To replace a dead XP desktop

[Geoff]

One of my first jobs when I started at the Beeb was maintaining Creed 7b teletypewriters and yes they were slow. 50 baud was fast in those days and no ASCII, 5 bit Murray code was used.

So your the one making the scores come in on final score 20 minutes late lol.

[Dr Al]

If you go to Win7 then a useful free tool is Classic Shell - it can allow you to set up the start menu and window display as well as the taskbar even more closely to XP than Win 7 (for example, restoring the back up button on explorer windows, and restoring the traditional programs menu on the start menu).

Highly useful, I feel, taking away some of the tellytubby feel of Win7 as it comes.

http://www.classicshell.net/

HTH,
Alan

[MalcolmInN]

The malware writers aren't bothered about kudos - it's all about getting your bank details, etc!

quite agree, but kudos has many values depending upon your environment
max saps = max reward
XP users = few saps = little reward
This is getting serious aint it ? how did we get here from there :-?)

> "As regards running XP on modern hardware, it will depend on the hardware but in most cases the drivers won't be available so it won't work properly"

looks like it !
(Baldrick) I have a cunning plan, I have an old ME box in the attic , , , (/Baldrick) that may keep the boss happy, , ,

I note no one jumped in to say "me neither" in the no-malware  'since Dinosaurs roamed wild'  stakes
Frank Sinatra rules - I'll do it my way

A diversion : she has, since the days of full time employment, liked to have compatibility between works documents and stuff generated on her home machine, usually meaning some "M$Orifice" compatibility.
Open Office has often led to domestic upset !
One of the modern vendors is offering Office365 bundled,
wot is that,
should I tell her ?
No, I'll google it,

what ! £8 / month ?? I should *"#% !

[MalcolmInN]

maintaining Creed 7b teletypewriters

Argh! Clutches clove of garlic

and the first "computer" I used (at uni) had a boot loader on 5hole tape, and a memory on a magnetostrictive delay line
(not RAM, deffo a queue !) I cant now remember how many bytes it was - - yep bytes not mega or whatever - - might have been 50 ! ?

[davidinyork]

max saps = max reward
XP users = few saps = little reward

That's really not the case! There are still loads of people using XP, and coupled with known security holes that creates an obvious target for the malware writers. Plus much of the malware is designed to attack multiple versions of Windows. If you want to continue using XP that's your choice, but do it with your eyes open - the reality is that XP is insecure and gets more so with every passing month.

As regards Office, the successor to Open Office is Libre Office, which can be set to save in the Microsoft formats and in my experience this works well almost all of the time.

[red_death]

What davindinyork said - XP gets more insecure as time goes on.  Any vulnerability in Windows could well affect XP (as well as more modern versions), but XP won't be patched. You may not even be aware that there is a problem. Given that there are so many (cheap or free) options it seems foolish, bordering on stubborn to stick with XP. Here's a good example of why XP is a problem for you and others: http://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-xp-still-big-in-botnets-after-all-these-years/ (and very clearly contradicts your opinion that malware writers won't bother with XP - it is an easy win for them!).

Sorry to be picky but Open Office still exists (under Apache's guidance), Libre Office is a fork IIRC!

Cheers, Mike

[MalcolmInN]

the successor to Open Office is Libre Office,

Haha ! Is it really !
Well just goes to show, not only is the OS out of date, so is our software !!!
Even when it is free we dont get round to updating "if it aint broke , , " well it wasnt , honest !
Thanks for the info.

Interesting discussion, but I'll let you all into a little secret, she does not did not use the XP on the interweb, lol!
She uses this one (laptop - vista, yea I know dont tell me ! )
it was Lawrence in reply#9
" this means there are no security updates and you leave yourself open to abuse from the www. "
and then I compounded the felony in #15 with my "ne'er-do-wells" comments.

Something good -
all this spare time she now has without a computal -
she just knitted me a new woolly jumper, result !!

Mike - I'll just pop along into her room and tell her you think she is stubborn !
(Cpt. Oates) I may be some time, ,  (/Oates)
I hope that Office Fork doesnt end up in my back

[MalcolmInN]

foolish, bordering on stubborn to stick with XP.

Dont go getting overly excited, and mind your language.
Go back to my original, think about what I was asking and the rest of the thread is by way of conversation, if you cant do conversation and smileys then dont jump in with insults.

[LAandNQFan]

Sorry, I've only just found this thread, Malc.  When you say that her desktop is "dead", don't forget that the whole point of having a desktop is that, like a model railway, you can add bits, take away bits and repair bits.  If she is so fond of it, why not mend it?  You don't say what has killed it.  It may be just the battery for the CMOS if it is an old machine. 
And if you can wire a model railway you can certainly build a desktop to suit what she wants.  It takes me longer to fetch the bits for a new machine from Aria or Overclockers than to put them together.
David

[MalcolmInN]

When you say that her desktop is "dead", don't forget that the whole point of having a desktop is that, like a model railway, you can add bits, take away bits and repair bits.  If she is so fond of it, why not mend it?  You don't say what has killed it.

Hi David,
thanks, yes, you are quite right, I should !
It turns out to be a dead psu
now somewhere in the attic I have a spare atx?  psu, possibly of the right form factor?! , just a question of finding it, , ,  !

[LAandNQFan]

It's always easier to replace like with like, Malc.  If you can't cannibalise, try sourcing the make and model of the psu you are replacing.  If the machine is elderly, the psu is unlikely to be modular, which would be a doddle, but the price now of even last year's kit will be a fraction of what it cost to start with.  Some supplier may have old stock just taking up space on the shelves and be eager to get whatever he can fot it.  Even if it is the old type with a wiring loom to replace, that is still easier than fitting a Seep motor!   
David