How can I make Windows XP last for the next seven years: Groups,advice

[robb]

Hi all;
I am concerned with the rumored demise of the Windows XP. I have
a Dell Dimension 3000 running Windows XP and Service Pack Candidate
3. Frankly, it was a little hard to get used to it, and I certainly
DO NOT want the hassle of a new OS, etc.
Here is my question: Forums, Lists, Groups dedicated to
maintaining and supporting Windows XP after M$ ceases to, and also
books like, hypothetically "Maintain and support your Win XP for
Idiots." or the like.
Can you help me please locate such groups or handbooks, please?
I certainly would appreciate the help!
Best!
Robb

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I am concerned with the rumored demise of the Windows XP. I
have a Dell Dimension 3000 running Windows XP and Service Pack
Candidate
3. Frankly, it was a little hard to get used to it, and I
certainly DO NOT want the hassle of a new OS, etc.
Here is my question: Forums, Lists, Groups dedicated to
maintaining and supporting Windows XP after M$ ceases to, and also
books like, hypothetically "Maintain and support your Win XP for
Idiots." or the like.
Can you help me please locate such groups or handbooks, please?
I certainly would appreciate the help!

Windows XP will - just like those still running Windows 98 today - last as
long as you can stand it.

The secret? Don't upgrade anything and hope what you have does not wear out
quickly.

That's it. Sorry - there probably is no other advice that will strike as
close to the base of your problem as that.

If you buy the latest/greatest right now that works with Windows XP
(Computer, lots of memory, hard disk drive, external hard disk drive,
printer, scanner, digital camera, digital sound recorder, digital camcorder,
DVD/CD/HD DVD writer, and the latest of any other technology you think you
might want to use (that connects to your computer and interfaces with
Windows XP at this time) and you never have the need to upgrade some
hardware component or never need to see the latest version of the you-tube
craze (whatever format that may be - and thus need a codec or something that
will not work on Windows XP in 5 years) - then you can stick with Windows XP
for quite some time.

(Given normal computer maintenance, persistent backups and some common
computing sense...)

However - the first time you have to view that video, get a new printer, get
a new digital camera or that computer just dies without a possible
replacement part - then you may be out of luck and upgrading.

Technology moves quick. You either move with it - or stop using it in most
cases. ;-)

 

[Anteaus]

I think a lot would depend on whether hardware vendors decide at some point
to only provide drivers for Vista. Under the present circumstances this
seems very, very unlikely.

In fact, the majority of new hardware still has W2000 drivers available for
download, because a lot of corporate users are on that platform.

 

[robb]

Dear Shenan Stanley;
I thank you very kindly for your intelligent advice. You are too
kind. I appreciate it a lot and thank you.
Now, I have some specific questions, and i request that if you
cannot answer them, please kindly forward freely or refer me to the
best source of information concerning the questions. Again, thanks!
QUESTION. I have a Dell Dimension 3000 and run on it Windows XP
with Service pack 3 Candidate. i will upgrade to the full SP3 in a
few days when it is fully released. I am not loaded down much with
excess programs. I have a PC Tools Internet Suite, an updater by
Secunia, and some codecs, and that is about the extent of it. Nothing
is recorded in my WMPlayer, and I have about 88% freespace.
So, if some catastrophe comes down and i crash the system, and it
is many years down the road, I need some CDs to get the old XP moving
again. Which ones, and where is it cheapest to get them?
i should tell you that i got some CDs when i bought the Dell, but
I am fairly new to actually using the internal appliances that come in
MS Windows XP: check disk, defragment, disk cleanup, etc. I found I
have a CD named <<Dell Dimension Resource CD>>: contents: Device
drivers, diagnostics and utilities, computer documentation. So, to
summarize:
Is the Dell Dimension Resource CD enough for me to work with a
technician after years and years and there is no support for XP
happening? That presumes that i crash and there is no support--can i
reestablish the computer using that disk? If not, which do i need,
and where can i get them? ADVISE.
One last question: is there a good handbook like this: maintain
your XP for idiots? Or anything similar would do! ADVISE.
i thank you again Shenan Stanley!
Best!
Robb

 

[Rich T]

I wouldn't worry too much - Microsoft will be obliged to carry on supporting
XP indefinitely as people are turning away from Vista in droves.

I'm migrating back to XP after suffering endless problems with Vista. Vista
is just not worth the hassle.


"

 

[legg]

I wouldn't worry too much - Microsoft will be obliged to carry on supporting
XP indefinitely as people are turning away from Vista in droves.

I'm migrating back to XP after suffering endless problems with Vista. Vista
is just not worth the hassle.

I wonder if any of the past few revisions have been?

They have certainly been responsible for a lot of functional hardware
ending up in land-fill prematurely.

I still only use the XP OS as a platform only to host SW that refuses
to work elsewhere, or at the demand of client/employers.

RL

 

[Anteaus]

Same here, I only use XP for development/testing. Mostly use 2000, which many
still regard as Microsoft's best OS. Last year I migrated my two workshop
servers to Debian, mainly because I was becoming ever more concerned about
IP-based attacks on Windows servers.

Nevertheless, most people feel that MS would have been better allocating
their developers' time to fixing the security holes in XP, instead of
developing a completely new product, one which turns out to have even more
bugs.

Why they took that route I suppose only the top-brass know, but I'm guessing
it was partly under pressure from the media companies to build-in DRM, which
perhaps couldn't have been done with existing code.