this could be interesting...

[smilo]

i can't help but wonder what the effect will be
with the discontinuation of xp security and support
by m$ in a few days. 04/08/14

if m$ marketing thinks that i, as most in this world,
am going to spend $200 to upgrade
or go out and buy a new computer,
they are sadly mistaken.

contrary to popular belief, i am not made out of money,
and frankly, i do not believe that i need or even want
all the new fancy pants bells and whistles.
as far as i'm concerned, they are nothing more than resource hogs.
cfs1 is my sim of choice, for crying out loud!
that should say something.

i have no doubt that some will say,
i'm living in the past. i reply, so what?
something has to be said for basic, simpler times.
weren't computer suppose to make our lives easier?
right. anybody still believe that?

i have a windows 8 smart phone.
i hate it....it's just what i need,
an over priced smart phone that makes me feel stupid.
hells bells, i've got a wife that does that.

i drive a '90 toyota camry and i like it.
it starts, stops and turns when i want it to.
the heater even works and best of all, it was cheap.
if i had the money and time to get it running,
i would drive my '67 chevy nova or the '56 dodge pickup.
...talk about basic.

don't get me wrong, i'm not a luddite.
i just can't see the point of "upgrading"
a system that, although, far from perfect,
but has worked just fine for years.

i guess my main concern are the scare tactics
that m$ is using regarding the discontinuation
of m$ security and the potential related problems.
not that i've been completely at ease with m$ essentials.
for the most part, it seems to have worked okay.

so, can anyone recommend a reasonably priced
or better yet, freeware security program?

[_486_Col_Wolf]

IMO, AVG Free edition and Malwarebytes free edition are the best two to have. I use them both on my simpit only dedicated XP and they have kept it virus free for some time now.

[hubbabubba]

Funny how things turn, smilo!

This is my first visit to SOH since my dear old W98SE went belly-up, and I'm typing this post on the “salvaged” XP machine that I'm trying to upgrade before the final bell rings. I will tell all the story in my thread later on... and on another machine (hopefully).

Watch your PM smilo, I need your help...

[ViperPilot2]

Look... it's like this:

If you use your XP system to run or administer a business with Credit Card Transactions... have lots of your Personal Information such as Credit Card #s from many Online Purchases you have made... Online Banking or other financial transactions, then you would probably want to Upgrade, just for the sake of protecting yourself from Identity Theft or Fraud.

On the other hand... if you use your XP system just for surfing the Web, buying stuff with a Gift card, FlightSim... regular 'home' stuff, then I would venture to say that us XP users might just be OK.

To the OP... I share many of your thoughts, have a rig which is probably older than yours (read: single core) which runs FS9 just fine and dandy for me.

If it isn't broken, don't try and 'repair' it.

[Ivan]

How many of you still have Windows 98 boxes? Sound like Hubbabubba doesn't run one any more.
I still have two in operation.
One of them is actually a Pentium 233 MMX which should give an idea of how old it is.

I agree with ViperPilot2; Upgrade if what you do has an associated liability: you run a business, hold important data, or hold very private or financial data on it AND you are networked. My W98 boxes are not networked. In Computer Security this is called an "Air Gap".

You need to determine if the Risk (Compromise or Loss of Data) and its Likelihood is greater than the Cost of Mitigation (Upgrade). I generally choose NOT to upgrade unless there is a tangible benefit to the upgrade. Professionals don't have a choice here. We do.

- Ivan.

[hubbabubba]

The XP I just snatched out of dreaded M$ end of support programmed obsolescence (clock is ticking HERE) was originally a W98 (not SE) machine.

It may well return to it, or some other oldie. So far, my XP experience is a pleasing one, but I do miss the feel of an OS who knows who's the boss.

[smilo]

spent yesterday looking through the ms download center.

after looking at the link hubba just provided,
old xp updates (up to today) will remain available.
so, what will be lost will be someone to talk to at ms
if there is a problem....never did that anyway.
and, of course, no more updates.
what i was mainly concerned about
was that i might not be able to activate new xp installations.
on that note, i was mistaken.....whew

then, i particularly enjoyed the no more security scare tactics.

with that in mind, i uninstalled ms essentials
and then, asper ViperPilot2's suggestion,
downloaded and installed avg antivirus 2014.

i am less than ecstatic with the 85.21mb space it requires,
the constant pressure to upgrade to the payware version,
and the amount of resources it hogs,
but as the blues brothers once said,
"what do you want for nothin',
a rubber biscuit?"