4 Ways To Hang On To XP After The Cut-off Date
Windows XP is retiring at the end of the month, like all its predecessors. After seven years of service, Microsoft is ending sale of the operating system to PC manufacturers. It sounds scary but every dark cloud has a silver lining.
The news comes as a big disappointment to those of who have come to trust the system, which we have grown to love and still favor over the troublesome Microsoft Vista. Since its release, the average user has spent 8000 hours in front of their PCs connected to the Internet.
If you are not prepared to go down the path of upgrading to Windows Vista, what are you options after the cut-off date other than switching to Mac OS X or Linux?
Tech Support For Your XP Problems
There is some hope that Windows will continue to offer support for the numerous technical issues that users face everyday with XP, until 2014. However, support may just be the bare minimum and difficult to get hold of.
The other way around this problem is to simply type your problem into Google. Chances are if you've had a particular issue, so have loads of other people, and you're bound to find the solution somewhere online, as well as it being a lot easier than phoning Microsoft.
Acquiring XP on New PC
If you have your heart set out for a XP after the deadline , you will still be able to purchase a machine with it preinstalled despite Microsoft's cut off date.
Smart vendors who have an inventory of unused licenses, and same goes for other retailers, will still be able to sell you machine with XP preinstalled.
Switching Operating Systems
Downgrade rights are the second way for you to get your hands on a new computer with XP. If a manufacturer has downgrade rights from Microsoft, they'll be able to sell you a PC that started on Vista, but which they downgraded to XP before they sold it to you.
If this is the case, you'll be supplied with the discs for XP and it's drivers, as well as the same discs for Vista, so you can re-upgrade at a later date if you decide to. Dell have confirmed that they will make this option open to customers, but it only lasts out until January 31st next year.
'Limited Hardware Capabilities'
The final way you're going to be able to get XP is by purchasing a computer with what Microsoft refers to as having 'limited hardware capabilities,' a solution which is open until June 2010. This is basically a machine that can't handle the enormous demands of Vista, so has to run XP instead, and includes laptops with low power CPUs, and low cost desktop PCs which have slow processors, not much RAM, and no separate processor for graphics.
Not the End of the Road for XP
XP still has some shelf life yet. There are still legal ways to purchase XP at least until June 2010, which is likely to be extended. Support for XP will be until 2014, allowing us enough time to get used to another operating, probably Vista's successor. Long Live XP!
The news comes as a big disappointment to those of who have come to trust the system, which we have grown to love and still favor over the troublesome Microsoft Vista. Since its release, the average user has spent 8000 hours in front of their PCs connected to the Internet.
If you are not prepared to go down the path of upgrading to Windows Vista, what are you options after the cut-off date other than switching to Mac OS X or Linux?
Tech Support For Your XP Problems
There is some hope that Windows will continue to offer support for the numerous technical issues that users face everyday with XP, until 2014. However, support may just be the bare minimum and difficult to get hold of.
The other way around this problem is to simply type your problem into Google. Chances are if you've had a particular issue, so have loads of other people, and you're bound to find the solution somewhere online, as well as it being a lot easier than phoning Microsoft.
Acquiring XP on New PC
If you have your heart set out for a XP after the deadline , you will still be able to purchase a machine with it preinstalled despite Microsoft's cut off date.
Smart vendors who have an inventory of unused licenses, and same goes for other retailers, will still be able to sell you machine with XP preinstalled.
Switching Operating Systems
Downgrade rights are the second way for you to get your hands on a new computer with XP. If a manufacturer has downgrade rights from Microsoft, they'll be able to sell you a PC that started on Vista, but which they downgraded to XP before they sold it to you.
If this is the case, you'll be supplied with the discs for XP and it's drivers, as well as the same discs for Vista, so you can re-upgrade at a later date if you decide to. Dell have confirmed that they will make this option open to customers, but it only lasts out until January 31st next year.
'Limited Hardware Capabilities'
The final way you're going to be able to get XP is by purchasing a computer with what Microsoft refers to as having 'limited hardware capabilities,' a solution which is open until June 2010. This is basically a machine that can't handle the enormous demands of Vista, so has to run XP instead, and includes laptops with low power CPUs, and low cost desktop PCs which have slow processors, not much RAM, and no separate processor for graphics.
Not the End of the Road for XP
XP still has some shelf life yet. There are still legal ways to purchase XP at least until June 2010, which is likely to be extended. Support for XP will be until 2014, allowing us enough time to get used to another operating, probably Vista's successor. Long Live XP!
About the Author:
Kay Brenner is a PC Tune Up consultant who specializes in restoring your slow PC, saving you time and money wrestling with a sick computer. To reclaim your dream machine you first bought, download a free PC Check Up
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