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If you're one of the two or three people remaining on planet Earth who still run Vista, you might want to take note of the date of April 11, 2017, three months from now. That's the date that Vista officially goes the way of Windows XP into no-longer-supported land. That means no more bug patches, security fixes, updates, or technical support.
Upgrading to Windows 7 will get you to January 14, 2020, three more years of life. Upgrading to Windows 8.1 gets you to January 10, 2023, or six years from tomorrow. Interestingly, there is an end date for Windows 10 listed as well, October 14, 2025, about 8.5 years from now. Presumably Microsoft will have released a newer version by then.
Thanks for the heads up. I am still on Vista and this is/was my first computer. I can not complain about it at all. Not had a single problem with it in 9 years. I am getting ready to take it in and get it cleaned out and have 7 put on it. By 2020 I will likely just get a new computer with whatever is after Windows 10.
I'm still using one computer that has XP, I run Norton Internet Security on it as well. Works fine, may not be supported but as long as it works I'll continue to use it.
i also have an xp comp.love it.i only use it for my work stuff so doesn;t get much use and rarely online.i also have a laptop that had microsoft 8.0 and one day a tab popped up to download 8.1,well i wasn't around and my wife just clicked on it 8.1 sucks i hate it.
My wife and I have Windows 7 on our laptop. It's a few years old but still works fine. I've heard die hard computer guys say that Windows XP is still the best. I wouldn't know though, as long as I can watch YouTube and check out our website I'm happy.
We transitioned from WXP Pro to W7 and haven't looked back. I had a short-term laptop with W8.1 and hated it. You had to have a reference guide to navigate with it.
As long as I can get to CO, classic searches and my BBQ pages, life is good!
From Microsoft regarding continued use of Windows XP:
If you continue to use Windows XP now that support has ended, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Internet Explorer 8 is also no longer supported, so if your Windows XP PC is connected to the Internet and you use Internet Explorer 8 to surf the web, you might be exposing your PC to additional threats. Also, as more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimize for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter more apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP.
Ha. I'm typing this on a Vista64 machine I built in April 2009. A beast in it's day and it's still my go-to utility machine.
Have Win7 & Win10 (& Server '08 & Server '12) machines running as well.
Originally Posted by jaunty75
From Microsoft regarding continued use of Windows XP.......
Yep! Got one of those too ! Garage machine used mostly for looking at pics/docs is a really old XP laptop that still runs fine.
(I even have a beastly Win 98 machine that I built in '99 and used for many years sitting dormant now. Powered it up this summer to look for some really old docs and it still works fine except for rattly vid card fan.)
Just talked to my local computer place and they said they can't put 7 on my computer. Said it does not have enough of whatever to take 7. I was talking to them on the phone and they did not ask what my computer is. How do they know I can't put 7 on it? Is there something about a Vista computer that would not allow 7 to work?
Just talked to my local computer place and they said they can't put 7 on my computer. Said it does not have enough of whatever to take 7. I was talking to them on the phone and they did not ask what my computer is. How do they know I can't put 7 on it? Is there something about a Vista computer that would not allow 7 to work?
They can see your computer! All companies can through all of the (secret / hidden) monitoring software on your machine !
Seriously. The hardware was just an excuse. The system hardware requirements for both Vista and Win 7 are almost identical (by design as Microsoft wanted desperately for people to upgrade and get away from Vista). They probably don't want to do it because Win 7 is no longer a salable product as of 2015. (But licenses are still plenty available thru other channels)
Last edited by Indy_68_S; Jan 11, 2017 at 04:20 PM.
And here I thought I was the last person on Earth to switch from Vista when I got my new laptop last year. I have to say, Vista REALLY made Win10 look good!
Just got a new tower at Christmas. Windows 10. I liked XP better. After support was dropped, I could work around it for a long time as the pieces began to fall off.
I am still running XP, Vista, & 7... Also, my parts system is still running on 95... My tower with 7 on it is used for daily things, mostly internet functions... My Vista machine is used for strictly financial items, no internet access... The one with XP is in my shop, doesn't really get a lot of use, enter part information and other info when I am in the shop and then transfer the info to a flash drive for storage and use on the other computers... I also still have two laptops, one with Vista and one has 7... I very seldom use the laptop with Vista, it's mainly just a backup if I should need it and the one with 7 is used when I am on the road...
I concur. That's why I bit the bullet and switched to MAC 7 years ago. No more virus's, no more new towers, just the occasional up grade, which is as simple as a download. All the money I paid up front will balance out by time I had to by three more widows supported computers.
Down side, unless your real good with computers (I'm not), you have to pay for everything. External hard drives could be another depending on how you look at it, I personally like it that way. Still the lack of frustration and down time makes it all worth it. The format took some time to get used to but I find it easier to use the MAC.
Eric, these computers have RAM in them, which is memory to do things, as opposed to hard drive space, which is memory to store things. Windows 7 takes more RAM than Vista does, so there are "minimum specs" that a PC must have to be stable on it.
A store bought PC running vista is usually not upgradeable to 7. The good news is that, while a complete, new, store bought PC system is around 1-2k, you can build a new tower for about 300 yourself. I've been building machines since the 90s, and anyone who can work on an Olds could handle it with no sweat.
Eric, these computers have RAM in them, which is memory to do things, as opposed to hard drive space, which is memory to store things. Windows 7 takes more RAM than Vista does, so there are "minimum specs" that a PC must have to be stable on it.
A store bought PC running vista is usually not upgradeable to 7....
The hardware requirements for Win7 vs Vista are nearly identical. This was by design as MS wanted people off of Vista.
And, they are so low, that almost anything built in the last 10 years can run either.
From Microsoft:
Performance-wise, Win7 typically uses less resources than Vista as it is a bit more efficient for most day-to-day things.
If I was to just get a new tower, what would you recommend? I would like to stay with Dell because I had good luck with the one I have. If I go with a new tower should I just bite the bullet and go to Windows 10? Where do you get just a tower?
You don't. You build one. It's easy. Then you can either buy or pirate software for it.
So where do I get the parts to build one? What do I buy? When it comes to computers I am like that person that says "I don't know anything about cars, I just drive them"
Give me the parts and I can figure it out likely but other than that I know nothing
Well, there's all sorts of sites, but the king is newegg.com. Go surf around there.
A desktop machine is composed of the following:
1. A CPU, often just called a processor.
2. The motherboard. This is actually "the computer." You pick it first, then get everything else compatible for it. It comes with an instruction manual.
3. A heatsink to clamp onto the CPU via the motherboard to cool the CPU
4. RAM, random access memory. This is like short term memory, and it must be of a type the motherboard likes.
5. A powersupply. It turns your 110 VAC into 24, 12, and 5 VDC.You plug it into your hard drives, the motherboard, maybe the graphics card and the CD drive.
6. A display card, if your motherboard doesn't have one, or you want a better one.
7. A sound card, same note as #6.
8. A case to hold it all.
9. A hard drive.
10. A CD/DVD drive, maybe blu ray.
You must have 1, 2, 3, and 4 and you can often get them in a bundle. 6 and 7 are included on the motherboard usually, and work well for all but high end gaming machines. Must have 5, 8 and 9, should have 10.
You can get a combo of 1-4 for anywhere from 200 to like 700. Hard drives are cheap, as are CDs, as are power supplies, and cases. I built new towers for my mom and dad in 2014 for about 400 a piece.
Building one is not difficult if you have some experience. It can be daunting the first time because you don't know what to do if things don't go by the script.
My son & I just built him a nice little hot rod Win10 box using all new quality parts. We did have a MoBo issue that took about an hour to diagnose by looking up 'beep codes', re-checking things, etc..
With a valid Win10 license, the box itself came in under $400.
If you go Dell, HP, or other major suppliers, you're paying extra for the privilege of spending hours talking to someone who's native language is nowhere near English and experiencing the joy of having to phonetically spell out everything (Whiskey Tango Foxtrot) while they fumble around, constantly check with coworkers, and get frustrated......if you need help.
I'm a big fan of NewEgg. In addition to parts, they do have ready-to-go machines with decent prices. The also have re-furbed machines cheap.
Can I just use the power supply and case from the one I have now?
What do you have now ?
And how much PC power do you want ?
If it's an 'ATX form factor' case and has PS in the 400W+ range...then maybe !
But, cases are cheap ($25-50) for good usable and PSs run around $100 for new decent usable ( price goes up to 300-400 if you want giant power/high efficiency).
What do you have now ?
And how much PC power do you want ?
If it's an 'ATX form factor' case and has PS in the 400W+ range...then maybe !
But, cases are cheap ($25-50) for good usable and PSs run around $100 for new decent usable ( price goes up to 300-400 if you want giant power/high efficiency).
And you current PS has been running for 9 years !
Dell Inspiron 531. It has a sticker on it that says, AMD 64 AthlonX2, Whatever that means.
455 G hard drive
4 G memory
I looked at NewEgg and don't really even know what I am looking at. I don't play games on the computer but I do store tones of pictures on it. Mostly I am just surfing the web, eBay, and a couple forums. I just got a USB hard drive and took something like 200G in photos off of my computer to free up space. Took it over 2 days to defrag last time also but don't know if that means anything.
Dell Inspiron 531. It has a sticker on it that says, AMD 64 AthlonX2, Whatever that means.
455 G hard drive
4 G memory
I looked at NewEgg and don't really even know what I am looking at. I don't play games on the computer but I do store tones of pictures on it. Mostly I am just surfing the web, eBay, and a couple forums. I just got a USB hard drive and took something like 200G in photos off of my computer to free up space. Took it over 2 days to defrag last time also but don't know if that means anything.
"AMD Athlon X2" is the CPU (Processor) - Is probably in the 2.4 - 3.0 Ghz range
Those specs are more than enough to support Win7.
Sounds like you just need an more modern generic PC. You can get a low end brand new Dell Inspiron for about $300 (without monitor & other accessories). You probably couldn't build one for cheaper. Building one is a good idea if you want to hand-pick your hardware - usually if building a high perf rig - but if you just need generic & want a warranty & support, a pre-built would work better.
