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Windows XP - Do I really need to update?
John P - 9/11/13 at 02:22 PM

Hi,

I’ve got a fairly old PC with 1.5 GB of RAM running Windows XP Home and this has been fine for everything I need to do.

Annoyingly however this seems to force me to use Internet Explorer 8 but some sites now won’t work properly with Explorer 8.

I’ve tried Chrome which I know a lot of people like and it does resolve most of the issues but I much prefer the interface of IE, especially the Favourites which I use all the time and seems simpler to use than Bookmarks.

Is there any alternative to either putting up with Chrome or paying out for an upgrade to Windows which I can’t really justify at the moment, especially as otherwise XP is fine?

John.

Fozzie - 9/11/13 at 03:10 PM

Have you tried Firefox (Mozilla)? It will import your
Favs/Bookmarks from IE too.

http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/

If you decide to try, click on 'Systems and languages' (Just under the green download button)
and look for English GB download that version.

I am still using XP and have used FireFox for years...

HTH
Fozzie

designer - 9/11/13 at 04:10 PM

I second Mozilla Firefox. Much better than IE.

ReMan - 9/11/13 at 05:16 PM

XP is still great
Compatibility mode fixes most to work oif they are wonky on IE8, but I have very few problems

Not Anumber - 9/11/13 at 05:24 PM

I run several PCs with XP & Firefox and a couple with Windows 7. Win 7 is quite tolerable but I am not convinced it would be worth upgrading to it from XP.

SteveWalker - 9/11/13 at 09:26 PM

XP support is due to end. There will then be no more security updates. This is a problem in it's own right, but even more so if a security loophole exists in XP and any or all of Vista, 7 and 8, as the loophole will be announced to the world, but no fix will be rolled out for XP.

rick1962uk - 9/11/13 at 09:27 PM

i now use linux will never go back to windows i brought a dull system disc from linux in the usa it gives you the option on boot for linux or windows cost inc post was £15

my new one is on a dongle plug it in to any computer and its faster than windows from that

down side is games and other software is limited but for most every day use you cant beet it and well worth a try

Not Anumber - 10/11/13 at 03:25 PM

quote:
Originally posted by rick1962uk
...i brought a dull system disc from linux in the usa it gives you the option on boot for linux or windows cost inc post was £15

my new one is on a dongle plug it in to any computer and its faster than windows from that

down side is games and other software is limited but for most every day use you cant beet it and well worth a try


Linux is a generic name that covers quite a variety of Linux O/S versions and distributions so I'm not sure how you could buy anything from 'Linux in the USA' as there is no single Linux company.

There is no need to pay money for a system disc (even a dull one?) as all the major Linux distributions are available for free download ready to be burned to a bootable CD or DVD for installation.

It's free and it rocks plus many Windows only applications can run fine on Linux using the WINE emulator.