End Of Windows XP Means I need Help

[thebes]

XP support ends on April 8., which leaves me in a bind, since it's my understanding that the newer Windows versions will not support my Office 2000 software.

I don't really use most of the functions of Office but I do use Word a lot. So what will I do for word processing, since things are tough right now and I don't have dough for a new Office suite.

Oh, and anybody whose upgraded to Windows 8 want to offload their Window 7 for cheap, cheap, cheap? Have I mentioned cheap?

[CECAA850]

I went to Dell and bought a windows 7 unit. They have a large selection in their "business" side. I think I paid 399 for mine. Didn't want to jack with windows 8. If you bought your office suite new, you should be able to put it on your new computer for free. You may have to contact windows though to transfer it.

[oldtimer]

You might look into something free?

http://tech.gaeatimes.com/index.php/archive/5-best-free-word-processors-for-windows-7/

[jason str]

What kind of hardware are you running ?

Upgrading your OS may not be the best idea if your computer is severely outdated.

There is freeware to replace your MS word if cash is tight,

Newegg usually has operating systems for $100 bucks or so.

[thebes]

I've always built my own computers but again cash is tight. My current rig is a 2.8 gig Pentium D, decent video card, plenty of ram, etc. for what i use it for, internet and word processing, I no longer feel the need to chase change for change's sake. Especially since I 'm no longer a gamer, and don't do movie editing and other resource intensive applications .

[jason str]

Pentium D will run Windows 7 but don't expect speedy processing, i would recommend a minimum of 2 Gb of memory.

Careful buying used operating systems, it must be the retail version. Buying & reusing a OEM version can result in huge fines if you get caught.

[Islander]

I only replace my computers when they're really tired and starting to run badly, meaning 5 to 8 years or so. That has meant I've leapfrogged past the dubious OSes. Windows 98 to XP, then XP to Windows 7.

Going from XP to 7 was pretty pleasant, and I would not call myself an advanced user. If you can find a Windows 7 machine, you'll likely find the transition from XP to be fairly simple.

Windows Live Mail that comes with Win7 is also quite a bit better than XP's Outlook Express.

[JL Sargent]

XP support ending in April? Have you been using Windows support for anything really? I ask because I'm still using a computer with DOS 5 without a problem.

[CECAA850]

It was hard for me to do just about anything online with XP. Most sites stopped supporting the version of IE that XP allowed. We also had to change out computers here at work as most sites we used wouldn't support the older version of IE that XP had to use.

[001]

the ending support for xp is simply the updates you get from microsoft. the computer & o/s will still work fine. if you have a security concern just upgrade your old IE browser to mozilla firefox, it doesnt have any of the security concerns that IE8 can have.

the xp computer will continue to work just fine & if you have a good anti virus software &/or firewall there isnt much of a concern at all. especiallly if you just do casual browing online or forum use etc. if you do banking or other secure type things then yes you may want to upgrade/convert to w7 or w8. chheck ebay or CL, there are tons of used desktop & laptops with w7 or w8 already installed for very good prices.

i was using a w98 computer online just fine untill a couple years ago & the "support" for that ended back in early 2000's. not to mention, how often did people reallly use the windows update feature anyways, i went for a couple years without even bothering to check for updates... everything functioned fine. go get the updates a couple days before 4/8 & you should be fine for many years of basic internet useage & until the computer dies for other basic stuff like WORD & OFFFICE APPS.

Edited March 26, 2014 by klipschfancf4

[oldtimer]

The last time I tried firefox on my xp desktop it was horrible. I think I ended up uninstalling it.

[Axz Hout]

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[Marvel]

Open Office is now owned and maintained by Oracle. Libre Office is built off of the same code base, and is what I use at home. They are both up to version 4.x something and run fine on Windows XP. Anything that runs on XP/7 should also run on Windows 8/ 8.1 if you so desire. Where you need to watch out is most of the Windows 8 computers are shipping with 64 bit version of the OS. That can be more problematic with your older software.

Depending on how complex your older Office files are, they may not be formatted correctly for Open Office/Libre Office.

I'm going to go ahead and make the switch to Win 8.1 soon. Been using it on some computers at work and testing things out. If you have it, the first thing you should do is download and install ClassicShell. It will give you your regular start menu and is really, totally free.

www.classicshell.net

Just don't go to classicshell.com, as that is a version you have to pay to get. (redirects to CandySoft.com)

Bruce

[001]

The last time I tried firefox on my xp desktop it was horrible. I think I ended up uninstalling it.

using firefox on my xp HP system as i type, works perfectly fine for me. might have been the version you used that had "issues" with your computer. try an older version, not the current ones, as with anything newer programs are usually intended for w7 or w8.

[thebes]

OK, I'm starting to get the gist of things. First, I haven't used Window Internet Explorer, Outlook,whatever, since Netscape came out. I use Mozilla (Seamonkey version) and can't be happier. Mozilla, by the way, is my start page. Excellent program.

However, I am worried about vulnerabilities in Windows that can be exploited, somehow, probably through magic, via Mozilla. I would also like more control on all that hard drive thrashing that seemingly is always going on in the background whenever I'm online. I hate it that all these programs I have installed are always reporting back to the mothership, supposedly checking for updates, when in fact they are probably stealing my midget porn collection and selling it to septuagenarian circus people.

Even though I have spyware, anti-virus, cookie hunters, and software to keep an eye on all of the later, I'm still worried. Plus, there is the thrill of something new. New glitches, new crashes, new obscure terminology only a geek could understand while standing in the shadow of Bill Gates on the eve of the Summer Solstice.

I want change, but that's all I have to spend.

Have I mentioned the word cheap in this reply?

[BigStewMan]

Thebes, I've been reading your posts for a few years now … I suspect you've needed help for quite some time.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

OK, I'm starting to get the gist of things. First, I haven't used Window Internet Explorer, Outlook,whatever, since Netscape came out. I use Mozilla (Seamonkey version) and can't be happier. Mozilla, by the way, is my start page. Excellent program.

However, I am worried about vulnerabilities in Windows that can be exploited, somehow, probably through magic, via Mozilla. I would also like more control on all that hard drive thrashing that seemingly is always going on in the background whenever I'm online. I hate it that all these programs I have installed are always reporting back to the mothership, supposedly checking for updates, when in fact they are probably stealing my midget porn collection and selling it to septuagenarian circus people.

Even though I have spyware, anti-virus, cookie hunters, and software to keep an eye on all of the later, I'm still worried. Plus, there is the thrill of something new. New glitches, new crashes, new obscure terminology only a geek could understand while standing in the shadow of Bill Gates on the eve of the Summer Solstice.

I want change, but that's all I have to spend.

Have I mentioned the word cheap in this reply?

A friend just bought a used computer from a site that had a new Win 7 install for $220 shipped. I need to find the address. Or if you wnat really cheap, just install Linux Mint. Comes with a full office suite, PDF, webbrouser, photo editor that is very advanced, etc. I love it.

[oldtimer]

What kind of specs are needed for Mint? Ram and HD, chip?

[Marvel]

Linux Mint 16 - Petra

System requirements:

• x86 processor (Linux Mint 64-bit requires a 64-bit processor. Linux Mint 32-bit works on both 32-bit and 64-bit processors).
• 512 MB RAM (1GB recommended for a comfortable usage).
• 5 GB of disk space
• Graphics card capable of 800×600 resolution
• CD/DVD drive or USB port

I normally use Win 7,but have a computer with Mint on it in case I have a catastrophic failure. It's on a single core, 2 Ghz system, and performs really well. They have a couple different distros of Mint. It is built off of Debian, and is pretty darn solid.

I remember when Mallette installed it on a Dell all-in-one at home. All the hardware worked, including the touch screen and performance was faster than Windows. I've never had real performance issues with Windows, except at work where we have all kinds of other security, scripts and active directorystuff ging on, which can really slow things down.

Bruce

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I put Mint Maya on a laptop that could not run vista. I was so bogged down that it never worked. I thought that the motherboard was bad. It is now the fastest computer that I have.