I think my pc

[AnOther]

Lets hope you are able to activate it on a completely new machine [;-)]

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Me too. Don't fancy paying again for something I already own.

[Danny]

[quote user="LyndaandRichard"]Me too. Don't fancy paying again for something I already own.
[/quote]

If it is Windows XP, you will be able to install it but not update it in any way if it came with another machine...

Danny

[Tim]

I've been down this road with two or three machines over the years - once because a neighbour's machine was hit by lightning and the others due to machine upgrades.

On each occasion I used my own ( bought) copy of Windows XP and when the time came during the installation to enter the codes I put in the ones on the sticker on the side of the machine. Then the fun begins. Because of the changes on the machine - new hard drive - motherboard etc. the installation came to a grinding halt. I was then shoved into a part of the installation process where you have to justify the installation and ended up calling a telephone number on the screen which goes to a Microsoft call centre. There you start by going through an automated procedure, which usually fails, and you end up talking to a 'customer advisor'. If you can justify the re-installation of your copy of XP on the rebuilt machine you should be ok.

Hope this is of help.

Good luck - Tim

[AnOther]

[quote user="Jane and Danny"]

If it is Windows XP, you will be able to install it but not update it in any way if it came with another machine...

[/quote]Hmmm, are you sure. Undoubtedly you'll be able to install it anywhere anytime but without activation won't it stop working after 30 days or so ?

You won't be able to do updates because without proper activation WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) will not recognise it as legitimate.

As an aside, if you are re-installing XP on the same machine there is a small file called wpa.dbl residing in C:\Winsows\system32 which you can save then restore to the new installation thus avoiding the need to activate again online.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

My copy was bought seperate to any machine. It was straight off the shelf.

Just looking at prices, I'm amazed to see that it's still similar in price to vista. Thought yesterdays technology would be cheaper.

[AnOther]

I think it reflects the unpopularity of Vista which, quite frankly, offers zilch to the average user other than a bit of useless eye candy and often requires a significant upgrade to hardware to run at anything like an acceptable speed.

Many, me included, see no absolutely no advantage in changing from XP (note the deliberate avoidence of the term "upgrading") and won't be doing so for the forseeable future.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Agreed. When my lappy died a few months back, I made sure my new one came with XP and not vista.

At the end of the day it's only an OS, a tool to help you use a computer.

[Onion van man]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

I think it reflects the unpopularity of Vista which, quite frankly, offers zilch to the average user other than a bit of useless eye candy and often requires a significant upgrade to hardware to run at anything like an acceptable speed.

Many, me included, see no absolutely no advantage in changing from XP (note the deliberate avoidence of the term "upgrading") and won't be doing so for the forseeable future.

[/quote]

Strange isn't it? People had exactly that opinion of  ME and XP when it was launched. I can still hear it now "Stick with 98 or 2000" was the phrase of the day. I bet everyone of those people are now running XP.

XP was also classed as bloatware when it came out. Then people started to realise the helpfullness of the bloatware when they didn't have to keep loading drivers manually from Floppy's and CD's because microsoft had incorporated a large driver library into XP.

Now everyone sings the praises of XP, I bet it will be people singing praises of Vista when it is superceeded by something else! I guess its supposed to be cool to hate Microsoft?

[Tim]

I think you're right - I've been using various Microsoft products from Dos onwards. My favourite I suppose - looking back - was Windows 95 SE. But over the last few years I have become quite fond of XP. I have a couple of machines running XP, but earlier in the year we decided to go for a laptop. The big question was 'stick with XP' or have a go at 'Vista'.

My thoughts swung back and forth between 'stick with what you know' and 'don't get stuck in the past'.

I often get asked to help out with friend's computers and it seemed likely that one of them, at sometime, would ask for help with a machine running Vista. So, I went for it. We got a new laptop with Vista pre-installed and I have to admit with a little trepidation - switched it on. Within a minute or two, it had found my previously unused, and switched, off wireless network and had internet access. A few minutes later I had it configured for e-mail using the new 'Windows Mail' and haven't looked back since.

I have installed all my usual Virus checkers and junk removal programmes - the same ones I use on my XP machines - they all work ok and, in fact, they usually don't have to remove as much as they do on XP. So far, (touches wood) it hasn't crashed - the speed hasn't been a problem and it does all the things I expected it to do, so I can't ask for more.

I don't want to hijack this thread into a Vista versus XP discussion (perhaps a bit late for that - sorry) but as someone who is not particularly fond of Microsoft products I thought I ought to present a slightly more positive slant on Vista than is often seen elsewhere. I have another machine running Linux Ubuntu with which I am playing around - so perhaps, in the future, I may swap everything over to that OS - we'll see.

Regards - Tim 

[tracteurtom]

With Win2000, Microsoft made a hugh step forward with their OSs.  It was

based on the NT core that MS produced for business use.  By comparison

the Win9x OSs are just junk.  Win XP was the natural development of

2000, more GUI and it brought with it the infamous activation process.. Remember all that negative talk when XP was new ?   I dont want Microsoft spying on me etc etc !  I have not had any issues with the activate process, always done on-line, and my PCs have been through many rebuilds with significant hw changes, and my copies of XP are all OEM.  So, OP, so long as you have your Product Key you  shouldnt have any problems installing "your" copy of XP, assuming the product key is not in use elsewhere ????

I think XP is as good as you (I ?) need, unfortunately, this doesn't keep Bill Gates's funds flowing, as new OSs are his business. To make you change, Microsoft will stop supporting XP in 2010 (I think ?), then it'll be Vista all the way until  its replacement - don't you just love / hate computers !

[Onion van man]

[quote user="pcwhizz"]To make you change, Microsoft will stop supporting XP in 2010 (I think ?)

[/quote]

Mainstream support for XP home and PRO ends 14/4/2009 for people with extended support its 8/4/2014.

It has recently been reported that Microsoft has (supposedly) just shut down all the independant sites that offered unofficial update packs for XP. So best of luck to anyone who has just got a copy of XP or bought a pc with it installed.

[AnOther]

I don't hate MS per se although I don't particularly like the way they go about their business sometimes nor the way they exercise their dominance in the market.

Frankly ME was a joke and hardly worth a mention. It was a hurried, badly though out OS and almost universally panned.

Win2000 was supposed to be the upgrade which converged NT and 98 and bridged the gap between home and business and as such was eagerly awaited. However, as usual, MS couldn't get it ready for home use in time so were virtually forced to release it for business creating in the process a vacuum, and a cash hole, on the home front into which ME was thrown as a crumb simply to milk a hungry and disappointed market.

I seriously doubt anybody ever actually bought it but it did come bundled with a lot of machines and against all odds persists with the diehards, the ignorant (of the alternatives that is) and the luddites.

When XP came it was a giant leap forward, probably as big a step as 95 had been over Windows 3.1, and crysalised all that had gone before. Thanks to NTFS for the first time ever the home user had security, Plug-&-Play became a reality instead of the aptly misnamed Plug-&-Pray and with System Restore users at least had a fighting chance of recovering from a disaster which with 98 would have meant a complete reinstall.

Was/is it XP bloatware: well certainly it's footprint is considerably larger than 98's but coming what was it, 5 years after 98, hardware had moved on considerably so to expect it to run acceptably on anything but the best specced 98 PC was hoping for a bit much.

As for singing the praises of XP, well with a few years and 2 service packs under it's belt it has matured into a tried and familar product and in the absence of a "killer" reason to adopt Vista, of which there is absolutely no sign, then it's hard to find any reason to abandon it.

Inevitably one will have to upgrade at some time but with rumours of "son of Vista" already in the pipeline, albeit a few years away, if one is happy enough with XP and it fulfils ones needs then it makes sense to just sit it out.

 

[AnOther]

[quote user="Onion van man"][quote user="pcwhizz"]To make you change, Microsoft will stop supporting XP in 2010 (I think ?)
[/quote]

Mainstream support for XP home and PRO ends 14/4/2009 for people with extended support its 8/4/2014.

It has recently been reported that Microsoft has (supposedly) just shut down all the independant sites that offered unofficial update packs for XP. So best of luck to anyone who has just got a copy of XP or bought a pc with it installed.
[/quote]So what, 90% of so called "critical updates" are totally irrelevant to the average home user.

My own system has no updates whatsoever beyond SP2 and runs just fine [8-|]

[AnOther]

[quote user="Onion van man"][quote user="pcwhizz"]To make you change, Microsoft will stop supporting XP in 2010 (I think ?)
[/quote]

Mainstream support for XP home and PRO ends 14/4/2009 for people with extended support its 8/4/2014.

It has recently been reported that Microsoft has (supposedly) just shut down all the independant sites that offered unofficial update packs for XP. So best of luck to anyone who has just got a copy of XP or bought a pc with it installed.
[/quote]So what, 90% of so called "critical updates" are totally irrelevant to the average home user.

My own system has no updates whatsoever other SP2 and runs just fine [8-|]

[AnOther]

[quote user="Onion van man"][quote user="pcwhizz"]To make you change, Microsoft will stop supporting XP in 2010 (I think ?)
[/quote]

Mainstream support for XP home and PRO ends 14/4/2009 for people with extended support its 8/4/2014.

It has recently been reported that Microsoft has (supposedly) just shut down all the independant sites that offered unofficial update packs for XP. So best of luck to anyone who has just got a copy of XP or bought a pc with it installed.
[/quote]So what, 90% of so called "critical updates" are totally irrelevant to the average home user.

Other than SP2 my own system has no updates whatsoever and runs just fine [8-|]

[AnOther]

???????????????????????????

I've had double post's before but never triplicate !

And before anybody jumps in this is my work PC running fully patched XP Pro.....[:P]

[Tim]

Just as well you said that Ernie!! I was just about to.......

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I think the reason people are happy with xp now is because it has taken microsoft 7 years to get it right. It's now a great OS. I dare say Vista will also be a great OS, in around 6 years time once all the bugs have been taken out of that.

So in 2010 XP stops having updates for it? Thats eons away in terms of computer years. I expect to have a new laptop and pc by then even though I've just bought new this year. By then vista should be becoming workable.

Personally I prefer to be a year or so behind the times in computers. Firstly the technlogy is so much cheaper plus many of the bugs ave been fixed.

[Onion van man]

[quote user="LyndaandRichard"]I think the reason people are happy with xp now is because it has taken microsoft 7 years to get it right. It's now a great OS. I dare say Vista will also be a great OS, in around 6 years time once all the bugs have been taken out of that.

So in 2010 XP stops having updates for it? Thats eons away in terms of computer years. I expect to have a new laptop and pc by then even though I've just bought new this year. By then vista should be becoming workable.

Personally I prefer to be a year or so behind the times in computers. Firstly the technlogy is so much cheaper plus many of the bugs ave been fixed.

[/quote]

I bought XP Pro at the launch and have always been happy with it, Despite people moaning about it for every and any reason that they thought made them look like a super techie.

My point about support stopping in early 2009(sourced direct from MS themselves) is based on people who might want support and critical updates that are useful to them, Even if according to 'know it alls' it is only 10% that are useful. My point is that everybody uses their PC differently for different jobs or applications so whats classed as rubbish by one person is useful to another.

I agree about being behind when it comes to hardware, Todays £250 CPU will be £60 in 18 months time but, I think for online security reasons etc. you need to be nearer the cutting edge when it comes to software.

If you have a 64 bit processor it makes logical sense to make the switch to a 64 bit operating system doesn't it? and yes I'm aware that XP was available in 32 & 64 bit versions like vista is.

[Deimos]

At the moment I would not agree with the Vista

License Agreement. Thus, my next computer will be a Linux based one

or a Mac (assuming XP is unobtainable on new computers then).

Ian

[Onion van man]

[quote user="Deimos"]

Thus, my next computer will be a Linux based one

or a Mac (assuming XP is unobtainable on new computers then).

Ian

[/quote]

I have tried to switch to Linux but, realistically its never going to work. Yes, Linus Torvolds is a genius for whom I have great respect. I like the way he never sold the software(kernel) but, gave it free for anyone to use and in due course he was rewarded by a company that used his Kernel in their version of Linux.

However, The reality is that because MS won't give other software companies information on their products it is proving almost impossible for other companies to make software that are true alternatives.

I ran Linux for a while, It's great if you just want to send emails and surf the net.  But, the problem starts when someone sends you a spreadsheet they've done with Excel or a powerpoint presentation.  Yes, Openoffice should open it......No its the wrong file format or it opens all jumbled up. You see where its going? It's never going to be a true alternative as good as it might be.

I can't comment on OSX as I've never used it but, I'm without a doubt that there must be some issues with opening files created with other software on other OS's

[AnOther]

[quote user="Onion van man"]Even if according to 'know it alls' it is only 10% that are useful [/quote]Obviously aimed at me OVM because I made the comment.

A tad uncalled for I feel but I stand by it all the same.

Just to be clear, I didn't call them "rubbish" either, just irrelevent to a certain group of users which again I stand by.

When support for XP is finally withdrawn I'm sure those for whom every miniscule alert and update is crucial will make the swap to Vista but there again, if these things are so paramount and they feel so at risk then surely they will have made the move to the wonderfully safe nirvana of Vista long before that day arrives - won't they ?

Note to self: Must remember to ask hacker and virus writer buddies what they are concentrating their efforts on these days, boring old yesterdays OS or the challenge of a brand new one [6]

[:D]

 

 

[Onion van man]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

[quote user="Onion van man"]Even if according to 'know it alls' it is only 10% that are useful [/quote]Obviously aimed at me OVM because I made the comment.

A tad uncalled for I feel but I stand by it all the same.

Just to be clear, I didn't call them "rubbish" either, just irrelevent to a certain group of users which again I stand by.[/quote]

It was not exclusively aimed at you but, If it was I would have quoted you 'word perfect'. It was aimed at any number of people I have discussions with about windows OS's. The reason I made the point about support and updates ending is because some people won't be thinking of the future when they buy an OS or PC today. Granted that some people will be throwing away the PC they bought today before the end of 2009 so they won't be affected.

Yes lots of people out there have the view that updating your OS is a waste of time, People who have not even got SP1 and usually just don't understand the benefits of updating or which updates they should take advantage of.

[quote user="ErnieY"]When support for XP is finally withdrawn I'm sure those for whom every miniscule alert and update is crucial will make the swap to Vista but there again, if these things are so paramount and they feel so at risk then surely they will have made the move to the wonderfully safe nirvana of Vista long before that day arrives - won't they ?

Note to self: Must remember to ask hacker and virus writer buddies what they are concentrating their efforts on these days, boring old yesterdays OS or the challenge of a brand new one [6]

[:D]

[/quote]I used Vista on one of my machines for the last year under the Microsoft beta tester system, Yes it was a beta (RC1 to be specific) and yes the machine was more than capable of exceeding the required specs as listed by MS themselves. What did I think? It has no benefit for me, I don't want the 'eye candy' and I certainly dont want the sluggish speeds that it brought with it.

I personally won't be changing anytime soon and I'm not going to persuade anyone that its the only OS worth having. 

I think it goes without saying that right now around the globe, Vista is going to be the only thing on a hackers mind.

[Maricopa]

[quote user="Onion van man"]I would have quoted you 'word perfect'.
[/quote]

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