Help save XP Petition

kenmabmcc · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:46 pm Post subject: Help save XP Petition

If you would like to sign a petition to Microsoft to retain XP go here

Quote:

Please complete this petition so we can add your name to those who want Microsoft to keep Windows XP available indefinitely, rather than force users to upgrade to Windows Vista. With your support, we can convince Microsoft to spare XPâ€™s fate of being discontinued on June 30, 2008.

kenmabmcc · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:51 pm Post subject:

Further information at http://weblog.infoworld.com/save-xp/

seaeagle · Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 9:42 am Post subject:

Every time I read something like this I feel very content that I switched from Windows to Linux 3 years ago. Free upgrades to the latest version - forever! I've upgraded to the latest operating system version 4 times in 3 years, and the only cost has been the magazines that the free DVDs came in.

kenmabmcc · Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:31 pm Post subject:

http://weblog.infoworld.com/save-xp/archives/2008/01/sign_the_save_x.html

seaeagle · Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 6:34 am Post subject:

Somehow I think it will achieve very little. Micro$oft spent too many dollars on Vista, and it would be a corporate embarrassment if they declared it to be a lemon (which keeping XP available would be equivalent to doing). I'm afraid users are just going to have to get used to Vista.

Of course, they do have alternatives available to them. Most users would find Linux suitable for their needs, and it's free too. I've never regretted switching from Windows 3 years ago, and I get lifetime free upgrades to the latest version of Linux (well - it does cost me $12 for the computer magazine the free DVD comes in every 6 months or so).

Anyway, why would people want to keep XP available? It's very old for an operating system - I think older than Windows '95 was when XP was released.

profhig · Joined: Sep 06, 2003 Posts: 239 Location: Tamworth, UK

I used 3.1 Thought it was â€˜the businessâ€™. Got my first computer with 3.1 on from a skip at the school where I work. Took several home (with permission, I might add!) and built, with help from a friend my first pc from the best of the bits. I learned a lot from this, and have never bought a pc. I always build my own. Now that friend comes to me for help! However, I digress. Then I had â€™95. Wow! Couldnâ€™t get better than this- until â€™98. Weâ€™re here. The ultimate O/S. (Hadnâ€™t even heard of Linux at this stage.) Finances always meant I built my own pcâ€™s and didnâ€™t buy new O/Sâ€™s until tried and tested. So I missed 2ooo, Millennium as I was short of money and had heard horror stories about them and a friend used them and had all sorts of issues, which are well documented. I jumped to XP and loved it. I still use it now and do not wish to upgrade to Vista. (I still think Longhorn was a much better name for it. They should have kept that). I have read varying opinions of the system and do not feel I wish to change. Why could not the supposed security and other improvements Vista offers (though there are those that might dispute this) be incorporated into a service pack for XP and make the GUI and optional, paid for upgrade? Or is it money that Microsoft is interested in, rather than customer satisfaction? (I really do not want to make this a discussion of the benefits of capitalism and the need for companies to make a profit- Microsoft could afford this).
Now, I could learn Linux and have experimented with the O/S. Unfortunately, as previously stated, my finances are such that I cannot afford to run two machines, one Linux and one Microsoft. I tried a dual boot, but found I had to keep going back into windows to do stuff, my kids were moaning about it booting Linux unless they opted for XP and the time and learning curve made a final leap to Linux impractical. Add to this my two teenage kids who just want the pc to work, wouldnâ€™t be interested in learning Linux and would take up all my free time getting stuff done for them with Linux and you may see, perhaps not agree, but see why I want to keep XP. So I say, come on, Bill. Keep XP going a little longer? We ainâ€™t all billionaires!!

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1134 Location: Central FL, USA

Just like when MS dumped 98 and ME, which caused NO computer to crash, I don't see the big problem with MS 'dumping' XP.

Of course there's the obvious problem of computer manufacturers building their machines with new hardware, for which there are NO XP drivers.

But if you go out and buy just parts to build your own, you'll probably find that most 'off-the-shelf' parts will still come with XP drivers for years to come.
Just like most parts today are backward compatible with 98.

Dual booting to different HD's containing different OS's, is no big deal on most mobo's. I have two mobo's, made about five years apart by different manufacturers that both have a boot menu available by the F11 key during a boot. From that menu, I can pick any drive in my system(s) to boot from, even a SD Memory card. (that I can also use in my Kodak camera)

I wanted to try Vista on this machine so I set it up on a second HD and just installed that drive on port #2 on my mobo, so it won't boot unless I tell it to.

Digressing a bit:
Last night I was on the Vista HD and wanted to play Solitaire.
The Vista Sol. just wouldn't play. In fact, NO game would play, although other programs like all the internet stuff worked just fine. Go figure.

I've been playing around with shutting down Services, so I probably shut down something that the Games require. (???)

So I just made a shortcut to Sol.exe on my XP HD and put it on my Vista desktop and VOILA, I'm playing XP's Sol. on Vista. Works great! I never did like the look of the Vista Solitaire anyway. Wink

Now that opens the door to Vista playing even more programs living on the XP hard drive.

So, to anyone with Profhig's situation, I'd say set up your system with a #2 hard drive for your own OS and leave the family's HD set up with XP or whatever and make it the default boot drive.

I do have Windows ME and XP running on an eight year old PC, both on the same HD, but in different partitions. The Windows boot menu is set up to boot into XP by default, but from that same menu I can boot into Windows ME. The XP upgrade program did that all on it's own. I was just trying to upgrade ME to XP. I thought it would overlay ME as I've seen it do before, but instead it loaded onto the second partition. Go figure!
I probably missed some prompt during the loading process.

From XP I still have access to everything on the ME partition. So I get the Best of both. I built that computer for a customer, back in 2000 and installed ME on it. With a bit of hardware upgrading, it's still running as good as, or better than, it did in 2000. That 8 yr old PC runs XP like a champ!
Build'em good and they'll run forever. Wink

Now what was the topic? Rolling Eyes

Doc

PS: Got no drive bay for the second HD? Put in in the bottom of the case.
Mount it upside down and secure it with something like hot-glue or duct tape.

Here's one done by a good friend and LG member.

<<-- click to expand

Note the two-fan cooler, w/blue led's on top of the drive.