Well, I hate to ask for it, but maybe someone here can offer advice.

I'm one of those guys still using Windows XP. Support for this is going to go away today, April 8, which potentially leaves my computer vulnerable to viruses and things because of no security updates from Microsoft.

As some around here seem to be much better computer whizzes than I am, would you be willing to share what my options might be short of having to spring for a new computer or at least Windows 8?

Thanks in advance for anything you might be willing to share.

I had XP and did great with it. My video side went out of my computer, as well as other problems. Got tired of spending money on an 8 year old computer and did not want windows 8. I went on line and purchased a new computer from HP with windows 7.

It is still much harder to work with, so I called in help. He told me if I had changed sooner, then the transition to windows 7 would have been easier.

The new computer did not come loaded up with programs, so I had to purchase other programs or download them online.

It is still hard to use, but everything has a learning curve.

Good Luck

Download AVG Home anti-virus. Update it regularly. It's free. You're good.
Also Malawarebytes. Free version outdates in two days, but download, update, scan. Done.
Spybot Search and Destroy. Good program. Third freebie. Works.

Burn good Pocahontas Coal, maintain your shop schedule and crews. You'll be steaming into the next decade.

I broke down yesterday and bought a new Windows 7 computer. The IT people at work told me that there was not much else I could do and even though I have a good malware and spyware system, I would be vulnerable. Now I have to transfer everything over to it and that should be lots of fun.

Steve

Still a couple of days before the end of XP support. Consider using Windows XP Mode on your Windows 7 machine:


http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... -windows-7


There's nothing like this in Windows 8, but you may be able to use Hyper-V:

http://winsupersite.com/article/windows ... erv-142889

If not (and I suspect for most RtPN people it will be 'not') then consider

http://www.virtualbox.org
http://www.vmware.com/products/player

EDIT: I have been advised that Hyper-V can access VHDs (virtual hard drives) that were created for older versions of Virtual PC. The VHDs are usually in 'hidden' folders, so you may have to work to find them, and you will probably have to 'reactivate' Windows and any Microsoft protected software again once the VM is running.

I hit this wall a year back. I got a HP laptop through an online discount reseller - it was actually new old stock, not a lease return. I chose it for the Windows 7 rather than 8. Windows 7 is not difficult to learn for an XP (or 2000) user. It's pretty intuitive if you know the older versions. I'm very pleased with the high res and the speed relative to the old Dell. I run Norton and occasionally use a bit of freeware for a scan and check. I also got a lease return desktop with Vista on it - HATE Vista. Thinking of upgrading to 7.

If I can transition to 7 from XP, you shouldn't have any qualms about it.

dave

You can still buy a computer with Windows 7...

Try http://newegg.com, Amazon, or try buying directly from HP, Dell, or Lenovo.

Personally, I'm a system administrator and I have to manage around ten Windows XP computers for at least a few more years (we support industrial building automation systems). I'm not -that- worried. Here's why:

- Firefox/Chrome. If you're using Internet Explorer 8, which is now about 5 years old, then yes; it's not very good at resisting intrusions from nasty websites.

- Microsoft Security Essentials. Though it won't be available for download after Tuesday, you'll be able to update it for another year. (For those unaware, Security Essentials is Microsoft's antivirus for Windows XP/Vista/7.)

The only real concern at this point is that a vulnerability will be found in XP that will be attacked and, as Microsoft will no longer be openly supporting XP, this security hole will remain open. This is not much of a concern to me. The number of people who exist trying to break into individuals' computers one at a time is VERY low and honestly isn't worth worrying about.

Basically, it's all a bunch of hype and while there are concerns, they really aren't justified at the moment.

The easiest way to avoid viruses is to not have the computer connected to the internet. If you're keeping XP merely to be able to open older computer files, then it probably doesn't need to be connected to the Internet.

If you use this machine to do everything, (Word docs, photo editing, internet surfing, etc. It's probably time for a new machine, or at least a new operating system. If you don't want to buy a new machine, a Linux OS, like Ubuntu, can breathe 3+ years of life into an older machine.

You could "dual boot" your machine, which means, when you power on your machine, you can choose to either boot the XP OS or boot the newer, faster, updated Ubuntu OS. That's what I did with my little netbook I got right before Senior year of highschool (I am now a month away from finishing my four-year degree at college), and I still use it! Works great! Ubuntu is quite intuitive to use, and if you do have a problem, there's a large online community of other users who can walk you through the problem step-by-step. April 17th, Ubuntu 14.04 is being released, and it will be supported for 5 years. The best part? Ubuntu is free! I'm majoring in "digital technology and culture", and I rely on Ubuntu for most of my class work.

In the end, it all depends on how you use your machine, how quickly you can pick up a new operating system, etc. Some versions of Linux are customizable, and I believe you can configure them to look and operate like XP if a new interface is too much to handle.

If you do choose to try a Linux OS, (you can try them on your computer without installing them), I'd be glad to walk you through the process.

Keep using XP. Someone will come along to support it. In the mean time, back up more frequently.

I recently upgraded to 8 and, with the exception of the touchscreen, I don't like it. The things in 8 that are supposed to make things intuitive and easy drive me crazy!

Good luck,

Art S.

Thank you all very much, very much indeed, for your comments, advice, and encouragement. My main problem is just being both too cheap and (honestly) a bit too poor to afford a new computer right now, hence the concerns about a forced change.

I am glad other protections are available, and am also glad someone here has had experience with Ubuntu, and finds it a good system. Hopefully the e-mail and other things will be compatible with that, which sounds like my current ultimate solution. Until then, the other security programs will help keep me "on the air," where I can bug some more of the trail fiends we are now dealing with!

Again, thank you, and my wife thanks you too, for keeping her on that time-waster called Facebook (but don't tell her I said that!)

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/02/four ... this-april

Issue is keepign your pictures, documents, etc. - Lubuntu is far superior to XP for most thins, but there is a learning curve.

CD

This is like when your car goes out of its warranty. Just make sure you have a robust and current antivirus program. I use Norton from Symantec and have had only one problem in 10 years. The hackers are almost certainly confining their efforts to Windows 7 and 8 now because that is where the action will be in the future. As was mentioned, individual computers have never been a primary target for these folks. They get much more bang for their buck ay attacking large networks where valuable data is more likely to be found. If you are worried about the internet, simply keep your XP machine off line and only access the internet when you need to.

It is always a painful process when you purchase a new computer. The tools for transferring data from an XP machine to Windows 7 were really BAD three years ago when I did it. Hopefully these tools are much better and easier to use now.

And take heart! Windows 7 is MUCH better than XP. You will be glad you switched.

get zone alarm firewall free version, but use AVG anti-virus.

Then get NirSoft SmartSniff and watch your net interconnectivity, if you see something odd going on you can get the IP address and block it in zonealarm zones.

some virus's cpme from emails that try to trick you to open attachments etc.
AVG has an email scanner.

The only good solution for a dying Windows machine is a Mac. It is not the cheapest, but in terms of usability and investment over the long term, a Mac running the Apple OS is the most stable, most secure (and that's a verrrrry relative statement) and most turnkey solution.

I was forced to use both for years (Wn at work), got into a Mac-only lifestyle at both home and work about 6 years ago and I have never looked back.

If you want to spend time using your computer rather than maintaining and updating, get a Mac. If you like to futz around, try Linux.

My opinion. Flames not required. Your mileage may vary.

XP security support ends in July 2015. Microsoft extended it for obvious reasons.

Now, what do you REALLY use the computer for? We cannot give intelligent advice without that.

You could do all your Internet activities on other machines: That's easy! Unplug this machine from the Internet and never reconnect it. Get files on/off with a USB keyfob that's about $9. Don't bring over executable software that you find on the Internet.

For the usual consumer-level internet activities, email, Facebook, forums, Amazon buys, that kind of thing... a tablet or smartphone is ideal. Laptops are expensive, fragile and have disturbingly short lives.

Smartphones range from $500-600, but $400 of that is subsidized by the carrier, and anyway, the real cost is 2 years of a monthly plan ($2000++). Since the effective price difference is so small, Apple is absolutely the way to go. Durability, usability and security are vastly better. My iPhone came with 20 apps, I put 16 of them to useful use in the first day of owning my phone, and this was my first smartphone and my first encounter with iOS.

On tablets, there's no subsidy and the price varies wildly. Windows and Apple are quite expensive so I assume you'll be going Android or Kindle. Android is cheap and insecure. Kindle is rooted in Android but is more of a "walled garden". You can also get 4G modems in them so you have Internet access absolutely anywhere for sanely priced internet plans. I pay $25 every 90 days.

For more serious apps, are they Windows-only? If so, you have two choices: Get a Windows box, or get a Mac and a copy of Windows.

MAC?????? Yes. I'm guessing you buy Windows because you think cheap and the ceapest computers run Windows. But you don't buy the cheapest computers, do you? You buy at least a mid-spec machine. I know that because you're still using an 8 year old PC. Apple only sells mid to high-end, and spec by spec they are cheaper. Mass production, simplicity, all that.

For apps that are both Windows and Mac, you could just hop on the Mac bandwagon. Why would a thrifty person do that? Take a look. My "not upgradeable" iMac is 7 years old and can run the latest OS (Mavericks) for free. Your PC is 8 years old and you need a new computer, just to run an OS that you have to pay for. So again, not really cheaper.

Dell and HP will happily sell you a Pentium or Core i3, they're thinking planned obsolescence, you'll be back soon. Apple only sells Core i5 and up. And that's why.

As far as learning curve, I don't understand why Windows keeps changing, except that their UI design has never been very good. (the Start menu? What is up with that?) Now they're into squares.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Windows- ... am_id40275

Apple is all about user interface design. They do it right and do it once, and there it stays.
1984 -- http://www3.nd.edu/~jvanderk/sysone/main.gif
2001 -- http://lscr.berkeley.edu/advice/using/m ... macosx-0-1
2014 -- http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net ... 580-90.jpg
Needless to say, learn it once, yer done.

Or option 3, don't upgrade, do stay on the Internet. Just putting it out there. Hamster is incorrect, viruses WILL target you aggressively, because XP is such a vulnerable architecture. But so what if you get hacked? Most malware is not after your data, it's after your network connection and idle CPU power. Your machine becomes a remote-controlled zombie, part of a "botnet". It gets used (along with thousands of other computers) to distribute spam, child porn, pirated software, mine Bitcoins, or do distributed denial-of-service attacks against people you don't know, e.g. against Ukraine's parliament at critical decision-making times. Maybe they'll stick some adware on your computer, so it shows you ads they get paid for, instead of ads other people get paid for, e.g. Amazon affiliate codes. If they steal from your online banking, that brings the wrath of the FBI, so it's more profitable to stick to things the FBI doesn't care about, like affiliate-code fraud. So yeah, the final option is to say "the downside isn't bad enough to care about".

I wouldn't do my online banking on that system, common sense... but you can get by.