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 Welcome - Aug. 2
 Death of XP - Aug. 9
 

Still Some Life In Windows XP
 

We are sad to report an impending death in the computer world.

It's not a person...it's our good friend, Windows XP.

Microsoft has announced that they will stop supporting Windows XP as of April 8, 2014.

What does that mean to you if you have XP on your computer?

Absolutely nothing!

The only thing that stops is Microsoft's research on bugs, security fixes, and updates for peripherals like printers. 

As long as your computer is running well (and if it's XP, it probably is) and you don't add any new programs, you won't notice a difference.

Eventually, you'll be forced to give up XP if you want to use the latest software, because new programs will be written for Windows 7 and Windows 8.  Some will have what we call "backwards compatibility," meaning the new program may still run on Win XP, but that number will shrink. 

But for now, don't lose any sleep over it.

Over the decades, Windows XP has been one of the best, most stable platforms Microsoft has developed since Windows 98.

In fact, in rating Windows, here are our favorites:

1.  Windows XP

2.  Windows 98 SE

3.  Windows 3.11

The worst?

1.  Windows ME

2.  Windows Vista

3.  Windows ME

Notice Windows ME was listed twice.  It was that bad.  In fact, it was so bad that we've often joked the term is a swear verb and vulgarity among computer professionals, as in "ah, go Windows Me!"

Windows Vista has been buggy, prone to lockups, and is as needy and starved for attention as a two-year-old toddler.  You can't go more than a few minutes without the system asking for some permission or waving a flag that requires action on your part.

Over the next year or two, Microsoft and some of their preferred vendors and software makers will be doing their best to scare you into upgrading to a newer version of Windows with dire statements that warn "Microsoft will stop supporting XP soon, so upgrade to the latest blah blah blah."  That noise will ramp up exponentially in October when Microsoft releases the completely revamped Windows 8.

Don't listen to them. 

The only thing that might get dicey is if you're using an old version of Internet Explorer.  There are already websites that don't work right with the original Internet Explorer 6, and demand that you upgrade to a newer version.  But thanks to Firefox and Google Chrome, you now have options that are actually faster and better than IE.  However, if you insist on sticking with a Bill Gates product, you can upgrade your version of Internet Explorer without going full guns and upgrading to Vistas, Win 7, or Win 8.  In one of the positive moves by Bill's company, you can usually do that upgrade without a fee.

In fact if you want to upgrade to IE 8, which Microsoft claims is the best version available for Windows XP, you can get it for free by going to http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/downloads/ie-8.

Keep in mind that Internet Explorer's numbers are out of sync with Windows.  Internet Explorer 7 was released with Windows Vista.  Internet Explorer 8 was released with Windows 7.  Internet Explorer 9 will be packaged with Windows 8.  (See how confusing this can be?)

That issue aside, don't worry about your Windows XP becoming obsolete.  Like some of your dearest friends, it won't be as fast or as pretty as some of the hot new models, but it is tried and true and will likely still be fun and comfortable to you for years to come.

*Computer Dude 

“The Computer Dude” is a weekly help column published every Thursday at www.MesquiteCitizen.com.  It is provided by Computer Help, a computer firm in Mesquite which offers computer tutoring, training, troubleshooting, and repair for individuals, retirees, and small businesses.  If you have a question or would like to see a particular topic discussed in a future column, you can send an e-mail to help@compuhelpus.com.  You can also find other useful information on their website at http://www.compuhelpus.com/.  If you need help with your computer, call Computer Help at 346-6357.