Windows XP support ends on April 8 2014 - time to move to Linux

Looking at the results for the XP platform, Kasperksy Internet Security 2014 has a perfect score. I'm not an IT professional; am I right in assuming that the Independent IT-Security Institute is what it claims to be--independent? And for those still running XP, has Kasp 2014 done the job?

 

It is odd that a German A/V testing institute gives a high rating to a German product, huh? Maybe I should not believe everything I read on the internet, but I've not seen MSE praised very many places recently.

I run a small town computer repair shop and virus removal is a large part of what I do. Many of the infected machines brought to me only have MSE installed. To be fair, other A/V solutions have missed things too. Maybe I just see more MSE computers infected because the economy is bad here, and that is what most people install.

I think that it really depends on the end user's surfing habits. If the user searches for dirty pictures/videos, clicks on every advertisement they see, opens all emails blindly, and searches for free copies of pay programs, coupon, rebate, and toolbar programs, they will probably not be protected by anything. By the time they bring their computer to me, every relative who knows a little about computers has had a go at removing the viruses. I'll find remnants of Combfix, Hijack This, tdsskiller logs, about 2 dozen toolbars that are actually homepage hijackers, and bunches of "Browser Helper Objects" and "Extensions"of questionable origin. Things I see often are the FBI, or Homeland Security virus, key-loggers, rootkits, and the non-virus CryptoLocker. Sometimes the computer is so trashed that all that can be done is to wipe the hard drive, and reinstall fresh.

A little more reading:

Goodbye Microsoft Security Essentials: Microsoft Now Recommends You Use a Third-Party Antivirus

 

Point well taken on the posts after my question regarding AV software with XP...I have a separate hard drive/caddy with Linux MINT for all my machines...The older MK2 29 has Mint 15 loaded via a donor MK5 CF-29, and is working well. The MK1 & MK2 CF-19 & CF-30's like XFCE Mint 16, especially the "super key" mode that Sadlmkr mentions here and elsewhere. Regarding AV software for units running XP, I see mixed results. I like MS essentials for the alternate hard drives I have for the 19, 30, and CF-C1...however XP is now NOT so nice...I'll have to try some more choices as the suggestions are very polarized with XP and MS essentials...and I want to preserve the set up I have...

 

Here's what MS is saying:
What is end of support?
After 12 years, support for Windows XP will end on April 8, 2014. There will be no more security updates or technical support for the Windows XP operating system. It is very important that customers and partners migrate to a modern operating system such as Windows 8.1. Customers moving to a modern operating system will benefit from dramatically enhanced security, broad device choice for a mobile workforce, higher user productivity, and a lower total cost of ownership through improved management capabilities.
Support for Office 2003 also ends on April 8, 2014.
What does this mean?
It means you should take action. After April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for Windows XP. Security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware and help keep users and their data safer. PCs running Windows XP after April 8, 2014, should not be considered to be protected, and it is important that you migrate to a current supported operating system – such as Windows 8.1 – so you can receive regular security updates to protect their computer from malicious attacks.
Read the Windows lifecycle fact sheet to learn more.
How do I migrate off Windows XP?
Enterprise Customers:
Microsoft offers large organizations (500+ employees) in-depth technical resources, tools, and expert guidance to ease the deployment and management of Windows, Office and Internet Explorer products and technologies. To learn more about migration and deployment programs, please contact your Microsoft sales representative or Certified Microsoft Partner. Learn how to pilot and deploy a modern desktop yourself by visiting the Springboard Series for Windows 8.1.
Small to Medium Business:
There are many options for small and medium businesses Small to mid-size organizations ( considering moving to a modern PC with the latest productivity and collaboration tools.<500 employees) should locate a Microsoft Certified Partner to understand the best options to meet their business needs. If your current PC meets the system requirements for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you can buy Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8.1 Pro from a local retailer or Microsoft Certified Partner. If your PC does not meet system requirements, consider purchasing a new business PC with Windows 8.1 Pro.
Home PC Users:
To stay protected after support ends, you have some options. The first option is to upgrade your current PC. Very few older computers will be able to run Windows 8.1, which is the latest version of Windows. We recommend that you download and run the Windows Upgrade Assistant to check if your PC meets the system requirements for Windows 8.1 and then follow the steps in the tutorial to upgrade if your PC is able. For more detailed information, read the FAQ. You can also purchase a new PC. If your current PC can't run Windows 8.1, it might be time to consider shopping for a new one. Be sure to explore our great selection of new PCs. They're more powerful, light weight, and stylish than ever before—and with an average price that's considerably less expensive than the average PC was 10 years ago.
Potential risks of staying with Windows XP
Running Windows XP SP3 in your environment after April 8, 2104 may expose you to potential risks, such as:
Security:
Without critical Windows XP security updates, your PC may become vulnerable to harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software which can steal or damage your business data and information. Anti-virus software will also not be able to fully protect you once Windows XP itself is unsupported.
Compliance:
Businesses that are governed by regulatory obligations such as HIPAA may find that they are no longer able to satisfy compliance requirements. More information on HHS’s view on the security requirements for information systems that contain electronic protected health information (e-PHI) can be found here (HHS HIPAA FAQ - Security Rule).
Lack of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Support:
Many software vendors will no longer support their products running on Windows XP as they are unable to receive Windows XP updates. For example, the new Office takes advantage of the modern Windows and will not run on Windows XP.
Hardware Manufacturer support:
Most PC hardware manufacturers will stop supporting Windows XP on existing and new hardware. This will also mean that drivers required to run Windows XP on new hardware may not be available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Windows XP still be activated after April 8, 2014?
Windows XP can still be installed and activated after end of support. Computers running Windows XP will still work but they won’t receive any Microsoft Updates or be able to leverage technical support. Activations will still be required for retail installations of Windows XP after this date as well.
Can Windows XP Mode in Windows 7 still be used in Windows XP?
Windows XP Mode follows the same support lifecycle as Windows XP, extended support will end April 8, 2014.
Will MED-V be supported after April 8, 2014?
Windows XP used with MED-V follows the same support cycle as Windows XP, support ends April 8th, 2014.
Will Microsoft Security Essentials be supported after April 8, 2014?
Microsoft Security Essentials will not be available for download on Windows XP after April 8, 2014. If you already have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, you will continue to receive anti-malware signature updates through July 14, 2015. However, please note that PCs running Windows XP after April 8, 2014 should not be considered protected.
Will Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool be supported after April 8, 2014?
Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool is aligned with the company's anti-malware engines and signatures, and as such the removal tool will continue to be provided for Windows XP through July 14, 2015. However, any PC running Windows XP after April 8, 2014 should not be considered protected as there will be no security updates for the Windows XP operating system.
Will System Center, Windows Intune, and Microsoft Deployment Toolkit still support Windows XP?
While customers may continue to use System Center, Windows Intune, and the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit to manage and deploy Windows XP past April 8, 2014, those products will no longer support Windows XP, and any technical issues which may arise will not be addressed.
What about Windows XP Embedded?
See the Windows Embedded product lifecycle page and Microsoft Support for more information on Windows XP Embedded lifecycles.
Will existing updates still be available via Windows Update after April 8, 2014?
Yes, all existing Windows XP updates and fixes will still be available via Windows Update and WSUS.
Will Internet Explorer 8 still be supported on Windows XP?
As a component of Windows, Internet Explorer follows the support lifecycle of the Windows operating system on which it is installed on. More information is available at Microsoft Support.
Which machines will receive the Windows XP End of Support notification?
The notification will be sent to users of Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional who have elected to receive updates via Windows Update. Users in organizations using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), System Center Configuration Manager, or Windows Intune will not receive the Windows XP end of support notification

 

For the record, Kaspersky Labs is located in Moscow not Germany. I was not surprised to see KIS rated at the top of the list. I would not let any computer which can possibly connect to the internet boot up without KIS. In the early days I could notice the delay when downloading emails or opening web pages. Now the only noticeable delay is about 5 extra seconds on boot. You can get it on ebay for less than $10 per machine per year. These are the guys who found the Stuxnet worm in the wild, there are not a lot of bad guys out there as smart as whoever wrote that virus (my money is on the Idaho National Laboratory).
CAP

Edit: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/kaspersky-lab-windows-xp-security-april,25745.html

 

I do small time repair at home also, but don't advertize, (I would never have any free time) but I do belive you hit the nail on the head about personal surfing habits.

 

Thank you very much for above advice. I found a 3 pc pack for $9.99 on the bay here:
New Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 Anti Virus Upto 3 Pcs 736211121295 | eBay
Appreciate all the comments in this post.

 

I just received my Debian Live 7.4 so do I just stick it in and let it run but not install and just play with it??? Or do I put it in and restart the computer.??

Thanks.

 

Ador, I'm curious about how you installed nLite, especially as the guide here:
nLite - Deployment Tool for the bootable Unattended Windows installation - Guide
The first steps say to:
"Create a folder somewhere on your hard drive to copy the windows source files into
I called mine 'XP_Source' but you can use whatever name you prefer. Just make sure there is adequate space on your hard drive to hold the files
Copy the full content from the distribution cd into this folder
Start nLite"
Ador, did you do this with a Panasonic recovery disk or an original Windows XP disk. I'd like to try this as it sounds pretty slick.
Best regards,
Cleve

 

When I first used it I used just a standard XP install disk. Also check out vlite for vista (take the crap you don't like about vista out) also check out RT7lite, for windows 7.

If you want to make a CD/DVD for testing, make a live windows cd/dvd like a live linux disk look up bartpe.

Can can cut too much out so be careful. I have one install disk that is a 82 mb iso for xp, it does run like hell though, lmao. Some of these disks remove limitations of install sizes. I got windows 7 to install on a ASUS EEE PC 4GB Surf model. Wasn't too much room left. Say 500mb. I left it for antivirus updates. On the SD card I put portable firefox, Ccleaner, etc for my extra utilities.


Also remember for testing you can load the iso in a virtual machine saving you burning a disk. VirtualBox is free and good for that.

 

No one has answered me yet guys??????????

 

Duke, yes just pop the Linux distro in and let her whirl...soon you will see the desktop loaded. Make sure you are plugged into a/c power and are connected to the internet. Then you can access the menu and start a browser, or open other programs that came loaded with the operating system. I'm not familiar with Debian 7.4, but hope it works for you. Tell us again what you are using it on? Usually you can run a "live" distro after it loads. It won't be quite as fast as if you were to install it, but should give you the idea of how you like it.
I notice from their website: Debian -- The Universal Operating System
that there are install instructions found here:
Debian wheezy -- Installation Guide
Reading through the installation instructions here:
http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/ch03s01.html.en
I see you will have to repartition your hard drive if you want to install it. Just to run it from memory should be fine.
I'm partial to something easy, really easy to use (i.e. ubuntu and mint)...
notice the minimum operating requirements here:
http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/ch03s04.html.en
Give her a go and let us know.
Best regards,
Cleve
P.S., pm me with your snail mail address and I'll send you a copy of Mint 13 lts for you to try.

 

I am thinking of trying it out on my son's HP laptop first It is a lot faster. It can go to this site right quick and my 28 I can go get some ice and some tea or coffee before it loads all the way. Yep kind of slow. It needs the system reinstalled and that would help a lot. But thought the HP would be better and use this one for maybe reading any instructions I might need else where.

Sending PM

 

Duke, great idea.
Regardless, it seems like you'd like to keep your CF-28. Why not get an extra caddy for $10 bucks with free shipping such as this one here:
Panasonic Toughbook Hard Drive Caddy IDE HDD CF 28 | eBay
and put in a used hard drive.
Then install whatever flavour Linux you settle on? I think you will be happier in the long run NOT dual booting a system. Your current CF-28 hard drive (40 GB) is only using about 15-20 GB, but I imagine that what you have on there might be important. Make sure you back it up also, just in case.
Please report back how you like the Debian operating system on your son't computer.
Take care, Cleve

 

I just ordered it. Make a lot of sense and one thing I like about thes computers is ease of acces to the HD
But I need to access the dag little battery and dog gone it, with this one I will have to unscrew the botom and not just the small plate like some have.

 

I upgraded my CF-18mk2 to Windows 7 and could not be happier. It seems to run a little faster and smoother than Windows XP. I am still playing with Linux Mint Debian on my other hard drive but I like that with Windows 7 my laptop has full functionality.

 

If you have access to it. POSReady 2009 is a Windows XP build that has support until 2019. Its part of the Windows Embedded family. I'm current running it on my Thinkpad X41.

I've mostly retired my CF-29MK4. I don't even think its been powered up in a year. I thought about selling it an putting the money into a newer CF-19, but there really isn't a market over here.....

 

I would ebay the 29.I have sold a bunch of them in the EU and Russia.Depending on hours ,$175-220 will sell if you can sell it for that.

 

I did a little research on the posready and read what can't be installed on it because it would not work unless they made some changes from then to now? It would be nice to if you could get the updates somehow from someone at least it would cover the basic operating system I guess. It gets the same updates as the normal XP except for stuff than can't be used with it.

I have never tried to save an update like you can with most downloads so can it be done or could it be copied?

 

I know of one thing that doesn't work, and that's MS Office. You'll either have to go, lets say, less than legit, or open source. I use LibreOffice and it works splendidly. Other than that, I haven't found anything that posed an issue. Again, this is on a Thinkpad X41.

As for updates, sorry but I don't understand the issue. Windows update works perfectly, previous updates install fine and its still supported.

Thought of that. But the Swedish Postal Service is an absolute deal killer for anyone outside Sweden. And we're a very consumeristic sociality. People would rather buy new stuff when it break than something that can survive anything and lasts forever.

 

I see,I wondered because I sold a couple of CF-18 to buyers in Sweden. No alternate shipping sources there such as DHL,FedEx,etc? I have no idea to be honest.

 

Lets try it one more time. If one could use the updates that will still come out for the POSReady then at least the main part of XP would be protected.
What don't you understand????

 

do you want to try and use the posready updates on regular xp? i doubt that will work because the update will only install on the os it is designed for. Unless you get a hacked version. Then you're back to trusting unknown sources.

i'm still not sure what all the concern is about. someone here or on toughbooktalk recently installed win7 on a cf29 mk1. it works fine for him. if someone is that worried because microsoft is ending support, then move up to win7...Microsoft support or lack of doesn't affect the security of my computer enough to worry about. A good firewall and antivirus does 1000 times more to protect me than any microsoft update ever will.

 

I have WinXP on my old Dell 400SC at home. Use it as a server. I am not in the least concerned about MS ending support. I am surprised it has lasted this long. Win7 isn't exactly a spring chicken either.

Sent with love from my Galaxy S4

 

The major issue with newer OS's is that they're bloatier and automatically feed into the manufacturer's argument that a user 'must' upgrade to bigger/better hardware. That will never stop - hardware gets gruntier so the OS's take advantage, but the side-effect is that they also require more fixed 'resources'. Just look at smart phones. They get more capable every day, but also need much more RAM, data storage, etc. to live up to the users expectations. Sure that gets cheaper, but cheapness doesn't by itself make something good.

*nix isn't immune from any of this and as I've seen it happen with SunOS/Solaris when Sun changed from 680x0 to Sparc processors (and changed from BSD to SYSV unix), and onwards when SunOS 5.x grew and started being sold as the 'Solaris' bundle, not as the underlying OS anymore. It's something that everyone grapples with.

I'm a believer that older hardware, where it's reliable and suited to the task, is usually a better choice than the latest greatest bleeding edge 10-zillion core CPU with a googleplex of RAM and disk/ssd, etc.

And an OS that was developed on that older hardware usually works best with it. Xp is that such animal, but luckily there are choices. I haven't tried Win 7 on any of my TB's as the 28 and 18 probably won't run it at all, and the 29 will find Win 7 overly bloaty as it grows and develops towards it's own EOL date (whenever that is).

Craig.

 

But, new hardware is much more efficient power wise.
Newer OS are much more stable.. I have not seen a BSOD on Win7 in years, yes years..
Before win7 hardware was plug n pray. I did not realize the difference until I recently installed win xp on a m34 I was given.
Win 7 does a much better job of healing itself. I just loaded a CF19 drive with an image of a CF30. It booted and worked right away.

I admit some of the bloat is not wonderful, but win7's wireless connection works better than almost any aftermarket solution.
It's nice to have a built in defrag and partitioning tool. I remember having to use Norton utilities.
It's also really nice to have the horsepower to defrag and download in the background. It used to be you had to do that overnight because you couldn't run anything else. Same story with burning disks..

I could go on, but the boss has this crazy idea that I should return after lunch.

 

I agree Shawn on W7, I think its the best OS to date.

 

Official End of Life dates for those who care:

Windows lifecycle fact sheet - Windows Help

 

I agree with some here that W7 is the best OS to date from MS. Other OS alternatives are great if you want to do the continuous legwork to keep them up to date and or the driver issues with loading. I'll stay with W7 for now but will probably experiment with a Linux flavor soon.

FWIW... They should keep support for XP instead of Vista... But that would be admitting they laid an egg!

 

My CF-28 will be sporting XP until it dies. I only run a few programs on the laptop and NEVER venture onto the internet with it anymore (now that my CF-30 is up and running). It will live out it's retirement in my garage.

I went ahead and loaded Win7 on the CF-30 because of the lack of support for XP and my total inexperience with any Linux product. The Win7 Pro COA sticker on the bottom was another incentive to go that route (Win7 Pro CD sans COA Ebay $13.00).

I don't mind tinkering to get things to work but for me this would have been completely uncharted territory.

 

My Dell Mini 9 has XP on it. I am not worried in the least.

 

You should be. It's a Dell. :laugh:

 

I think both Sunrk and Shawn have good points.

Only reasons (I can think of) for me to upgrade my 19-mk5 (with W7) are:
- when my current hardware dies/get stolen/etc
- (much, much) better battery life
- USB 3.0 (much faster backups from SSD to SSD, I do a lot of backups, usually daily).

- My current hardware has had some small trouble, but a clean install of W7 seems to have done the trick, so as long as I can keep it working well for me, why upgrade?
- The latest i5 processors should be able to get a much better battery life, however Panasonic doesn't seem to improve much this way. Partly perhaps because they already had good battery-life, but perhaps they also are more realistic//honest than most manufacturers?
- And USB 3.0 is nice, but not enough to pay a €4300 and get a new CF-19 mk7.5

But I always did the same for other things:
I never upgraded (my licensed) Adobe Acrobat 6 until 10 hit the shelves and reviews showed OCR got a lot better. And I plan to be using 10 for a looooong time.
I bought a 6 year old Volv0 S60 with just 40k miles for 1/5 of the new price and plan to use it for years on end instead of buying a tiny new Toyota Yaris new every 2 years ("but it's so much more economical with petrol", or at least the manufacturer says so).
Bought a bit derelict house, cheap, in a really good neighborhood and worked my off to almost completely rebuild it.

This gives me the change to drive a really nice car, use an industrial grade laptop, buy licenses for good software and have a nice home in a good neighborhood without having to spend fortunes. But it does take some effort, looking up other peoples reviews and experiences and you need to have a can do attitude!

My brother in law bought the cheapest Dell. I really don't see the advantage for buying a €300 laptop that is horrible to work on, arrives packed with bloatware, starts failing when it is switched on the first time, arrives DOA and/or dies after a year. If you're not getting paid well, don't have tons to spend, do some research and buy a good used business grade laptop for €300, but why buy a crappy netbook? Because it is brand new and the sales guy "has one at home too"? After a year of annoying blue screens, keys that fell off and trouble I got him a CF-19 (mk2 I believe) with a tiny SSD. He spend €400 in all and it has been working now without a hitch for 2 years. he bought a used but good battery (original) and I did a clean install with the dvd's and he's back again using it for another two years of email, surfing and some word processing.

But IMHO these days people care less about the total cost of ownership and just look at a cool/hipster/what-ever-the-trend-says-you-need-to-have and finance it with a loan, 2 year plan or what not. I like to pay for the things I buy with money I have, not getting a loan.

[/rant]

 

Oke, wanna have a laugh at my big words??? I just bought a CF-19 mk7. Seriously, brand new, 0 hours.... I know it's not like I need it, I know, BUT.....









It was just 385 bucks.









The catch? Screen has been smashed from the outside (so the back LCD cabinet cover is to pieces as well as the LCD/touch/etc). So I will Frankenstein my mk5 screen onto the mk7 body or I have to find a mk4+ complete screen. Does anybody have a decent mk4, mk5, mk6 or mk7 complete screen, dual touch & cabinet hanging around for not to much money?
Or any good advice about how to do it (not)?

I realize I might have bought a complete piece of obliterated crap, (warped main cabinet, hinge-attachments out of line etc.etc.) but even if so I might be able to exchange the mobo with my mk5?!

 

My doctor told me that with proper medication and counseling... I could break the Toughbook addiction.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I punched him in the throat and just bought 7 more Toughbooks... 4 CF-30s and 3 CF-19s!

 

Your CF19 project can't be as bad as this one.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/697414-project-phoenix-cf-19-mk2-rebuild.html

 

As a real serious addict...(It was alcohol at the time) I can tell you, once an addict, always an addict...we just swap addictions.

 

I have all the parts to finish that one now, lol. Just got to get time to put it together. The Truck work, house upgrades have been killing my pc time, lol.

 

Noh, I believe its not as bad as yours....

 

Yes... But someone was on acid on this one below... Wow

I start with fairly clean ones... LOL

It looks like you only have 1 or 2 useable parts on that heap.

 

I see the biggest issue as being 3rd-party software support not so much for the base processing hardware, but for things like graphics and other devices, will be dropped. This has already happened with Google Earth that will not run on my CF18 Mk2 as the graphics hardware is no longer supported.

I think plenty of us understand that running newer software on older hardware means slower performance, and people who can get their head around not having bleeding-edge blindingly-fast responses are happy to wait longer for a system to do something. Heck, when I still ran my old 68020-based Sun 3/60 machine it took 3 whole days to compile X11R6 from source, but it worked, and I got a really nice X11 GUI to replace the one that Sun was at the time supplying with SunOS 4.1.x

But the dropping of support for certain hardware devices means choices have to be made. Installing latest-version software doesn't automatically make it better, if the improvements don't add any functionality or 'security improvements' that a user actually needs (dependent on the application and usage).

Besides, fortunately there are ways to improve performance of existing older hardware, such as replacing HDD's with SSD's (where they are available to suit). That's where I'm heading with my systems, except my original CF28 that's now the system my kids use for Internet when they visit. That can stay with XP until it's disk drive fails. I dunno if SSD's are made to suit it's HDD interface (haven't checked).

 

It's fun to mod new or old computers. But on old systems it eventually feels like you're really throwing your money out the window and not getting that much in return beyond personal satisfaction. It kind of reminds me of cars. At least installing Linux costs nothing but time.

 

Kinda like most things that are old. Cars are a good example. People generally tinker with them because they enjoy it. No other reason is needed.

I have a Tyan K7 Thunder dual socket A motherboard with twin 147gb Ultra 160 SCSI drives and 4GB RAM. It runs a counter-strike: source and Quake 2 CTF servers and little else on Slackware 11. Just because.