Viruses,hacking,scams, piracy and privacy will always be issues on the internet. This is virtually unavoidable.
I no longer use Windows XP but I have to say I really liked it very much several computers - and years - ago.It was a great place for any beginner to start with.
It doesn't surprise me that many people still run it after all this time. Nice and simple but I suppose twelve years is a considerable length of time in technology.
The email client, Outlook Express, was excellent, and vastly superior to Windows Live Mail which constantly crashes and will not let you email more than one picture at a time unless you sign into some 'cloud' account. I don't like this at all.
Windows Live Mail has some good features - some of which appear in Word - but I have had too many hassles with it and I really don't need Outlook for basic emailing.
It appears to be unfix-able, and no updates have helped me - yet.
I would be very happy if Microsoft came up with an update for Windows Live Mail that made it more like Outlook Express.
Vista was a disaster, and I am now using Windows 7 which has its issues also, but I am very reluctant to upgrade to Windows 8 as I haven't heard anything good about it so far.
Obviously money is a big motivator here but it is certainly annoying to the consumer when they find ANY product they really like, only to later discover it is discontinued. And this is made worse when the replacement item doesn't really deliver.
I am not saying I am against progress. Especially if the end result is better.
This seems to be a classic case of "if it isn't broken, don't fix it". Or at the very least don't make it worse!!
TODAY at 5pm, after 12 years, Microsoft will turn off the lights on Windows XP.
If you’re unsure if you have the ageing operating system on your computer you can visit amirunningxp.com.
So what is an XP users supposed to do now? Last month I suggested a few options.
Unsurprisingly, Microsoft wants everyone to move to Windows 8.1 and you can download the Windows Upgrade assistant to see if your system meets the requirements. But I am hesitant to recommend the newest version of Windows to XP users. While Microsoft is releasing an update to Windows 8.1 — tonight, in fact — that will make it easier for those with laptops and desktops, it is still a big change and adjustment for those who are used to working with a traditional desktop.
A Windows 7 computer will likely be the easiest transition. Everything in 7 is mostly in the same place as it was in Windows XP — there’s the traditional desktop, the trusty Recycle Bin and the Start Menu. The problem is that, in its Windows 8 push, Microsoft has done a good job hiding the Windows 7 computers.
You’ll find some Windows 7 laptop or desktop options from select computer manufacturer websites, including Apple’s Mac computers, which run OS X, and Google Chromebooks, which are more limited since they just run Google’s browser. And if you are just looking to keep an old PC going, there are free Linux options like Ubuntu, recommended for only the technically inclined.
Good luck!
This story originally appeared on The Wall Street Journal.
With thanks to the Australian
More information here.
