Re: How to make Windows XP last for the next seven years

On Sat, 24 Jan 2009 08:02:01 -0800 (PST), mg <mgkelson@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

On Jan 24, 7:46 am, Jim10...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:53:26 -0800 (PST), mg <mgkel...@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:



On Jan 23, 9:20 am, Jim10...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:13:54 -0800 (PST), mg <mgkel...@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

"How to make Windows XP last for the next seven years

Vista, schmista. Follow our tips for keeping your XP setup humming
happily for a long, long time
Preston Gralla and Dave Methvin

July 18, 2007  (Computerworld) -- Windows Vista may be shiny and brand
new, but as plenty of PC users will tell you, sometimes newer isn't
better. Many PCs simply don't have the horsepower to run the new
operating system, and even those that have the juice may get bogged
down by processor-and RAM-hungry Vista.

If you've got Windows XP, worry not -- you can keep it running on your
hardware for years to come. As with an old car, though, if you plan to
keep XP around for a while, you're going to have to spend some time
maintaining it. Think of us as your virtual mechanics. We'll give you
tips, tweaks and tricks so that you'll be able to keep XP running
smoothly, at top performance, for smooth operation and long life.

But what if you suffer from Vista envy, and you're interested in more
than just maintaining XP as it is? No problem -- we'll also show you
how to get many of Vista's goodies, such as greatly improved security,
transparent windows, Windows Flip 3D and the Network Map, all without
having to spend the money to upgrade or get new hardware.

So, if you've got better things to do with your time and money than
upgrade to Vista, read on. There's still plenty of life in your old
operating system."

Remainder of article at:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBas...

Not going to upgrade to Vista knowing the next OS is in the wings and
just can't put up with seeing good programs become useless unless I
buy the new Vista renditions.

You not only have to worry about all your programs, but you also have
to worry about drivers for any external, hardware devices, you might
have.

Yes, I lost a damn good printer when I upgraded to XP.  I had waited
for a year or so before upgrading and figured they would have at least
done drivers.  That was probably the last straw for me in getting
sucked into the rush to upgrade.

In my case, I have an external sound card, two printers, and a

Logitech Wireless DJ system connected to my computer. I can easily
imagine screwing around with a new computer for a couple of weeks and
even then having to buy some new software and hardware for it, and
still winding up with a computer that's not as good as the one I
already have.

I have built computers from scratch in the past.  I have even gotten
down to removing and replacing chips on boards.  Life is just too
short and my patience has gotten too short to *** around with such. I
just want a computer to do whatever I want to do.

I had a computer once that had worked for several years and then one
day, it wouldn't turn on. I could actually see an electrolytic
capacitor that was leaking badly on the motherboard. The power supply
had died and I figure it sent an over-voltage surge into the
motherboard when it went out. I was tempted just for a moment to start
replacing capacitors and maybe some chips to see if I could get it
running again. That was only for a moment, though. I wound up buying a
new motherboard (and power supply). I'm not positive that it was the
Antec power supply's fault, but I don't buy Antec power supplies
anymore.

A handy tool to have around, by the way, is a power supply tester.
They only cost 10 to 15 bucks, I think.


I am wondering about buying a computer that will have the full range
of flexibility to use all the programs you want to use, but that does
not include Microsoft OS and does not require me to return to knowing
how to do geek ***.  I could once handle all the little tweaks and
such on a computer but just can't afford the time and energy any more
to do that.



I had a motherboard once that included a big printer chip on it. I
changed printers and the damn thing would not work and would not work
when put on a half board for printer. Finally, after trying
everything else, I just removed the big printer chip. WOrked fine
with the half board. Had a modem on a board that caused conflicts
that I pulled off once too. Replacing memory chips was fun too.
.