Still Holding on to XP or Windows 7? - Comments Page 2

Regarding Windows XP: I am using XP and dread giving it up. You mention 'losing' the Start Button with Windows 8. Wouldn't it be possible to use the "Start" key on the lower left side of my keyboard? Would it still function as it doew now with XP?

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Start key won't do anything on a standard Win8 system. But as mentioned in the article and some followup comments, there are ways to re-enable it.

I know of big businesses that are running XP and will not change, that is a huge financial expense. I have one old desktop that runs XP fine, Windows 7 does not have drivers for some of the desktops chips, to upgrade I would have to buy a new desktop which is stupid when my old desktop does the job that I require. Perhaps this is why a large oil company in California went to Linux. Perhaps to remain safe I too will go to something like Ubuntu, time will tell.

I have NO DESIRE to be at the mercy of Microsoft!
I WILL NOT "upgrade" to their Windows 8 system.
I use XP which took forever to "get-straight". NOW...that it works...Microsoft wants ME to learn something NEW!
I will. I will learn some version of LINUX !!!

THESE SORT of actions by Microsoft will provide OPPORTUNITIES for other Software Companies to SUPPLANT Microsoft...by providing users with a stable...LONG-TERM product. (like a 1970 Chevy Pickup...that keeps on going and going and going just like that "Battery-Powered Rabbit" !!!

just plumb SICK of Microsoft's dictatorial ways..
I'll start with "Danged Small Linux" and work my way up.

And THAT is how I feel about it.
THANKS for the Article.

Hi. I may be crazy but i love windows 8 :-)
I've installed it on my old laptop and that fixed problems i had with malfunction in rps server (preventing updates) and storing of favourites in IE. I have reinstalled win7 one time and restored data from backup, but after a while the same problems occurred. I've found others having the same problem and a system check claims that several (7 or 9) system files where tampered. Win8 fixed all problems. I don’t have touch screen but that's OK. The new interface works brilliant with a mouse... The rest is fairly easy to figure out:-)

I will consider upgrading my Win 7 in 2020 when Microsoft launches Win 15. Meanwhile I do not see the point in swelling the MS bank account by buying Win 8 which is not a proper desktop OS.

I have a new computer with Windows 8. I hate it. It is SLOW SLOW SLOW, both when loading and also typing. I can type a whole sentence before the first letter appears. I am a fast typist, so this makes me crazy. Any help on the horizon?

EDITOR'S NOTE: The problem is almost certainly not Windows 8. Something (likely a virus) is clogging up your pipes. Try a scan with MBAM. You can search here for the link.

Classic Shell for Win 7/8 is free and open-source, available at http://www.classicshell.net. Tons of cool features to make Win 8 look and feel more like Win 7 or XP. I have no affiliation with them other than as a happy user. :)

Hi, I have two machines both still using XP.
I first is a notebok I use when travelling, kind of sacrifical in that it is cheap and carries very little personal info, in case of loss, theft etc. The other is an older machine thar is due retirement and althought still working fine does struggle with todays programs. I was thinking of using Linux OS on these machines and still useing the notebook on my travels and giving the other to friends in Africa or using to 'play' with. Bob would this keep the OS "safe" and could you suggest what Linux system would be the best ie. Ubuntu etc. Any advise would be helpful.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sounds like a good idea. Ubuntu would be a good place to start.

I don't run an operating system. I run Office 2003, Access 2007, emacs, email, web browser, printer, scanner, etc. Since Windows 8 is incompatible with Office 2003 and Access 2007, I ignore it.

EDITOR'S NOTE: All computers need an operating system. it could be some version of Windows (XP, Vista, Win7, Win8) some version of Mac OS, or Linux.

Bob, I have been reading your columns for some time now and have found them quite helpful, even if some of them are technically way over my head at times. My Dell PC is 10 years old and has Windows XP, which has served me well through the years, although the system has not been without its issues. I have almost completely rebuilt everything inside the case and added a slave hard drive. My wide screen monitor is fairly new and I have an external hard drive for backing up my files.

Now that my PC is getting long in the tooth, your latest article on "Still Holding on to XP or Windows 7" has made me realize the need to seriously think about buying a new computer before Windows XP is completely abandoned. Your article answered a lot of questions I had about Windows XP, especially when it comes to transitioning to Windows 8 which I know very little about. I look forward to reading more articles on this subject, which I'm sure many people have given very little thought to.

"As for the XP software I use now, I'll try to find free alternative (preferably web-based) equivalents in the interim." I hope that you'll be able to share them with us, when you find them. Letting go of my XP will be very painful.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sure thing! For starters, I've been using the free Google Docs instead of MS Office. For most purposes, the word processor and spreadsheet do the job just fine.

You didn't mention the hardware upgrades that go along with moving up to Windows 7 or 8. Many computers running XP don't have enough RAM or a fast enough processor to handle the new OS. This means buying a new computer, not just a new OS. For some, this is enough reason to either hang onto what they have or look into going over to a Mac.
I should note that I work at the VA and they are in the process of switching from XP to Windows 7; that's hundreds of thousands of computers all over the United States. I doubt Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 7 for some years to come if Uncle Sam has anything to say about it.

I bought W8 while MS still had the upgrade deal, because I knew W7 would eventually be unsupported, and I liked it better for 40 bucks than a hundred and some.
I still haven't installed it, and I'm not in any great hurry. W7 has proven pretty stable for me. The 'readiness' testers say my hardware should all play with W8, but I have some software that won't, so I'm going to wait awhile longer.
Personally, I think the new operating system versions are driven more by bottom line considerations than any concern for brilliant innovation. I don't want a 'tablet' interface on my PC. If I wanted that, I would have bought a tablet, and from what I've heard about MS's initial efforts in that regard, they're still better off sticking to software. Their hardware seems lacking. And, what's up with their first tablet offering not even being able to run W8, the 'tablet-like' interface. What were they thinking? Or maybe just "Were they thinking?"
OK, I'm done.

I use Windows 7 and am not spending money unnecessarily for an upgrade I don't believe I need. It will come when I purchase a new computer and by then might be Windows 13 or 14.

Bob, you talk about moving from Windows XP to Windows 8, and about moving from Windows 7 to Windows 8. How about moving from Windows Vista to Windows 8? Anything special about that?

No way I will upgrade to Windows 8. I am still using XP and WIN 7. I categorize the success of WIN 8 with VISTA. I have also started migrating to Linux. Although I now far better prefer Linux over Windows, don't be fooled that everything stays the same. Linux is going through the same change game as WIN 8. IE. Ubuntu's recent LTS (12.04) build now uses Unity vice Gnome 2 as it did with its previous LTS (10.04) release. And if you want to go back to Gnome (which is possible), the latest Ubuntu can only handle Gnome 3 which is far different Gnome 2. At least with Linux, you have your choice of desktop desktop environment and GUI.

My old laptop quit on me a few months ago so I went to wally world to buy a new one. I don't do much with my laptop but ms word, web, ebay f.b & such. I found a HP 2000 for $249.00 It had a 15" screen dvd player full sized keyboard, etc, so I grabbed it not thinking about O.S. Well when I got home & discovered it had W8 I was not happy at all. I've had it now for the month or so, & NO it has not grown on me. I can't stand it. If I want to veiw a picture in an email, it's a nightmare to get rid of after viewing. If I want to watch a video, DVD or download, it wants to make me jump thru a million hoops and still won't play. So i installed VLC Media Player, and i still have to jump thru hoops to get that to work. HP, in their infinite wisdom has constructed this piece of crap so that I can't even install W7 on it. It's programmed in the bios not to comply. I can't even install any sort of linux OS. Beware what you purchase people, big brother is here!!

Bob - thanks for you info on updating operating systems.

I usually let a new OS run live for about 1 1/2 years to get all of the "released too soon" bugs worked out. I am running W7 on my main PC now and will probably upgrade to W8 this time next year.

Thanks for the info about windows8startbutton, I am sure I will be using it.

I've just had a weekend of Win8 FUN! I used an upgrade disk and tried to upgrade my WinXP-64. Oops! Win8 needs XP-SP3... and there isn't one for XP-64. So, format the disk, install a copy of XP Pro (I had a spare license) and upgrade again. After some time I managed it. Yahoo! Unfortunately, when I couldn't get my Adobe software to run I looked more closely at the disk I'd used to install - the 32 bit version. Useless. What a fool. I needed the 64 bit version (you get both disks in the pack). Are you still reading? Okay, because this is where the fun REALLY starts because Win 8 is incredibly difficult to uninstall. It replaces the BIOS startup so there is no way of forcing a boot from an alternative drive 'on the fly'. My solution... Disconnect all hard disks; boot from a spare disk with an OS, reconnect the drive with Win8 on; format... Start all over again. ARRRGH... What is it they say about wisdom being the result of making lots of mistakes? Ho ho. Take care with Win8 boys and girls.

I stayed with W95 until 2006 when I switched to XP in order not to get stuck getting Vista. I just upgraded from SP2 to SP3. I had been without updates for quite awhile due to using SP2. I have no plans to upgrade. Maybe when Windows 9 (yes 9) is a couple of years old. If it ain't broke..., and being without updates is not broken to me.