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Microsoft ending support for Windows XP and Windows Vista


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Old 08-03-2014, 19:34
zx50
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I'd personally be more concerned about the rootkits and other crap that are likely to have been slipped into it.
Yeah. I wouldn't trust any Windows OS on a torrent site as far as I could spit. I don't think it's worth the download bandwidth.
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Old 09-03-2014, 12:35
TelevisionUser
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I have now attained , ahem, a copy of windows 7 with a license. However it is 64 bit and my spare Pc and current are 32 bit. I amnow toying with getting the spare, newer, PC upgraded to.run windows 7 64 bit if somewhere or somebody is happy to install this disk.

However if not then should I go.the whole hog and upgrade the PC to.run windows 8 in the event I have to buy an.original windows 7 or windows 8 disk ?

Am I right in assuming windows 8 has an XP mode or is does it enable transfer of my XP folders etc which I can back up on a portable hard drive ?
It's Win 7 that has the full inbuilt XP compatibility mode but apparently Win 8 can be manually adapted to include this feature as per the instructions here: http://www.howtogeek.com/171395/how-...-on-windows-8/
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Old 09-03-2014, 22:20
zx50
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I'd personally be more concerned about the rootkits and other crap that are likely to have been slipped into it.
I still wouldn't downloaded any but wouldn't a virus, rootkit and malware scan sort that out? I'd rather buy a legitimate copy of Windows anyway.
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Old 09-03-2014, 22:29
Maxatoria
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I still wouldn't downloaded any but wouldn't a virus, rootkit and malware scan sort that out? I'd rather buy a legitimate copy of Windows anyway.
If i can get a md-5 / sha-1 value for what it should be from a reputable source (such as MS website) and so long as the two match i'd trust it or at worst visit a local computer shop and slip them a few quid to do a copy of the disk for you as its the key not the install media thats the important part
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Old 10-03-2014, 17:03
zx50
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If i can get a md-5 / sha-1 value for what it should be from a reputable source (such as MS website) and so long as the two match i'd trust it or at worst visit a local computer shop and slip them a few quid to do a copy of the disk for you as its the key not the install media thats the important part
I think the update server would likely disallow the key if it's a pirated one, or, if an OS somewhere else has it as well.
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Old 10-03-2014, 20:19
s2k
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I think the update server would likely disallow the key if it's a pirated one, or, if an OS somewhere else has it as well.
Presuming we are talking about a standard Microsoft vanilla Windows 7 install media, there is no key included. It will work without one but after 30 days it goes into lockdown mode. Thankfully Microsoft have learnt from the past and you can now use any key provided it is seen as legit and for the right edition (pro/home premium etc). The key could be OEM, retail or even VLK it all works on the same disk. With a bit of jiggery-pokery you can even make a super DVD with multiple versions on the one DVD. Very handy to have if you are regurally rebuilding PCs for family/friends.

Legit ISOs for Windows 7 can be found here:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/offici...digital-river/

You are indeed correct though. If the key itself is no good it wont get around that. I guess what I am trying to say is that there is no need to use dodgy media from questionable sources when official media can be obtained so easily.

I still wouldn't downloaded any but wouldn't a virus, rootkit and malware scan sort that out? I'd rather buy a legitimate copy of Windows anyway.
In theory yes but I wouldnt be comfortable logging into any of my online accounts with it since I couldn't vouch for it being 100% clean. There could be all sorts of nasties hidden in the install at a very low-level. It may appear to be all normal but for all you know your PC is part of some botnet or harvesting your keystrokes/screengrabs etc
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Old 10-03-2014, 22:00
zx50
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Presuming we are talking about a standard Microsoft vanilla Windows 7 install media, there is no key included. It will work without one but after 30 days it goes into lockdown mode. Thankfully Microsoft have learnt from the past and you can now use any key provided it is seen as legit and for the right edition (pro/home premium etc). The key could be OEM, retail or even VLK it all works on the same disk. With a bit of jiggery-pokery you can even make a super DVD with multiple versions on the one DVD. Very handy to have if you are regurally rebuilding PCs for family/friends.

Legit ISOs for Windows 7 can be found here:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/offici...digital-river/

You are indeed correct though. If the key itself is no good it wont get around that. I guess what I am trying to say is that there is no need to use dodgy media from questionable sources when official media can be obtained so easily.

In theory yes but I wouldnt be comfortable logging into any of my online accounts with it since I couldn't vouch for it being 100% clean. There could be all sorts of nasties hidden in the install at a very low-level. It may appear to be all normal but for all you know your PC is part of some botnet or harvesting your keystrokes/screengrabs etc
Well, like I said, I wouldn't download any MS OS from a torrent site. I'd want the OS to be 100% clean.
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Old 13-03-2014, 10:12
NE5
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I've found a dealer/shop who is doing me a new PC with windows 7 [64 bit] installed and a disk for 300 quid. This will keep me going for a few years and I'm quite happy with it all.

Not sure I like the sound of windows 8 so it helped to make my mind up !!!
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Old 13-03-2014, 10:45
zx50
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I've found a dealer/shop who is doing me a new PC with windows 7 [64 bit] installed and a disk for 300 quid. This will keep me going for a few years and I'm quite happy with it all.

Not sure I like the sound of windows 8 so it helped to make my mind up !!!
I'm getting Windows 7 because of the far greater support for games. I'm also staying an OS behind in the future because of this reason.
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Old 15-03-2014, 09:54
niceguy1966
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MS will stop support for XP. I thought about upgrading to Win7, but the latest OS officially supported on my laptop is Vista. So if I upgrade to Win7, I will be using a configuration not supported by Dell anyway. I can't see much point upgrading from XP to Vista. Then there's the option of moving to a Linux OS, but I'm concerned that not all my peripherals (printer, webcam, etc.) will be supported. I might try running off a memory stick to test, but there's no hurry.

So I'll probably carry on using XP until there is a good reason not to. I'm not that bothered until my anti-virus stops supporting XP (AVG, and at the moment, no news on when this will be)

I've made a copy of the whole HD, so if I ever do get a problem, I can get back to where I am today.

I'm guessing most people will do the same as me and just shrug their shoulders and not care that MS has stopped providing support.

Apart from sending scary pop-ups to my PC, how are MS going to get the 30% of PC that are running XP to be replaced by newer machines with later operating systems?
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Old 15-03-2014, 10:22
Stig
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MS will stop support for XP. I thought about upgrading to Win7, but the latest OS officially supported on my laptop is Vista. So if I upgrade to Win7, I will be using a configuration not supported by Dell anyway. I can't see much point upgrading from XP to Vista. Then there's the option of moving to a Linux OS, but I'm concerned that not all my peripherals (printer, webcam, etc.) will be supported. I might try running off a memory stick to test, but there's no hurry.

So I'll probably carry on using XP until there is a good reason not to. I'm not that bothered until my anti-virus stops supporting XP (AVG, and at the moment, no news on when this will be)

I've made a copy of the whole HD, so if I ever do get a problem, I can get back to where I am today.

I'm guessing most people will do the same as me and just shrug their shoulders and not care that MS has stopped providing support.

Apart from sending scary pop-ups to my PC, how are MS going to get the 30% of PC that are running XP to be replaced by newer machines with later operating systems?
Why not try a trial version of Windows 7 or 8 on your Dell and see how it goes?

My Dell E5400 originally came with Vista, but actually ran much better on Window 7 64-bit although it wasn't officially supported.
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Old 15-03-2014, 10:23
zx50
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Apart from sending scary pop-ups to my PC, how are MS going to get the 30% of PC that are running XP to be replaced by newer machines with later operating systems?
I suppose if people try to get updates for their computer after the date that XP stops getting support, this should tell them that they'll need to upgrade their OS. XP will end up losing software support from developers as well. People who use XP online, they're basically using an OS that's dying.
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Old 15-03-2014, 12:29
mossy2103
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Why not try a trial version of Windows 7 or 8 on your Dell and see how it goes?

My Dell E5400 originally came with Vista, but actually ran much better on Window 7 64-bit although it wasn't officially supported.
And you'll probably find that a number of drivers are now included within Win7 or Win8, negating the need to obtain them from Dell.

As an example, I have a HP dx2400 PC acting as a backup unit to my main system, it has a TP-Link TL-WDN4800 450Mbps Wireless N Dual Band PCI-e card and a Startech eSata PCI-e card installed. Both required OEM drivers under XP, but when I installed Win8 last week, both devices were picked up automatically with no need for additional drivers. They both work perfectly. I don't even need the TP-Link config utility either.
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Old 15-03-2014, 13:48
niceguy1966
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And you'll probably find that a number of drivers are now included within Win7 or Win8, negating the need to obtain them from Dell.

As an example, I have a HP dx2400 PC acting as a backup unit to my main system, it has a TP-Link TL-WDN4800 450Mbps Wireless N Dual Band PCI-e card and a Startech eSata PCI-e card installed. Both required OEM drivers under XP, but when I installed Win8 last week, both devices were picked up automatically with no need for additional drivers. They both work perfectly. I don't even need the TP-Link config utility either.
I have little interest in Win8. I have a surface tablet and find the dual Metro/desktop GUI to be annoying on a device specifically designed for it, running it on a 5 year old laptop will not suit me!

I think you and Stig have made me take running a trial version of Win7 a little more seriously. As soon as I get a spare couple of hours, I'll give it a go, but I'm still most likely to just keep using XP until something breaks or my anti-virus stops getting updates.
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Old 15-03-2014, 14:08
Maxatoria
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You have 30 days to try win 7 so its a no brainer to give it a go before deciding if you like it more or less than XP
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Old 15-03-2014, 14:17
IvanIV
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Personally I would not bother with an old-ish machine. Keep using it till it dies and then get a new one with whatever OS is available. I upgraded my brother's old XP to W7. We made everything work including some obscure printer, but it ran like a dog. XP was much better suited for it. It's not like it breaks down the next day the support is over. If one behaves responsibly they can keep using it safely.
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Old 15-03-2014, 14:51
mossy2103
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Personally I would not bother with an old-ish machine. Keep using it till it dies and then get a new one with whatever OS is available. I upgraded my brother's old XP to W7. We made everything work including some obscure printer, but it ran like a dog. XP was much better suited for it. It's not like it breaks down the next day the support is over. If one behaves responsibly they can keep using it safely.
It might have been better with extra memory.

In fact, I have a HP desktop system that had XP 32-bit loaded (via a downgrade licence from Vista), but it had an Intel Core2 Duo processor which was a 64-bit processor. So I upped the RAM from 2gig to 4gig (from a replaced Socket775 motherboard) and loaded Win8.1 64-bit. It runs OK.
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Old 15-03-2014, 15:52
IvanIV
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It might have been better with extra memory.

In fact, I have a HP desktop system that had XP 32-bit loaded (via a downgrade licence from Vista), but it had an Intel Core2 Duo processor which was a 64-bit processor. So I upped the RAM from 2gig to 4gig (from a replaced Socket775 motherboard) and loaded Win8.1 64-bit. It runs OK.
That one was some old Celeron with 2GB RAM. XP ran like a wind on it, W7 just kept swapping all the time.
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Old 15-03-2014, 16:05
mossy2103
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That one was some old Celeron with 2GB RAM. XP ran like a wind on it, W7 just kept swapping all the time.
Upping the memory to 3gig (or even 4gig on 32-bit, on the assumption that Windows will only see maybe 3.5gig usable memory) would most likely have improved that. Having said that; it's more difficult to try if you haven't any suitable spare memory available.
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Old 15-03-2014, 16:42
mossy2103
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I should add that the extra memory option assumes that the motherboard would support more than 2gig of memory.
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Old 15-03-2014, 17:11
Rodney McKay
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Personally I would not bother with an old-ish machine. Keep using it till it dies and then get a new one with whatever OS is available. I upgraded my brother's old XP to W7. We made everything work including some obscure printer, but it ran like a dog. XP was much better suited for it. It's not like it breaks down the next day the support is over. If one behaves responsibly they can keep using it safely.
If you don't use IE don't use Java or flash and use a decent AV package and stay away from porn sites XP should be OK.
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Old 15-03-2014, 17:13
IvanIV
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Upping the memory to 3gig (or even 4gig on 32-bit, on the assumption that Windows will only see maybe 3.5gig usable memory) would most likely have improved that. Having said that; it's more difficult to try if you haven't any suitable spare memory available.
I have a laptop with 2GB RAM and Vista ran fast on it and now W7, too. I don't think more RAM would have helped with the other computer. I think the processor and maybe a slow disk was the problem.
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Old 16-03-2014, 07:14
mossy2103
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I have a laptop with 2GB RAM and Vista ran fast on it and now W7, too. I don't think more RAM would have helped with the other computer. I think the processor and maybe a slow disk was the problem.
You said that it kept swapping all of the time - generally indicates a lack of memory.
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Old 16-03-2014, 20:30
de525ma
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If you don't use IE don't use Java or flash and use a decent AV package and stay away from porn sites XP should be OK.
Really disagree here. AV is a help, but doesn't patch the insecure parts of the Operating System at all.

I have a server in France - around 500 people per day try to hack into it. They never get in because it's Linux. But as soon as support for XP ends, all hackers need to do is wait for the next hotfix and reverse engineer the security flaw for XP. Most of my hacker traffic comes from Iran and China.

This can involve your machine being turned into a zombie for SPAM or DDNS attacks, a host for cryptolocker. anything. Silently.

If you must use XP - create a new user account that is limited and use that for general use. Set a password on an Administrator account. If you need admin rights, you can run any program as Administrator, which will prompt you for the password. This gives basic UAC-like security for XP.
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Old 16-03-2014, 20:33
de525ma
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I'm getting Windows 7 because of the far greater support for games. I'm also staying an OS behind in the future because of this reason.
I'm yet to find a game that doesn't run in Windows 8, but does run in 7?
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