Windows XP end of support: What to do?

Blogs, magazines and news are full of it; and yet here is another discussion about the Apocalypse of Windows XP.  Or maybe not.

I'm not your typical blogger, expressing and debating my point of view on everything. So by writing anything else but instruction notes or procedures, I'm going way out of my comfort zone. But I'm gonna try anyway.

After the big millennium scare, this is probably the biggest money ticket for ICT in years. Finally XP is dead, and it seems 90+% of the advice out there, is one that goes deep in your pockets.  Either upgrade to the new windows version (and all the programs, drivers, and devices that won't work in windows 7 or 8) , or buy a new PC with windows 8 on it, (including all the needed upgrades of your existing software that might or might not work in windows 8) . I'm not going to claim that these options won't put you back in the game, (the game of endless upgrades and costs) but I rather give you some alternatives, and maybe some ideas. (Non exhausted list of options)


For many of you out there, your old PC is still working fine, a little slower and maybe more noisy than it used to be due to the dust collected over the years. But all in consideration it is doing just fine. Some of you might have still that old lotus or Excel 2000 kicking around with a million of macro's in it, or some other obscure software where the makers of it are already long gone. Or worse, an old 3rd party device, totally aged and rendered useless in the market place, but still working fine for you, and in dire need of a working XP.  Well, relax there is hope, and solutions.

The main thing is to make a difference between situations that make switching to Windows 8 difficult. I won't hide that I'm a Linux fan, but I'm at the same time no Windows hater. If it wasn't for good old Bill, we probably wouldn't have a PC in almost every home today (except the poor third world). After all, I've been a windows user myself from the very beginning right up to  Vista. But Then the love ended. So I'm going to try to be as objective as I can be.

5 scenarios that could cause fear moving away from XP.

Scenario 1: People that don't want to break the bank and try to be as cheap as possible, by keeping the existing hardware.

Install  a Linux distribution on your old hardware, or find service provider that can do it for you. Consolidate your current software and find alternatives in the open source market.  Additionally if needed and and if your hardware can support it, install a virtualization solution in Linux that allows you to run a virtual windows XP isolated from the Internet.  You can still run your old windows software while working on-line in your Host computer. (Linux)


Scenario 2: The progressive ones among us, that are not afraid to burn some cash for newer software and/or hardware, but have legacy issues of obsolete applications and or devices. 

If you have some spare cash kicking around and your hardware can handle it,  just upgrade to windows 7 or 8. Just be aware that some of your software might not work in windows 7 or 8. Heck windows 7 or 8 might not even work on your hardware. But since you have enough cash to burn, you just buy a new machine.  Unfortunately, that won't solve you problem entirely. You still have that obsolete software or device that needs XP.  The good news is that you can run windows 7 or 8 as host to run a virtual XP machine isolated from the net, so you can run that old piece of software or, connect that old device.  Of course (and that would be my preferred choice) you can choose new hardware and run Linux as host to run a virtual XP, 7, or 8 to run your legacy items.


Scenario 3: Those of you that are tired of being trapped to imposed upgrades and hardware changes from software vendors that are dominating the market.

If you have been contemplating for some time how to get away from the whole madness of constant upgrading and security issues costing you a fortune, now is the time to act, and try something different. Why not install a great Linux distribution of choice with or without the help of experts to guide you.  I'm not promising you that this will be the easiest way, but it might just be the most rewarding way. (no pain no gain)
The great communities around various Linux distributions are always happy to help you start. Ubuntu is one of the most user-friendly distribution. It has a huge community, always ready to help you. And then there is people like me, that also will help hands-on to get you started. Don't forget, there is no shame in using a windows/Linux dual-boot or virtual machines of various versions of Windows. There will be applications that simply are not available for any other O/S than Windows. It is not because your Garden tools don't fit your sports car, that you are stuck driving a truck all the time. Just use the right tools for the task ahead.


Scenario  4: Experimental souls that would like to try something new and are not afraid to re-tool, but don't have the cash to do so with commercial solutions. 

If Experimenting is your thing, then I can only recommend switching to Linux, trying out various distributions and flavours, installing virtual windows boxes and more. you'll find tons of interesting new things you might never have thought about. Saddle-up,take the ride, and be surprised.


Scenario 5: And at last, ones that don't know what to do or want. 

You might use your PC only for private use, and think, there is no harm in all the security hype, and don't really know what to do. Be wise and don't take risks of exposing your personal information to possible criminals that will try to exploit the situation.  I believe it is more a question of when rather than if they will try. 
It won't hurt to experiment some, and try different things before you let the ICT sales people bombard you with so called great deals, and pry open your wallet.


Remark!
For some windows XP applications you might be able to use a windows compatibility layer (www.winehq.org) to run them directly in Linux without virtualization. Wine has been around for more than 2 decades, and proven to be very useful for a selection of applications and games. Especially if your hardware has a hard time running a full virtualization solution. WINE is less resource hungry. For a list of applications that run under WINE follow this link.

Conclusion!
No matter what situation you are finding yourself in, continuing to have an on-line life with your current XP set-up without doing anything is out of the question. If you don't need to be on-line, disconnect from the net and hey go on, XP all you want., hell, I still have an old dos box kicking around.(isolated)  But off-line means off-line.