End of Life for Vista

[Fiery]

Is Microsoft wanting the average user to keep using there Operating System, or are they trying to force us over to the "Toys" (Mac).

I understand that some people like to have all the "latest and greatest", (great if you can afford it) but what happens to the regular income people?

My first ever home PC was 3.1 on a 386, back in the mid to late 80's I think. I then went out and bought my first ever (and last) complete PC. Windows 98SE, from tower, CRT monitor, to a keyboard that I am still using today. (That's the only constant).

Then along came Win2k, and in my humble opinion THE BEST OPERATING SYSTEM, sure it used to get the odd BSOD, but unlike 98SE you could leave it on for days and it wouldn't slow down.

Then arrives XP, great if you are a total noob to PC's (by this time I had started building my own towers and learning what made a PC tick). I dual booted my then Win2k with XP to try XP. Sufficed to say XP didn't last long.

Then all support for Win2k ceased, Vista was released, I personally prefer to buy a retail version of an OS, as opposed to OEM. As Vista was new at the time (and before it got bagged out for being a resource hog), I spent almost $400AUD on the retail version of Vista Ultimate, and because I was not in a single PC household, a second copy was bought, cheaper this time only $200AUD, same as I had.

I built a tower especially to run Vista, (my specs now), and sure it is a resource hog, but my tower can handle it. I even built a very basic tower 4GB DDR3 RAM, AMD quad core, with on board everything else, for everyone else to use. Not one problem has occurred with the basic tower and it handles Vista well.

Then the uproar about Vista being the resource hog came about. So I put my hand in my pocket and purchased Win7 Ultimate retail version.

Dual booted it, I don't know if it was because I didn't give Win7 a fighting chance, but the thing I disliked about Win7 was there no Desktop Icon in the taskbar. (Email client I use WLM) so that was no biggy.

(Footnote Win7 has gone from my tower).

Then along comes Win8, from all the reports I am hearing, it is being compared to Vista i.e. a total stuff up.

I guess what I am trying to say is why can't Microsoft give the average NON RICH person a chance with the OS they have bought. If you go to the EOL page of Microsoft, every three years, we are being forced to put our hands in our pockets and buy another OS.

Okay handsome frog session over.

Susan

 

[Brink]

Hello Susan,

No one is forcing you to upgrade to the latest version of Windows if you don't want to. There's certainly no need to if you are happy with what you have.

Here are the end of life schedules for each Windows version. End of support refers to the date when Microsoft no longer provides automatic fixes, updates, or online technical assistance. This is the time to make sure you have the latest available service pack installed. Without Microsoft support, you will no longer receive security updates that can help protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software that can steal your personal information.

Windows lifecycle fact sheet - Microsoft Windows Help


Vista - April 11th 2017


Hope this helps some,
Shawn

 

[Shadowjk]

+1

Please note that once all support has ended Vista won't just all of the sudden cease to work. All it means is, as Shawn has stated, No more security patches. As long as you have a trustworthy firewall and A/V you'll be fine

As for the Windows 7 show desktop - Is this what you mean? Where you click on it and it minimizes all windows?

Show Desktop - Windows 7 Help Forums




Josh

 

[townsbg]

If you don't like 7 more than likely you'll hate 8. I bought an imac a couple of years ago and when my desktop went out late last year I switched over to that. If 8 is the future of M$ I want no part in it. Vista is still supported until 2017 if that's what you're happy with.

 

[Shadowjk]

I agree... Windows 8 is not enterprise friendly at all and I feel it goes against the multi-tasking capabilities which made Windows famous to begin with.

I went to the dentist a couple of weeks ago just for a normal checkup and I always noticed that they had used XP as their OS (I pickup on these random things aha ), however they seem to have switched to Windows 8... Probably the only business I've seen to use Windows 8 in a business environment...

I just hope they don't keep the start screen in future operating systems, either build one for tablets or build one for desktops...

Just my outlook ,
Josh!

 

[townsbg]

I find the new UI incredibly awkward to use. It might not be so bad on a touch screens however it is terrible on a desktop.

 

[Fiery]

Wow who would have thought my little rant would bring out the big guns

Okay now to address everyone who took the time to respond, thank you by the way

Brink, you said "you will no longer receive security updates that can help protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software that can steal your personal information." In other words no more Security Patches.

Shadowjk I will get back to you

And to my friend Anakin Skywalker, damned straight you hit the nail on the head there. I don't like Win7, I have had a play with Win8 (local store that sells PC's), and oh my stars now that is one OS I do not like at all (somebody have a bucket?).

As for your imac, I will be polite and say you can keep it

Now your turn Mr Shadowjk (yes you can duck it will probably be wise to ),so all they did was move it from the left hand side to the right hand side? (Bangs her head on the keyboard) Is there an Icon that can be put in the taskbar? Or is it always a right click on the taskbar? .......you like Brink, stated the obvious i.e. no more Security Patches.

I am not attacking anyone on this forum especially not you guys, I am having a go at Microflacid aka Microsoft (the reason behind my initial post), why will they not provide Security Patches for so called outdated Operating Systems? That is what is getting on my goat. I like most people handed over to Winblows a substantial amount of money, for an OS, that seems no sooner to be released and it is no longer supported .

On the upside shadowjk you said "As long as you have a trustworthy firewall and A/V you'll be fine" Indeed I do, not only the hardware firewall, but I also have ESET Nod32 Smart Security. (software firewall and A/V).

I did at one stage have MSE, but it let in a keylogger. So I ditched it and have gone back to having a paid for A/V, along with Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, nothing has made it in .

Mr shadowjk, if you could kindly answer the question about the "show desktop" being able to have an icon, then if push comes to shove I will at least have Win7 at my disposal.

 

[townsbg]

The older OSs (2000 and older) and eventually XP aren't really worth patching anymore and M$ would rather focus on other things. I think that it is understandable. In the modern age XP and 2000 are really insecure compared to Vista and 7 (you can research and find the security improvements). They are so antiquated that they aren't worth using anymore especially online. IMO the only use I would see in XP and 2000 are for legacy applications with no modern substitute and preferably they are isolated and offline. XP will be about 12 years old when when MS drops support. You are correct in that once the Windows OSs are unsupported Microsoft won't release security patches and bug fixes but also commercial software publishers won't support them either. When security providers (especially antivirus) stop releasing new versions for an OS and won't provide definition updates for existing versions then it is really time to stop using it and upgrade. I suspect that will be the case within 2 years of the end of support for XP. Can you find any antivirus software that still supports 2000? Microsoft isn't the only software company that stops support for old versions of their software. Pretty much all of them do.

Regardless as to what you think I'll keep my mac because after 2020 (when support for 7 ceases) I'll probably never use a newer version of Windows for personal uses unless Microsoft overhauls the UI and puts it back like it was. What will you do will support for Vista ends (since you don't like 7 or 8)?

For the record not only have I tried 8 I've put a trial of it on a virtual machine and every time I try to use it I get extremely frustrated. It is so inefficient to switch between windows. Even logging in and out is a nightmare. I'm sure that at it's core it is a great system but I can't get past that user interface. This is coming from someone that is really good with Windows.

 

[Fiery]

The older OSs (2000 and older) and eventually XP aren't really worth patching anymore and M$ would rather focus on other things. I think that it is understandable. In the modern age XP and 2000 are really insecure compared to Vista and 7 (you can research and find the security improvements). They are so antiquated that they aren't worth using anymore especially online. IMO the only use I would see in XP and 2000 are for legacy applications with no modern substitute and preferably they are isolated and offline. XP will be about 12 years old when when MS drops support. You are correct in that once the Windows OSs are unsupported Microsoft won't release security patches and bug fixes but also commercial software publishers won't support them either. When security providers (especially antivirus) stop releasing new versions for an OS and won't provide definition updates for existing versions then it is really time to stop using it and upgrade. I suspect that will be the case within 2 years of the end of support for XP. Can you find any antivirus software that still supports 2000? Microsoft isn't the only software company that stops support for old versions of their software. Pretty much all of them do.

Regardless as to what you think I'll keep my mac because after 2020 (when support for 7 ceases) I'll probably never use a newer version of Windows for personal uses unless Microsoft overhauls the UI and puts it back like it was. What will you do will support for Vista ends (since you don't like 7 or 8)?

For the record not only have I tried 8 I've put a trial of it on a virtual machine and every time I try to use it I get extremely frustrated. It is so inefficient to switch between windows. Even logging in and out is a nightmare. I'm sure that at it's core it is a great system but I can't get past that user interface. This is coming from someone that is really good with Windows.

Oh Anakin big bite from you re your imac Sorry I couldn't resist throwing that bait out there

As for Win8 people that I know who have bought machines with it pre installed, have done nothing but moan, groan and whinge about it, from simple things like if they are listening to music and they change screens/window the music will stop.

I do have Win7 and even though I don't like it, if push comes to shove I will have it fall back on until at least 2020. I hope MS listen to the feedback about Win8, and goes back to a more friendly UI, if not then I might have to start teaching myself about imac's

 

[Shadowjk]

Show Desktop Shortcut - Create - Windows 7 Help Forums

This should show you how to create a shortcut for which you can pin to your taskbar

If Microsoft didn't end support for their Operating Systems every business would most likely still be on XP to this date. This removes any chance for hardware to get more powerful because quite simply, why would you need it?

1GB RAM works fine with XP. It wasn't until Vista was released before people realised that we need more that 1GB RAM. Machines then slowly got more powerful and now Vista is just as stable as 7 with the right hardware IMO

Josh

 

[Fiery]

Show Desktop Shortcut - Create - Windows 7 Help Forums

This should show you how to create a shortcut for which you can pin to your taskbar

If Microsoft didn't end support for their Operating Systems every business would most likely still be on XP to this date. This removes any chance for hardware to get more powerful because quite simply, why would you need it?

1GB RAM works fine with XP. It wasn't until Vista was released before people realised that we need more that 1GB RAM. Machines then slowly got more powerful and now Vista is just as stable as 7 with the right hardware IMO

Josh

Yes I know that, I chose the 32bit over the 64bit, mainly so a lot of programmes I had would work. I built this tower for Vista, and have also have built, basic towers, with a decent CPU and the maximum RAM, not one person has had an issue with Vista.

 

[townsbg]

Yes I know that, I chose the 32bit over the 64bit, mainly so a lot of programmes I had would work. I built this tower for Vista, and have also have built, basic towers, with a decent CPU and the maximum RAM, not one person has had an issue with Vista.

I hope you know that a 32-bit system can only use 4 gb.

Oh Anakin big bite from you re your imac Sorry I couldn't resist throwing that bait out there

Don't be a hater. If I got an 8 machine provided that there are drivers I'd put Vista or 7 on it. If there aren't Vista or 7 drivers I wouldn't buy it.

 

[Fiery]

I hope you know that a 32-bit system can only use 4 gb.



Don't be a hater. If I got an 8 machine provided that there are drivers I'd put Vista or 7 on it. If there aren't Vista or 7 drivers I wouldn't buy it.

Yes I know 32bit will only run 4GB RAM, I have 4GB DDR3 1333MHz. (at the time of my build that was the fastest).

And naturally the day after I bought my CPU AMD Phenom X IIX4 965 they released the 6 core.


And I'm not a hater I'm a stirrer darlin

 

[Shadowjk]

And I'm not a hater I'm a stirrer darlin

Love it!

Josh

 

[Fiery]

Love it!

Josh

Careful Mr you could be next

 

[mdiemer]

New forum member here, who recently rediscovered the wonders of this marvelous OS. I was adding a new drive, and thought, why not check out Vista again, before pulling out my W7 upgrade disc? I installed all the updates and am now running SP2. What a Gorgeous OS! As others have said, the theme alone is worth staying with Vista for. By comparison, those ridiculous viney things on W7 always puzzled me. Even the lettering is cold and lifeless, while Vista's is majestic and inspiring. As for performance, with W7 I have had two frustrating years of display driver failures, occasional blue screens and general lackluster performance. Not only that, I had to take it to Best Buy to upgrade it to 64 bits, because the installation disc was defective. If only I had stayed with Vista, which came with my computer! I'm no geek, but my intuition is usually correct, and it's telling me this is the best OS Microsoft ever built, and, sadly, probably their last great OS.

Now, I am very happy to learn that it will be supported for three more years. Some have said here that as long you have a great AV program, it will still be usable. I have Kaspersky Pure. Can I look forward to using Vista beyond its end of life date? No way will I be sucked into W8, and I already had the bad experience with 7. I agree that Microsoft is shooting itself in the foot by not keeping this great OS going, because it will just cause people to migrate to Apple or even Linux. I would even pay for regular patches, so it would be economically justifiable for them.

Long Live Vista!

 

[townsbg]

Windows 7 isn't a bad system however there are a few things I don't like about it especially the window snap. It is certainly better than 8. I do like Vista better than 7 and I really love the AeroVG theme. I run a mac now but but if I run windows on Vmware I prefer to pull up Vista.

Once Microsoft stops supporting Vista there will no longer be any patches however you can (at your own risk) continue to run it. All major software companies stop supporting older versions of their software so don't blame Microsoft for that practice.

 

[dpantvista]

For old timers like you, I think Windows 8.x is a no go. My 5 years old HP Pavillion came with Vista and had them running smoothly and beautifully. The only reason I switched to 7 (Ultimate) was Vista's slow and somewhat random acting performance over network drive access (I have a NAS and multiple external drives with a lot network shares in my LAN). Also, Vista's Windows Explorer suffers from functionality IMHO.

The desktop icon has just moved to the right end of the taskbar in Windows 7 and I believe one can easily get used to it. But OS security and up-to-date performance is something important. Windows XP is an excellent, most popular OS but unfortunately it cannot live up to today's standards. For example, the .NET framework and even Microsoft Security Essentials have a hard time installing in XP. Let alone other security issues, IE or support for new hardware. If Windows XP still meets your requirements then you can keep running it but your PC will eventually become obsolete as the issues mentioned above are true with or without updates from Microsoft.

 

[townsbg]

Who are you talking to and what are you talking about?

For old timers like you, I think Windows 8.x is a no go. My 5 years old HP Pavillion came with Vista and had them running smoothly and beautifully. The only reason I switched to 7 (Ultimate) was Vista's slow and somewhat random acting performance over network drive access (I have a NAS and multiple external drives with a lot network shares in my LAN). Also, Vista's Windows Explorer suffers from functionality IMHO.

The desktop icon has just moved to the right end of the taskbar in Windows 7 and I believe one can easily get used to it. But OS security and up-to-date performance is something important. Windows XP is an excellent, most popular OS but unfortunately it cannot live up to today's standards. For example, the .NET framework and even Microsoft Security Essentials have a hard time installing in XP. Let alone other security issues, IE or support for new hardware. If Windows XP still meets your requirements then you can keep running it but your PC will eventually become obsolete as the issues mentioned above are true with or without updates from Microsoft.