Windows XP Support ending April 8, 2014

[whirlcool]

I told them that when Microsoft dropped support for Windows 95 and Windows 98 nothing happened. Then why would anything happen with Windows XP? The worst thing that could happen is that they won't be able to find a anti-virus software that will work for Windows XP. That happened to some of my Win98 users. They had to switch to Kasperski as that was the last one to support Win98. And that was only for one more year. They said rather than convert, they'll just buy a new computer. And they are still using a circa 1996 CRT 15" monitor, because it still works. They'll upgrade to a new screen with the new system. They only use their computer for word processing, Excel spreadsheets and the internet(e-mail and web browsing).

 

[arbilab]

@W111

I've only been stupid enough to click on one virus in my whole life, the "funeral" one recently. Haw haw, all it could do was immediately "perform an illegal operation and be shut down".

Processing large images can be tedious but everything else I use it for is instantaneous. When I bought it P2-400 was the fastest machine on the shelf. W98 was a very clean/streamlined OS and for Windows, relatively stable. I've never had to do anything more heroic than restart it when it runs into newer Adobe stuff (swf, pdf).

 

[mark_wpduet]

Wow

Someone actually CAME to their HOUSE and installed something on their computer.....???

Shut the front door!

That's crazy!

I received a call from Fake Microsoft telling me I had a virus on my computer and they needed into it to get it off and told me to go to this website that looked "official"......They were in India and I knew it was a scam.

 

[whirlcool]

It was their next door neighbor who did that. He told them he was installing it as a "preventative measure". They were only supposed to click on it if a hacker was into their system. What I wanted to know was how would they, with very limited computer knowledge even realize a hacker was on their computer?

Old people can be very trusting of people they have known for a long time. Sometimes people ask me how I always come across things like this. I say all you have to do is keep your eyes and ears open and this kind of stuff happens all around us. My favorite saying is "Didn't you see this coming?"

 

[foraloysius]

They probably would have clicked that icon with the next unexpected pop up screen.

 

[whirlcool]

Louis:

I suspect you are right, or maybe they would have clicked on it when the next screen that they didn't understand popped up.

 

[rp2813]

ATMs

I heard a teaser for a story about ATMs recently on NPR, indicating that 90% of them in the U.S. employ an operating system that will no longer be supported.

 

I was out of the car before the story ran, but assume they were talking about XP.  If so, with the banking system involved and the security issues that would be present for anyone using an ATM, there might be some hope that Windows will hold off on making this move.

 

[foraloysius]

Apparently things are not always as they seem. Most of the computers of the Dutch government still run on XP. In order to avoid a total XPocalypse, the Dutch government came to an agreement with Microsoft to continue the support for XP. Odd isn't it? They claim to stop the support for the system but if you pay enough money, you can still get support.

 

[whirlcool]

I called the old people today mentioned in this thread above with the "self destruct" icon on the screen.

Even after I told them not to click on it, the neighbor came over and told them yesterday THEY HAVE to click on it NOW! So they did. And now they don't have a working computer. They asked ME what to do next! They said the neighbor told them that anyone with basic data recovery skills can recreate the data on their hard disk.

I just asked them "Why did you click on it when I told you not to?" They said "The guy next door knows something about computers and he has been so nice to us all these years we thought he knew what he was doing". Then they wanted to know when I can come out and put Win 7 on their computer.

My response? Have the neighbor do it. He's the one that got you into this mess, let him be the one to get you out of it.

Pffftt...

 

[washer111]

Even though I'm guilty of doing this, I often wonder why people will come to you asking for advice, then just let the words float right on through their heads. 

It just doesn't make sense... If I were them, then I wonder whether they'd have a case in a courtroom? They might have allowed it to occur - but it was a breach of trust and "pressure" against them... 

 

[whirlcool]

Did I mention that these people live 52 miles away from me, one way?

Nope, not going to get sucked into this one. Because I just know that if anything EVER goes wrong it will be my fault. Let the guy who started this mess be responsible for it.

 

[whirlcool]

ven though I'm guilty of doing this, I often wonder why people will come to you asking for advice, then just let the words float right on through their heads.

Because you are not telling them what they want to hear. People will ask various different people for advice and then when they hear what they want they'll say "Well so and so told me it would work" and feel satisfied that they were right all along.
Then when things go wrong they come to the people who they feel are really telling the truth to fix it all.

It also falls under the heading of "What some people won't do just to save a buck."