So what do you think? Are we making ourselves vulnerable to criminal hacking by continuing to rely on the Windows XP OS after April 8? That’s when Microsoft stops supporting XP with, among other things, security updates.
Would it be better to upgrade the software or buy a new machine? A laptop, tablet or a desktop? Windows 7 or 8? I really don’t want to think about these confusing issues, but it may almost be too late not to. Help me decide, okay?
UPDATE: Now they tell us. Dammit. But, no thanks, it’s not worth living in Holland or Britain just to avoid learning a new OS.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 
It wasn’t so much the vulnerability of XP that got me off it as the lack of compatibility with newer add-on devices, and the problems with capacity for more (and more) RAM and processor speed. XP just doesn’t have the horsepower for the newer web stuff. Though I do miss some things about it, for instance, my old, favorite scanner that only ran on XP had to be trashed. I don’t know if I’ll find a new one that suits both me and my wife, who insists on having a multi-purpose printer/scanner for her crafting needs. Multi-purpose is usually a bad idea.
We have Windows 7 on a laptop and a desktop. Windows 8 on a cell phone (mine) and a touchpad (hers), and my desktop.. She doesn’t like 8 and is considering another touchpad. I am indifferent on the phone, because I don’t use it for web work. I like 8 better than 7 on my desktop, with some caveats.
I am running Office 2003 though, and that is gonna have to be updated pretty soon – starting to have issues with some things.
I’m thinking about an eventual new laptop, since mine is over fours old (!). It still works okay (better if I knew what I was doing), but I’m told that there is a Windows 8.1 that is more user friendly.
In my experience, multipurpose machines don’t do anything well and tend to lose one of their multis. I never thought about losing peripherals with XP. That’s scarey. Would not miss the scanner (my iPhone can copy anything with its camera, as can my Fire HD with the one it has) but would hate to lose the printer. It’s an OfficeJet 100 mobile with a small footprint. PC hard-drives are very cheap nowadays, certainly cheaper than laptops, so I’ll probably get another one. Sounds like 8 is the way to go. I need to get this over with.
I guess I misspoke – what will probably happen, i.e., it happened to us, is that the peripheral device cratered, we had to get a new one, and found it would not work with XP.
Sorry…
Ah, well thanks. Still might be a problem for me. Wait and see. After some Web research I’ve decided to get Windows 7, only because it’s cheaper on the Dell Inspiron 3000 PC I want and it’s said to be closer in operation to XP. I’d rather use a mouse than that touch screen baloney, though 8 is said to be more stable. I have enough trouble with the touch pads on laptops.
If you don’t plan moving around much with your machine, I would vote for a desktop, they still could give most laptops a good run for less money. As for 7 vs 8: I am afraid that soon MS will declare the end of support for 7 as well – as it usually does. 7 is totally stable on my desktop, for almost 2 years running, On the other hand, you could configure your 8 to run most similar to 7, so I really don’t know. Whatever comes cheaper, I guess…
And yes, if mouse is your preference (like here), touch screen could be only annoying, what with the need to raise your hand to poke it all the time.
I went ahead and bought a new Dell Inspiron 3000, a cheap desktop with 8.1 installed but capable of running in 7 mode. Then I noticed (then, he says) that my old Dell system is capable of transitioning from XP to a built-in 7. Sigh. Well, it was four years old, which is elderly in computer terms. I say, to excuse my extravagance. I did not get the touchscreen version of 8, nor did I buy a new monitor (old one works fine so far) so maybe I will escape the clutches of touch.
My old desktop (we’re talking eight years) was probably capable, barely, of running a newer OS, but I figured it was time for a new one, and commissioned a Win7 box from a local builder. (MS apparently still sells WIn7 licenses of this sort.)
Your frugality is to be praised, Chaz. I don’t think I ever got eight years out one of these things. But like you I try to buy tech local, and Dell is local.