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Windows XP and so on


Bendy Demon

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I didn't want to do the ol' "Necro-posting" on a related thread that is 9 months old so I thought I would refresh it here.

I just updated FireFox and after installing it sent me to its page stating that Firefox will no longer support Windows XP and Vista after September of this year. While I like to keep things like my browser updated, this presented me with some obstacles.

My only option, as of now, is to possibly download another operating system like Ubuntu or the Linux Chocolate-Mint edition (I like chocomint so what can go wrong?) Of course another obstacle is that even though I technically have high-speed internet, it still is slow at 1 meg per second. So a O.S of, say, 900+ megabytes will take forever to download, I could use the library as theirs is faster OR I can get the disc from Linux and run it off of the disc until I figure out what else to do.

SO...I guess I am being kinda forced to upgrade maybe. Things work well as it stands though but as web standards change, browsers have to as well which means software upgrades will eventually be a necessity. My hardware is not bad as it is but I suppose even that will have to be upgraded eventually as well.

So I am suspecting that the reason IceDragon won't properly upgrade because it nixxed its XP support too. So I have FF, IceDragon and SeaMonkey.....I mean I can still use them but for how long?

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XP is a dead horse. The plug has been pulled.

You can still use it, of course, but your software will eventually become obsolete as it is no longer updated.

Go for Linux. It's very good at resurecting older hardware. You can purchase bootable discs online.

https://www.osdisc.com/products/linux/linuxmint?affiliate=linuxmint

Edited by TruthSeeker_
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Yes, I know XP is supposedly dead..that is why it is still being used widely despite its death knell years ago.

Sadly not everyone has the means to just buy new software; it is rather expensive as is trying to update hardware too...which is what I might have to do, though everything works well enough I can see there are signs of aging in my machine. Actually does quite well for a machine that is several years old.

But I appreciate and thank you for the link, I am gonna look into this because I am no fan of Windows 10 and moving to Windows 7 is just a lateral move into more obsolescence.

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I have had a similar problem with trying to bring my sister's XP desktop into 2017.

You can't install the latest browser until you've installed Service Pack 2, and the SP2 download page doesn't work with the current version of IE!

Edited by acute
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Can't go wrong with Ubuntu. Small file and using Linux would make anyone more computer savvy.

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21 hours ago, Ryu said:

moving to Windows 7 is just a lateral move into more obsolescence.

I take your point, but everything becomes obsolete eventually.

Windows 7 will still be supported for security updates until 2020, and will probably be practically usable for a year or so after that.

Right now, it's still the most solid and least intrusive version of Windows for my own needs.

In three years, who knows where the market will be? I guess I'll cross that bridge when it comes to it.

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On ‎09‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 1:52 PM, Ryu said:

Yes, I know XP is supposedly dead..that is why it is still being used widely despite its death knell years ago.

Sadly not everyone has the means to just buy new software; it is rather expensive as is trying to update hardware too...which is what I might have to do, though everything works well enough I can see there are signs of aging in my machine. Actually does quite well for a machine that is several years old.

But I appreciate and thank you for the link, I am gonna look into this because I am no fan of Windows 10 and moving to Windows 7 is just a lateral move into more obsolescence.

It is still possible to get win 10 for free. Win 10 is the best OS I've found.

 

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I have xp on my desk top and i have fire fox, imhave not truned it on it weeks so i cant use any thing with xp I will try to get winodws ten

Edited by coolguy
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Frankly FIreFox needs little to no Features updates for conservative usage, anyhow Security Updates are still available ...
~

Quote


Can I still browse safely with Firefox?

In March 2017, if you are using Firefox with Windows XP or Windows Vista, you will automatically be updated to the Extended Support Release version of Firefox. You will continue to receive important Firefox security updates but no other features or updates. You do not need to do anything else.

 

~

 

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I've been using Linux since XP was dropped and I love it! Never use Microsoft anymore. Found I needed Google Chrome though for Adobe Flash Player. It isn't in Firefox and can be very difficult to download into Linux. You will need a 64 bit program because Chrome no longer has a 32 bit download for Ubuntu. At least, I couldn't get any of the old versions to download. I'm running 18 Cinnamon. 

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9 hours ago, third_eye said:

Frankly FIreFox needs little to no Features updates for conservative usage, anyhow Security Updates are still available ...
~

  • support Mozilla Org link

Yup. I know that part; but as of recently FF has been slow..their servers seem to be failing too. Often when I try to access something it will tell me "FireFox can't find the servers to......" so I have to refresh a couple of times before it gets its act together. Sadly IceDragon is like that too as it uses the FF engine.

Well...I am torn between switching OS or just staying as it is considering I haven't bought or downloaded new software in a few years and my parents probably won't be willing to learn anything new so I guess things will stay as they are unless I waste money on a laptop and have Linux or some other OS put on it.

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2 hours ago, Ryu said:

Yup. I know that part; but as of recently FF has been slow..their servers seem to be failing too. Often when I try to access something it will tell me "FireFox can't find the servers to......" so I have to refresh a couple of times before it gets its act together. Sadly IceDragon is like that too as it uses the FF engine.

From my own experience FF has been and still is a wonderful experience (I have a Pentium D - 3GB - Nokia 6120C modem setup for internet)

WinXp don't do well with too many Net Browsers installed at the same time - go to [Control Pane] - [Add Remove Programs] - [Set Program Access and Defaults] - [Custom] - and have a peek. There's only very few options available there for default Browsers and Media Players ... only one in fact ... and the rest only have a [Enable Access to to this Program] which doesn't figure that highly in the scheme of the settings. It will always go back to the Defaults every time you install something that wants access to the same file formats, which is why there is a "always check if [program] is your default" bla bla bla with WinXp programs

If you leave the choice/s unchecked WInXp will ignore those programs, if you check those choices WinXp will only use them if the default is unavailable or made to do so by user forced command.

Its a pain in the butt if its not set up right. Anyhow server settings is a two way street, sometimes its not a problem on your end of the connection but something restricted on the server end, I don't download much other than PDFs and small utilities so I guess I'm not affected that much. Find servers that makes concessions for Legacy OS, then stick with them. All browsers gets choked up with intensive site multiplicity settings, a bit of system cleaning and maintenance goes a long way.

2 hours ago, Ryu said:

Well...I am torn between switching OS or just staying as it is considering I haven't bought or downloaded new software in a few years and my parents probably won't be willing to learn anything new so I guess things will stay as they are unless I waste money on a laptop and have Linux or some other OS put on it.

THat should be an issue that is prioritized with the hardware in mind, the reason I stuck with WinXp is that this pile of junk I am using is fitted to the T with Xp

Its smooth and fast ... so much so that on the more recent setups with the more recent OS will cost me a few thousand just to get the same feel ... :lol:

I don't use the PC for much more than the internet and a bit of reading and watching my old DvDs which I recently found out that most of which I can't play anymore ... ah well ... BluRays maybe the only reason I ever decide to upgrade any hardware if ever ~

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On ‎3‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 6:40 PM, Ryu said:

I didn't want to do the ol' "Necro-posting" on a related thread that is 9 months old so I thought I would refresh it here.

I just updated FireFox and after installing it sent me to its page stating that Firefox will no longer support Windows XP and Vista after September of this year. While I like to keep things like my browser updated, this presented me with some obstacles.

My only option, as of now, is to possibly download another operating system like Ubuntu or the Linux Chocolate-Mint edition (I like chocomint so what can go wrong?) Of course another obstacle is that even though I technically have high-speed internet, it still is slow at 1 meg per second. So a O.S of, say, 900+ megabytes will take forever to download, I could use the library as theirs is faster OR I can get the disc from Linux and run it off of the disc until I figure out what else to do.

SO...I guess I am being kinda forced to upgrade maybe. Things work well as it stands though but as web standards change, browsers have to as well which means software upgrades will eventually be a necessity. My hardware is not bad as it is but I suppose even that will have to be upgraded eventually as well.

So I am suspecting that the reason IceDragon won't properly upgrade because it nixxed its XP support too. So I have FF, IceDragon and SeaMonkey.....I mean I can still use them but for how long?

I fyiou have HS internet then why are your download speeds below 1Mbps?  Do you have the appropriate modem installed (DocSis 3) ? 

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Upgrading a XP-era machine to W7 is going to be a pain. There is a considerable gap in the system requirements.

Your best options are either going the Linux route (and get a few more years out of your current hardware) - or buying a new computer.

Edited by TruthSeeker_
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21 hours ago, Merc14 said:

I fyiou have HS internet then why are your download speeds below 1Mbps?  Do you have the appropriate modem installed (DocSis 3) ? 

Because the service I go through has various "speed" packages and my family (my father actually) chose the lowest one because it was the cheapest. The modem and router are just fine but can't go any faster than what my service allows.

 

 

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50 minutes ago, Ryu said:

Because the service I go through has various "speed" packages and my family (my father actually) chose the lowest one because it was the cheapest. The modem and router are just fine but can't go any faster than what my service allows.

 

 

Ok, that is an incredibly slow download speed for any DSL plan (example, Cox base package offers 5 mbps minimum download speed) so I'd check to see what they are advertising for their base service and then do a speed test at  http://www.speedtest.net  (it is free, quick and very easy to do) just to make sure you are at least getting the minimum speeds advertised for their base package.   If not then have them check your lines.  Good luck Ryu and any of the above Linux based packages would be a good alternative for you, especially if most of what you do is surf the internet.  I put Cub Linux  on an old laptop for my mother and it works great.  It is now discontinued but still available.

Edited by Merc14
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if money is not a problem, instead of just getting latest windows get new hardware too most laptops come with Windows 10 pre-installed. 

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1 hour ago, kartikg said:

if money is not a problem, instead of just getting latest windows get new hardware too most laptops come with Windows 10 pre-installed. 

It's consumerism at it's best. Why throwing away one's hardware if it still works fine for one's computing needs?

Edited by TruthSeeker_
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6 hours ago, TruthSeeker_ said:

It's consume. rism at it's best. Why throwing away ons if it still works fine for one's computing needs?

Windows 10 needs decent hardware to give you good experience so do the newer Linux distributions. It's ok if he wants to retain old hardware

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You can still get security updates for XP until 2019 by doing a registry tweak to make the update service see it as a Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, a variant of XP that's used by ATMs and cash registers.

We have two laptops we use to program alarm panels with and they are regularly updated with the security updates from Microsoft.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2310301/windows-xp-registry-hack-keeps-the-security-updates-rolling.html

Use at your own risk.

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7 hours ago, kartikg said:

Windows 10 needs decent hardware to give you good experience 

I have Windows 10 Pro 86x on a 9 years old laptop and the experience is good for basic needs.

All I did was upgrade the RAM from 2 to 4GB. Very cheap.

Edited by TruthSeeker_
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1 hour ago, Buzz_Light_Year said:

You can still get security updates for XP until 2019 by doing a registry tweak to make the update service see it as a Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, a variant of XP that's used by ATMs and cash registers.

We have two laptops we use to program alarm panels with and they are regularly updated with the security updates from Microsoft.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2310301/windows-xp-registry-hack-keeps-the-security-updates-rolling.html

Use at your own risk.

Sure but the software makers have also pulled the plug on XP. And there's no hack for that.

Edited by TruthSeeker_
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I'm using a $75 used 2009 e-machine PC that has Windows 7 Home Premium installed (originally had XP), plus more memory than original (512 ram).

Pentium 4 2.6Gh, 1.5 GB ram, Service Pack 1

Works great, a little slow loading pages, need to fully load Youtube page before watching, but after that Youtube videos play well. I'm satisfied and have had no problems.

The only problem I have had was downloading service packs for W7, they mess the computer up, so I stopped downloading service packs. Firefox works well for me.

Maybe just a little upgrade on the computer you have?

 

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On 3/10/2017 at 0:52 AM, Ryu said:

Yes, I know XP is supposedly dead..that is why it is still being used widely despite its death knell years ago.

Sadly not everyone has the means to just buy new software; it is rather expensive as is trying to update hardware too...which is what I might have to do, though everything works well enough I can see there are signs of aging in my machine. Actually does quite well for a machine that is several years old.

But I appreciate and thank you for the link, I am gonna look into this because I am no fan of Windows 10 and moving to Windows 7 is just a lateral move into more obsolescence.

Yes, l can relate to that. I bought an i7, Toshiba from China, since AU, doesn't currently sell them, at the moment. And three plus weeks later finally got it, with w10. :angry:

It was advertised that it came with w7 Pro installed.

I tried it for a few days, and found it to be the worst OS, l have tried, (l have used XP, w7 home) why?

• It wrecked Photoshop cs2 suite, within 24 hours, (this is 2.5k software) and it did work perfectly til the updates crippled it.

• Tabs, etc are ugly, (l know, more power to you if you like it).

• And after trying to use system restore to reverse the updates, cs2 was unusable. So l reversed that and it went into an endless loop.

 

On 3/10/2017 at 11:01 PM, LV-426 said:

I take your point, but everything becomes obsolete eventually.

Windows 7 will still be supported for security updates until 2020, and will probably be practically usable for a year or so after that.

Right now, it's still the most solid and least intrusive version of Windows for my own needs.

In three years, who knows where the market will be? I guess I'll cross that bridge when it comes to it.

True, but most of the updates are fluff, l have not updates my other laptop, (w7 home) for 8 months. It has not fallen in a heap or got a virus, etc.

And have an old PC with XP, that one hasn't been updated for more than 2 years, same thing, works perfectly.

 

XP and w7 are extremely well build platforms, and as such do not require endless updates. w10 probably does since it has stability issues.

It tends to auto - update drivers on its own when needed. Or they can be easily manually installed.

 

But when l got w10 wiped off of my new Laptop, and w7 pro installed it was a bit of a nightmare for the tech, department to put it on. Especially the drivers. So if anyone here has a new laptop, make sure you do a mirror afterwards, as it could be an expensive exercise to fix it.

 

But the chances of your OS actually getting a virus, (assuming that an antivirus software is installed) is tiny and more likely that IE would catch a cold at worst, (that happened on my old one, and Norton removed it, after 9 months).

Most updates are for silverlight, and Word. How often does Word get a virus, lol.

 

In 2025 when my current one develops issues, and the only thing going is w10, l will probably go over to Apple.

B)

Edited by tmcom
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Win Xp is actually some kind of frankenputer OS ... it is bits and pieces of the best of Win2000, Windows NT and Vista all patched up looking like a spruced up Windows 98

~

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