do video. It has a RAID1 array for data, and that is backed up by an eSATA external as well as externals on the other computers. Microsoft Security Elements continues to update daily, and Malwarebytes 2.1 Premium does a daily threat scan before I get up.
If and when it is no longer useful, I will simply trash it and build a new machine. In the meantime, I find that Microsoft is engaging in a lot of scare tactics aimed at increasing sales of Win 8.1. I have all of those ISOs I need from TechNet.
Bottom line, I will just keep on keeping on until it no longer works properly.
If and when it is no longer useful, I will simply trash it and build a new machine. In the meantime, I find that Microsoft is engaging in a lot of scare tactics aimed at increasing sales of Win 8.1. I have all of those ISOs I need from TechNet.
Bottom line, I will just keep on keeping on until it no longer works properly.
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I've been on XP since it came out and was reluctant to upgrade because XP has been a solid operating system with few issues. I recently upgraded to Win 7 Professional 64 bit and have to say that I'm very happy with it, solid performer, very stable. But! I also built a whole new machine for it so I can't say how Win 7 will perform on an older XP era machine given the recommended memory requirments.
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