PCA Forums

Found this site, and I actually tested it on a pc that I had to repair for a friend who was still running xp.

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/171171- ... ws-xp-sp4/

WHY?!?! That shit just needs to die already!

Don't see the point. It's just a rollup of all post SP3 updates (not the ones for Windows Embedded). Who's still doing enough new XP installs to need this? Even Chinese pirates have moved on. When you're done, you still have an obsolete and unsupported OS unless you install the Embedded hack, and that only will carry you for a few more months.

The irony is that most of those updates are for IE 8, which you would have to be insane to still be using.

Let it die. The only thing I still use XP on is my workbench PC, which I only use for repairing client hard drives, and copying data from them.

Screw all that new, fancy Windows crap.
I just received Service Pack 27 for my DOS box.

Here at work, I have several systems that run XP. There are times that I need to do a fresh install due to a HD failure. The software needs to run on XP since it's interfacing with equipment in the lab, and would cost the company $$$ to update the hardware. I still have one system running Windows 98 for the same reason.

Special situation in your case.

Question: Why don't you just image those systems to save time?

I've got an XP box that's running our access controls system.
I COULD upgrade it to Windows 7 but it's not necessary really.
It's not doing anything on the Internet and it's a closed system.

If it dies, I'll just re-build it as a new Win 7 box.
The control panels have the info on them anyway so we'll still function but we won't be able to upload changes or add employees until the OS is up. Not terrible.

Executioner wrote:Here at work, I have several systems that run XP. There are times that I need to do a fresh install due to a HD failure. The software needs to run on XP since it's interfacing with equipment in the lab, and would cost the company $$$ to update the hardware. I still have one system running Windows 98 for the same reason.

You really should be imaging them if that's the case, either to a file server or a 2nd drive inside.

Have you tried to get the old software/hardware to work with Windows 7 or 8? I know at my job we had several XP desktops due to some really old software that they used for accounting and when I took over security, I got them all switched over to at least Windows 7. Took a bit of work, but we eventually got them working. I'm happy to say that we have 0 live XP boxes running. The only XP boxes running are the old ones that were virtualized as a just-in-case, but are otherwise powered off and we haven't even turned them back on for several months now. Soon I'll just have them moved to an external disk and put in a storage cabinet.

Can't image them. I would have to buy software and have it approved through IT - and I know the answer from IT - NO. Any software that you install has to be approved before use.

Executioner wrote:Can't image them. I would have to buy software and have it approved through IT - and I know the answer from IT - NO. Any software that you install has to be approved before use.

If they are so locked down tight, how come they are using such an old/insecure OS as XP still? That would be my response to them Plus, this decision should come from the bean counters, not IT who are always prone to not considering actual costs, but are more worried about something adding more work. Calculate the time it takes to restore and image to a new HD vs installing XP from scratch and all the software. If it was Windows 8 off a USB 3.0 to an SSD then yea, imaging probably won't save much time

There are open source tools that can create images, especially of such an old OS like XP. For example, http://clonezilla.org/

but don't worry, I just had an XP box come back online today due to an issue that came up that we hadn't encountered so far, so needed it back online until we figure it out. Dam XP, it's like fkn cockroaches....

psypher wrote:If they are so locked down tight, how come they are using such an old/insecure OS as XP still? That would be my response to them Plus, this decision should come from the bean counters, not IT who are always prone to not considering actual costs, but are more worried about something adding more work. Calculate the time it takes to restore and image to a new HD vs installing XP from scratch and all the software. If it was Windows 8 off a USB 3.0 to an SSD then yea, imaging probably won't save much time

There are open source tools that can create images, especially of such an old OS like XP. For example, http://clonezilla.org/

but don't worry, I just had an XP box come back online today due to an issue that came up that we hadn't encountered so far, so needed it back online until we figure it out. Dam XP, it's like fkn cockroaches....

LOL

We run windows 7 pro. They have it locked down for everyone. I had to request admin rights to install some special calibration software that I use. The request goes all the way up to the VP for approval. It took me 3 weeks before I finally had approval.

The other issue are the different laptops we have (different models). To make it easier for a re-installation of xp, I have a flash drive setup for this. Once xp is installed, we are pretty much done since the laptop DOES NOT connect to the company network or even to the internet. It monitors equipment in our lab, and it also records data from measurements.

The old Dell laptops that IT gets rid of every 2-3 years, I grab those for future use. I have to wipe the win7 image though. Again, not a big deal. The IT department does not support those that are running machines not on the company network.

I would have to buy software

Don't have to buy Clonezilla.....

funny till last year a friend was still using a very old packer bell desktop using dos 3.1 and a bw pinwheel printer .with old ribbon paper. not even sure were he was able to fine paper or ink cartages for the printer at. when we open up the computer how it ran was totally packed with dust rabbits not bunnys they grew up to full rabbits ~this was a 386 computer never worked on .he just used it to print out blank work orders he would fill out by hand. he did have newer computers to surf with and accounting . he was to cheap to update his work orders . it only had 4 mg of EDO ram in the computer.