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Windows 10: The next chapter

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All versions of Windows XP can be activated... and security updates for one of its variants will be available (at least) until 2019.
 
Are you fairly sure about that? I've recently begun giving the heave-ho to my XP setups and have been advising people to at least upgrade to 7.
 
stool said:
Are you fairly sure about that? I've recently begun giving the heave-ho to my XP setups and have been advising people to at least upgrade to 7.
Click to expand...
I remember people incorrectly scaring others away from Windows XP even when Vista was out... Not everyone games, not everyone needs Office 2013 to write a simple letter... people often *only* use programs that Windows XP is still perfectly capable of running...

Security updates were available to all Windows XP machines until 2014 and will be available until 2019 for all point of sale Windows XP machines... the difference between a Windows XP point of sale machine and any other machine is a single registry entry ;) everything else is the same, therefore every machine can be made a point of sale machine:


Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\PosReady]

"Installed"=dword:00000001
 
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Wow. This effectively means Windows 10 will be the predominant operating system in the world very quickly.
 
c627627 said:
I remember people incorrectly scaring others away from Windows XP even when Vista was out... Not everyone games, not everyone needs Office 2013 to write a simple letter... people often *only* use programs that Windows XP is still perfectly capable of running...

Security updates were available to all Windows XP machines until 2014 and will be available until 2019 for all point of sale Windows XP machines... the difference between a Windows XP point of sale machine and any other machine is a single registry entry ;) everything else is the same, therefore every machine can be made a point of sale machine:


Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\PosReady]

"Installed"=dword:00000001
Click to expand...
To be clear, NEW security updates will be available, or just what was already out?
 
Patch Tuesday for Windows XP with new security updates has not stopped and will not stop until at least 2019.


I update my Windows XP partition monthly, but rarely venture into my Windows Vista and Windows 7 partitions... I suspect I won't be going into my Windows 8 much longer... Windows XP / Windows 10 dual boot for the win! ;)
 
It seems like there are a lot of articles out there that think otherwise... :(

One example: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2140806/patch-tuesday-last-call-for-windows-xp.html

This Patch Tuesday has much more significance than most. With only four security bulletins from Microsoft, it's relatively tame as far as Patch Tuesdays go, but today also marks the final patches and updates from Microsoft for Windows XP.

“So this is it, the last hurrah for the once beloved XP, the last kick at the can for patching up the old boat,” says Ross Barrett, senior manager of security engineering for Rapid7. “Sure, by today’s standards it’s a leaky, indefensible, liability, but… hey, do you even remember Windows 98? Or (*gasp*) ME?”
Click to expand...

After digging a bit deeper, it appears that getting support for XP is actually a hack (you posted the registry entry to enable it already! :thup:). There are no OFFICIAL updates to XP past that original date (ok, one, LOL!). The registry hack is there to prevent windows from checking on which version it has so it can apply those updates. It also only works in 32bit SP3 and not 64bit XP. So there are at least a couple of caveats.

The updates are actually for the Windows Embedded Industry OSs (POS 2009)/Windows 2003 server and not XP, but they are identical. That said, M$ also recommends against using the hack (surprise surprise), and it seems they have good reason to...even outside of money, LOL! I would suggest doing this only if it is a requirement AND you know what you are doing just in case things bork.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/microsoft-hack-windows-xp-registry-embedded,26882.html
"Windows XP customers also run a significant risk of functionality issues with their machines if they install these updates, as they are not tested against Windows XP," the company adds.
Click to expand...

EDIT: There is one for 64 bit I see...

EDIT2: Gotcha... I am now all caught up. :)
 
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"Everyone" should know? What about the 96% of people (the group I am in) (according to steam stats, LOL) that do not use XP? Why should they know? ;)

I knew updates were available, I just had no idea that it was for another OS... which is why I posted the information I did, and the warning.... which you already did. Kudos to you :cheers:!! I even thanked that thread! But since I dont use XP outside of benching and its not updated, it was moved to the deep dark recess of my brain.

As far who or why the 'featured' tag was removed, no idea, sorry (AFAIK, we do not typically contact the OP to remove tags, but it wasn't me!).

Thanks for the link to the thread you had this info in already!
 
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c627627 said:
If I may say, this is important information which everyone on the forums should have been well aware of for a year now.
I almost never suggest "feature threads" for the forums, but did so in June of 2014.


A moderator promptly took the 'Featured' label off, they never contacted me so I do not know who it was :beer: Here it is:
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/...try-hack-for-a-five-year-extension-until-2019
Click to expand...

Put the 'Featured' tag back on for now. I've also posted the link in the 'Singular Microsoft OS Sticky' too.

I've applied this reg hack to my HTPC 32bit XP installation and it works. NP so far. I might try it on my VM too.
 
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Thank you for making that call.


We all 'should know' because we come across friends/relatives/acquaintances who have Windows XP and have no need whatsoever to upgrade, nor should we be encouraging them to do so because people don't use computers like we do... not to mention our old rigs, I have multiple Windows XP / Windows 2000 dual boot rigs in the house myself...


My pet peeve has always been grandmas separated from their social security savings to abandon their Windows XP computers because "Vista is out now" and they tell them "soon" Windows XP will not be "supported" any more... :( It has now been eight years since that first started happening...
 
I apologize for my continued antithetic replies, but, to be honest, if I run across that situation, I wouldn't do it... well I suppose it would be situation specific. I would be concerned with putting in a hack, that requires a manual update (right?), which is not officially supported, and has a greater potential to be unstable, on anyone that has to ask me for advice. Even if it's automatic, the increased potential for instability would scare me with a not-as-savvy-as-us crowd. I'm pretty burned out on being people's personal tech support having done it since the mid 90s, LOL!
 
EarthDog said:
I apologize for my continued antithetic replies, but, to be honest, if I run across that situation, I wouldn't do it... well I suppose it would be situation specific. I would be concerned with putting in a hack, that requires a manual update (right?), which is not officially supported, and has a greater potential to be unstable, on anyone that has to ask me for advice. Even if it's automatic, the increased potential for instability would scare me with a not-as-savvy-as-us crowd. I'm pretty burned out on being people's personal tech support having done it since the mid 90s, LOL!
Click to expand...

Agreed. The fact that one doesn't use computers like us shouldn't matter. The fact is that MS officially ended support for the consumer level XP OS. Therefor, as a consumer, one should choose an OS that will be supported by it's developer, regardless of how they use their system. Hacks, manual updates, and other unsupported methods of acquiring vital security updates should only be done by and for those who are experienced enough to be able to handle the system should it become unstable or vulnerable.

I understand not wanting those who have a limited income to spend any more money then they have to, especially since that XP machine they have works fine for them. But, I would be more apt to install an LTS Linux distro and help them completely relearn their computer than to risk cyber attacks and/or loss of data.
 
I don't know if I'd mess with grandma's old XP PC. PCs are getting pretty inexpensive. I got my wife a nice i5 Windows 8.1 laptop for $375. There were much less expensive laptops available. If she can't swing it and has to keep her XP box, I'd be committed to being a free support tech if I used the .reg hack. On my own XP installs I'm not worried if something breaks. I can fix it.
 
If this was 2013 and Windows XP box updates were completely turned off, and you simply pressed a button to turn them on, automatic or manual updates.
Whatever responsibility comes with that, then that's what this is about...
If it's good enough for a point of sale Windows XP machine, it's good enough for grandma or a spare rig.


But of course this is a personal choice that shouldn't even be discussed because it is subjective and specific to an individual situation.
We all *should* be aware about this informatively and know and be clear about this being an *option* - nothing else.
 
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