Move old PC to Windows 10 or not

[speedog]

Got an old Compaq Presario that is currently running Windows XP, sort of the basement spare right now. All other PC's in the house are running Windows 10 (5 of them) and am considering moving this to Windows 10 but not sure if really capable.

It's got an AMD Sempron 3200+ 1.8Ghz processor, 2.5GB RAM, around 38GB free on the hard drive and the video card is Windows 10 compliant. I also have an unused Windows 8.1 license kicking around so the upgrade would be XP->8.1->10.. I'd probably have to run the 32 bit version because of the processor and the RAM - the question is will this old clunker work as well on 10 as it does on XP? Can throw in another HD if need be and spare up quite a bit of room on the existing one.

Like I said, it's an older box and an extra that's just kicking around. It's a zero cost upgrade but will it even run Windows 10 in a half decent fashion?

[Xtrema]

It should be good enough as a web browser at the very minimum. I had Windows 10 running a low end tablet with 1GB of RAM and 32GB disk and a low end Atom processor.

If you got the spare time to deal with the drivers and such (so old, if driver doesn't come off Windows 10, it may be hard to find).

I doubt it'll work as well as XP tho. Since most browsers are dropping XP support, you may be left behind soon without a workable browser.

[speedog]

Others have done it so driver fixes aren't a problem, I guess it'll be an experiment, mostly used for browsing, word and excel.

[revelations]

I would not bother with that rig. XP will likely run much faster on that anyway than W10.

Get new/different browser and just keep that as a kids machine/backup. Will work fine as is for years to come.

edit - if you have the curiosity, try running a Live Ubuntu on that machine if its just for simple browsing/homework, etc.

[taemo]

That rig can run Win 7 or Win 10 but it doesnt necessarily mean it will be usable.

I've tried running Windows 7 x64 on old C2D laptops with less than 3GB and performance was terrible, couldn't stream videos properly.
but simple Office apps and Web browsing should be ok.

What i'm thinking of giving a try is running Android on my old devices
http://www.android-x86.org/download
http://www.jide.com/en/remixos-for-pc

[speedog]

Android, hmm

[speedog]

Some minor hardware changes, changed processor to an AMD Sempron 3400+ 2.0Ghz and maxed RAM our to 4Gb.

Problem now is even though I have 64 bit Windows 8.1 both on DVD and USB, this clunker won't boot to USB and it won't boot to the DVD either (get a 'cannot boot to CD code 5' error. Have played around with plopboot and it won't boot to the DVD either. Also, system is currently running 32 bit XP.

Am tired and not going to bother anymore tonight, might download android tomorrow.

[yellowsnow]

I would simply because XP is no longer supported and there are probably lots of vulnerabilities now

[firebane]

Android on PC does not work. There is extremely limited support and apps to be used.

[googe]

Definitely don't run XP. So many vulnerabilities that even web browsing is dangerous. Microsoft stopped updating it a long time ago.

[speedog]

Originally posted by googe
Definitely don't run XP. So many vulnerabilities that even web browsing is dangerous. Microsoft stopped updating it a long time ago.
Really?

How is it then that this machine is still clean then? Does it depend on where you're surfing to?

Btw, I've been informed that thinks box in its current configuration should be able to run 64 bit Windows 10, just too tired to pursue right now.

[firebane]

Originally posted by speedog

Really?

How is it then that this machine is still clean then? Does it depend on where you're surfing to?

Btw, I've been informed that thinks box in its current configuration should be able to run 64 bit Windows 10, just too tired to pursue right now.

Vulnerabilities is just a way to make people upgrade.

If you run Windows XP with proper browsing methods, NOT using IE, and have a decent AV in place just use it.

There are people still out there using Windows 98 machines and don't have any problems. Why? Because they don't get sucked into the "ZOMG YOU WILL GET VULNERABLE" bullshit.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by firebane
ZOMG YOU WILL GET VULNERABLE" bullshit.

attack vector has changed since the old days of PC. Exploits nowadays are more like malware or social engineering instead of exploiting OS weaknesses.

If you have a PC and have all the software you need on it running fine and you are ok with current version, you probably don't need to upgrade.

Vulnerability is just 1 reason to. Running latest version of your software is the other.

[firebane]

Originally posted by Xtrema


attack vector has changed since the old days of PC. Exploits nowadays are more like malware or social engineering instead of exploiting OS weaknesses.

If you have a PC and have all the software you need on it running fine and you are ok with current version, you probably don't need to upgrade.

Vulnerability is just 1 reason to. Running latest version of your software is the other.

Attack vectors haven't changed at all. Its all the same pile of shit and mainly boils down to idiotic people opening idiotic files and infecting their systems.

How often do you ever have an attack from an outside source infecting your system? Never. Most of the time you have any issues with your system is self inflicted.

[revelations]

Originally posted by firebane


Vulnerabilities is just a way to make people upgrade.

If you run Windows XP with proper browsing methods, NOT using IE, and have a decent AV in place just use it.

There are people still out there using Windows 98 machines and don't have any problems. Why? Because they don't get sucked into the "ZOMG YOU WILL GET VULNERABLE" bullshit.

:werd:

I have clients using XP on a daily basis. Hell even some AHS admin offices run XP machines just fine.

Ditch IE, use something like Malwarebytes, keep mail online (Gmail) and you can get by just fine :dunno:

[ipeefreely]

Originally posted by revelations


:werd:

I have clients using XP on a daily basis. Hell even some AHS admin offices run XP machines just fine.

Ditch IE, use something like Malwarebytes, keep mail online (Gmail) and you can get by just fine :dunno:
AHS pays Microsoft to update XP that's how they still use it.

MS still does updates for XP just not for free.

You can also do the POS version hack if you wanted to... :dunno:

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by firebane
How often do you ever have an attack from an outside source infecting your system? Never. Most of the time you have any issues with your system is self inflicted.

Please look up ransomware that exploit Flash and Silverlight in the past year.

The reason IE is bad, it's tied to OS so they can exploit any OS vulnerability via IE. But Chrome and Firefox with outdated flash and/or any other plugins are just as vulnerable to attacks.

Running Chrome on XP is the safest bet, but there is no guarantee when Google will finally pull support of Chrome on XP.

Yes, it always starts with someone doing stupid things. But staying in the latest version of software is like having winter tires. You may have the skill to run All Season in -30c but won't it be nice to have that extra bit of assurance that you are covered?

And MS is not even as bad as Apple when it comes to planned obsolescence. XP has been around for 12 years. It's time to move on.

[revelations]

XP and W7 are such home runs in terms of longevity (and enterprise systems are so intricately woven) that by the time the major hiccups are figured out, its time to upgrade ..... :rofl: