Windows XP - Say Goodbye to the Best

Windows XP support has ended.  XP is still used and running 30% or more of the back end systems and infrastructure we know today, from bank machines to cash registers.  Home users still run it.  Commercial companies and government agencies still use it.  Support ends April 15th, and that makes for a 13 year run that will be unparalleled.  No Operating System in the Microsoft fold has or probably will measure up to the intuitive, simple yet powerful interface that Windows XP sports.  It runs on old slower hardware or high end devices, uses high or low end graphics well, has a driver for almost any piece of hardware out there right now, and is robust enough to handle heavy loads, especially the lesser known 64 bit variant, which lacked the driver support XP was popularly known for.  Ok for all of the Windows XP haters, many of who will say I am crazy as a loon for my nod to Windows XP unparalleled immortality...  What is poised to take XP's place?  Not Vista, nor Windows 7, which both are resource piggies, even 7 is not as nearly stable and overall functional, nor is it easier to configure than XP, and Windows 8 saw productivity fall through the floor with its introduction of a fashionably trendy row blocks and text that resembled graphics on an old Dos shell.  If you want to get something done, XP was and is the OS of choice.  If you want pretty yet buggy, try Vista, if you want function but glacier slow shaded graphics and transitions, try Windows 7, if you want bland and easy to read but don't need multitasking (buzz word kiddies, from the 80s and 90s) go with Windows 8.  If you want to do computing, calculations, conversions, real work, or system to network transfers... XP is the winner.  To be productive, XP is still hands down the best.  If you want to slow down, to watch pretty videos or pictures, and experience gee whiz doo dads, XP is not for you.  It should have been an easy decision for Microsoft to continue support, even cheap support, such as a low cost extended warranty and continued pay as you go general support.  But no, they would rather dump millions into an effort to control the customer, instead of helping them get something done.  This is the trend today with all technology companies, to force you to do what they want you to, yet pay extra for it - Sneaky huh?  Shame is that XP is a champion OS that we may not see again in our lifetime, maybe never again if tablets do finally conquer the hearts and minds of XP lovers, since XP is no longer a contender, that can now happen.

Windows 9 Must Haves to fix Windows 8 - John Dvorak

John Dvorak is spot on as to the problems with Windows 8, and what Windows 9 (the next version of Windows) should strive to be for the betterment of the Industry!  I hate Windows 8 (I am a Mac and Windows user), and many PC experts also hate it.  Not because of the tiles, but because of the lost features, the central start button missing that brings all features and access to one location, the lost productivity due to a users inability to get done what they want to do!  See his top 5 list of what Microsoft MUST do to correct the path of the ship, or face going straight into the iceberg within the next few years.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2429717,00.asp

Joshua returns his iMac, and other interesting statements.

Great article about the pitfalls of a Windows user trying to switch to the Mac. Yeah, Macs are great, cool, high quality, expensive and supposedly chic, but this guy took some liberal license and added some humor. Mac nut jobs from all over jumped on the attack Joshua bandwagon. Funny how we get so passionate about a computer system, yet allow politicians to steal our liberty. Well, take a look at the articles from the Huffington Post, opening salvo. Then do read the part 2 response on what happened after he posted that article. I do not see the connection to Adam Lambert, 2 years ago, American Idol Winner, and fantastic vocalist. But I guess the point is that there is no need to get all riled up about unimportant things. Take a look at the results article.

The author has his website at the following address: http://www.joshuakors.com/

Windows XP BSOD Fix

Many users of Windows XP are experiencing a critical error in Windows, due to a new patch issued by Microsoft. The solution is below for this who recently patched the system and currently get the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death).

We have found that there is only one patch that requires un-installation to resolve the blue screen issue. KB977165 is the patch in question, the other patches do not seem to cause the blue screen behaviour and do not need to be uninstalled.

With that in mind, here's the updated solution steps:

1. Boot from your Windows XP CD or DVD and start the recovery console (see this Microsoft article for help with this step)

Once you are in the Repair Screen..

2. Type this command: CHDIR $NtUninstallKB977165$\spuninst

3. Type this command: BATCH spuninst.txt

4. When complete, type this command: exit


IMPORTANT: If you are able to uninstall the patch and get back into Windows, in order to stay protected you can use the following automated solution which secures your PC against the vulnerabilities that are resolved with KB977165 until you can successfully get the update installed without the blue screens.

Please see the link below for the article describing the vulnerability that is fixed with KB977165 and how you can get protected without installing the actual KB update:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/979682


I also wanted to thank maxyimus for the great thread, and LThibx for their participation as well!

Thanks,

Kevin Hau