Egypt4u

This is a heads up for all those still using Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003, on the 8th April 2014 all Microsoft support will end so you may wish to start the ball rolling on either upgrading or doing some preparation. If like me you prefer using XP (even though my laptop has Win 7) you will no longer have any support for this O/S after the above date. No need to panic though, it will not just stop working but it will become a bit more vulnerable to hackers and writers of viruses if they put their mind to attacking it because Microsoft will have stopped updating anything and that uncludes driver support, so any new stuff you may put on your machine may not work.

If you are using XP and continue to use it after that date then now is agood time to make sure you have downloaded all the recent updates and then do it again on the 1st of April as that is likely to be the last date for new updates to be issued. After the 8th April 2014 turn OFF your automatic updates otherwise your PC will take forever trying to find something that does not exist anymore. Things like 'Security Essentials' will still work, but will not have the latest virus patterns so will become less secure as time goes on, free stuff like AVG should continue to work fairly well though.

So basically it will not affect you using your PC and the programes you already have on it, although using the web will become a bit more risky, but if you steer clear of any iffy sites it should not be a big problem as AVG and the likes should keep you fairly safe. You will not receive any updates for programs you have installed already, but again that may not be a big deal especially if the programs are a bit older as it is often new stuff that gets the updates and fixes. Finally if you have a laptop running Win 7 or 8 and use it to surf the web and just use a desktop machine running XP for existing programes and don't connect that to the web then you will not need to worry as it cannot be attacked if it stays off line.

I knew that dreaded date was imminent but not SO close. Thanks for the nod H.

I am up to date with all updates but I have a concern and perhaps you could advise me on it. As you probably remember, I do occasionally restore my computer to original factory setting if I get some problem that is corrupting or causing my computer to run very slow. When I do that I also have to download SP3 because the original set up is only SP2.

Is there any way that I can 'save' the SP3 update so that it is available if I need to reboot the whole system again? I realise that this would make me vulnerable because normally when I reboot the auto update installs over 100 separate updates.

I think XP has been around for about 10 years and my computer is about that old so perhaps it is time to send it to that computer graveyard in the sky (Or at least the local authorities recycling plant )

Mmm, a bit of a hard one to answer Grandad, you always need to download the service pack from someone hosting it such as Microsoft. I would imagine, (although I cannot be certain) that the service pack 3 would still be available for downloading from Microsoft and (maybe) some other sites, but it will be in the form of the very last edition that was updated i.e. nothing will have been updated or added after that last support date. So from a technical standpoint it would be possible to download the service pack, (if still available) but it would not be up to date vulnerability wise, therefore any weaknesses that hackers find in the O/S after the ending of support date would not be fixed and would remain as potential ways into the system for hackers. The other way to look at things is that it will also be a law of diminishing returns for the hackers as there will be less to gain in writing hacks and viruses for defuct operating systems, better to try and target the current Win 7 & 8. That is the main reason that Macs get less viruses, nothing to do with them being better, (as the less knowledgeable would have you believe) but more to do with less people using them compared to PC's and therefore less reason to write viruses for them, in other words they get less because there are less people using them.

I have put an exe. file in my 'Dropbox' that will run a check on your system to see if it will run Win 7. Copy it to your own PC and then run the exe. file, after it has finished it will give you a report on what is OK and what may need upgrading to run Win 7. The main thing is if it reports back that your basic system is up to it with enough spare disc space, Ram etc. you should be able to use that O/S. All your existing programs will be displayed as suitable or if they need updated drivers, (which should not be a problem) although in the usual Microsoft vagueness, some programs will report that it doesn't have enough information to say whether or not they will run. I cannot give you any guarantees beyond saying that if your system will run Win 7, then it is likely that most of your programs would also run other than any quite old ones.

Remember when you run the test to have all your peripherals (printers etc.) switched on so that the program finds them, otherwise it cannot check their compatability.

Thanks very much Horus I will do that tomorrow and see what comes up.

I think you could be correct about SP3 because last time I downloaded it the Microsoft upgrade site said it was no longer available but there was an option only available to teachers. I just saved it in my download folder and then ran it and it all upgraded OK. I imagine that 'teacher' option will probably be available for a bit longer..

I vaguely heard about this but wasn't sure it was that imminent. I actually have bought another laptop because this one has problems with the keyboard - one of the primary problems being the space bar doesn't work most times and there are spots on the screen that do not respond to clicking on.

I had the keyboard replaced once but not again so cause of these and the fact this laptop is probably 5 to 6 yrs old means it isn't really worth trying to fix and now that updates can't happen......

The new laptop I have coming has everything on it new and the latest. I'll get it when I go to the neighbor in the south. It is keeping my camera lens company right now

BTW H - thank you for writing this info up so well and in great format. I've now sent it 'round to the family, cousins and friends and have had a couple of positive emails back saying they had no idea and will now be needing to consider what they're going to do re: updating, replacing or taking their chances.

Your info was really timely.......thanks for thinking of us

Thankyou Horus. OH CRAP CRAP CRAP... Just had my comp mended,hard drive died- he put windows xp home, had professional before. so all my 5 dvd games wont load, google earth wont load - I am now spitting bullets and god help him when he gets here - GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I wouldn't be too hard on him Jay, XP home should not have stopped anything working, so hopefully he just needs to do some tweaking to your computer settings to get you back to where you were before. If it is not too expensive for you to do, then now would be a really good time to see if he can put Windows 7 onto your new hard drive instead of XP as that way you will be in the clear for a few years to come and it is a fairly good O/S, in fact it seems to be a lot better than the new Windows 8 & 8.1 that seems to be dying the death as people really do not like it very much. My sources tell me that Microsoft may want to distance itself a bit from the Win 8 O/S which is not popular so possibly this year or early next year they will bring out a completely revamped version and call it something else (maybe Thunderbird?). Microsoft often make these blunders and rush out some half baked software, they replaced Win 98 with the crappy Windows Millenium, then released what I consider to be the finished version as Win XP which was really good, so they could have left out Millenium. Then they stuck us with another unfinished bit of crap, i.e. Windows Vista, thankfully that was replaced by Windows 7, so again they could have skipped out Vista and waited for Win 7 which is really the polished Vista and now they are doing it again with Win 8 & 8.1 so if I can avoid it I will be waiting for whatever comes next as that is likely to be the more practical version for PC users. They tried to be all things to all men and implimented an O/S that was more suitable for mobile phones, tablets & touch screens, but crap for the average PC user.

Oh!! I'm stuck with all this techy stuff & hopefully don't have to change anything.

I've had Windows 7 that came with my new computer but, I cant remember if that was since August 2013 or 2012, hopefully I've nothing to do.

Horus I ran the Win 7 upgrade advisor and happily most things are compatible and some that are not, I don't use anyhow.

I have printed the XP to Win 7 instructions (all 17 pages ) and downloaded 'Windows Easy Transfer' to help with the upgrade. My only hesitation is that it does a 'clean' upgrade so ALL previously loaded programs have to be manually loaded again, either from their disc or from download.

I might just ponder on this before going through the whole routine once again......

Yes Grandad, that is the main drawback of installing it over XP insomuch as it can only perform a 'clean' install so yes you do need to manually reload all of your old programmes. I believe that Win 8 will install and retain anything compatible on XP, but of course the problem may be that your PC is not suitable resource wise, although the new Win 8 is supposed to be very light usage compared with other operating systems. What I have noticed by the way is that they are still pricing other operating systems like Win 7 at a price that costs as much as the latest Win 8, no doubt to try and force everyone into using it.

EDIT: Just checked and NO, Win 8 will only do a clean install on any Vista or XP systems, so regardless of what you choose Win 7 or 8 you will still have to manually replace all your old programs.

This may prove to be an interesting bit of information regarding the demise of Win XP, it appears that Microsoft will now continue providing signatures for well known viruses and trojans until 2015. This does not mean that they will continue supporting the software with patches, fixes and updates, all those will still end in April 2014, but it should allow virus checkers such as Microsoft Essentials to continue working effectively until sometime in 2015 .................... hopefully.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25758308

So I have no idea where that leaves me.. Windows 7 will accept none of my games. As I sleep 6 hours in 24, after doing the animal /people stuff I really like to get stuck into Stronghold, Alpha, Tropico and my new RollerCoaster that needs an engineering degree to play some of the parks - - Strangest effect on here now is small popups telling me to "switch" as someone else is using the computer - OOOOOO ERRRRRRRR

Jay you say that "Windows 7 will accept none of my games" do you mean that you play them from a CD or do you actually go online to play them?

And just in case someone gave themselves remote access to your PC when they replaced your hard drive, check the following:

Click on Start > then RIGHT click on ‘My Computer’

Go Down to ‘Properties’ and click on the tab at the top that says ‘Remote’

Ensure that there is NOT a tick in the box that says “Allow remote assistance to be sent from this computer”

If you do have to remove a tick from that box (by clicking on it), remember to click the ‘Apply’ button as you close down again.

This will remove anyones ability to remotely access your PC without your knowledge.

Horus, thanks for that tip. I checked mine and the allow box was checked. It must have been a default because I have never accessed the 'remote' tab before in My Computer, Properties. May have explained why I have had some problems in the -past.
Thanks again

OOOOOO thankyou Horus, Yes it is open because the dit dit dit comp guy said he is coming on Team viewer to fix it.( on portugal amanha.HUH) My games are CDs, I never go on line to play, I prefer me and the game, and get happily lost in my own little worlds - - you ever seen Stronghold ? real tiny people working for you,make your own maps not cartoon rubbish, or Riven, the most beautiful graphics ever and so satisfying when you solve a mystery . . . . . .

Jay, am I correct in thinking that the 'Team Viewer' you mention is an online service where the guy will fix your PC problems online over the internet without having to visit your home? If so then all the funny stuff you saw going on about someone else using your PC could have been him having a mess around remotely with your PC.
If that is the case, once he has fixed your problem make sure that you do what I have said about not allowing 'Remote Access' it is not a good thing to leave this enabled especially when another person knows that it is enabled, so best to disable it until you require to give someone else permission again. Should that happen then you just do the reverse of my instructions and 'tick' the box then 'apply' before you exit.

Also if your CD's will not run under Windows 7 should you decide to upgrade your operating system, you can run a program that will emulate an XP machine, go to this link and you can read all about it.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... -windows-7

Grandad your welcome

Grandad wrote:Horus, thanks for that tip. I checked mine and the allow box was checked. It must have been a default because I have never accessed the 'remote' tab before in My Computer, Properties. May have explained why I have had some problems in the -past.
Thanks again

Yes Thanks Horus Mine too was ticked so have now un ticked it ........thanks again

No problem Kiya, always better to be safe than sorry

Mine was also checked..........and now NOT checked.

Did having this checked mean that it is easier for a hacker to get your info?