Support Ending For WinXP & Vista

Now that Windows 7 is is the newest operating system,  lot of folks have been wondering when support for WinXp and Vista will end.   Good question!  But unfortunately, the answer is not that simple. It all depends on which version of windows you're running and which service packs are installed.

First thing you want to do is make sure you have the latest Service Pack installed on your computer. This means that if you're running Windows XP, you want to make sure Service Pack 3 (SP3) is installed.  If you're running Vista, you want to make sure Service Pack 2 (SP2) is installed.  When in doubt, run Windows Update until all important (or critical) updates are downloaded and installed.


What Service Pack Is Installed On Your Computer?

If you're running WinXP, you can check to see what service pack is installed by clicking the START button, then RIGHT CLICKING on MY COMPUTER and selecting PROPERTIES.  A gray window will pop up on and you will see the service pack listed under the "system".  The latest one is SP3.

If you're running Vista, you can check to see what service pack you're running by clicking the START button, then RIGHT CLICKING on COMPUTER and selecting PROPERTIES.  If you look near the top of the window that pops up (under Windows Edition), you'll see which service pack is installed.  The latest one released is SP2.  

If you are not running SP3 on WinXP or SP2 on Vista, you need to run Windows Update to get them.  Having these service packs are critical to getting continued to support from Microsoft for a little while longer.

Microsoft will eventually end support for WinXP and Vista ... which means that you won't be able to get Windows Updates that help protect the system.  But there is no need to run out and buy Windows 7 yet.  

Here's what we know:

• Vista will continue to be supported until April 2012 (2017 for Vista Business users)


• WinXP will continue to be supported until April 2014

For more information about WinXP Support, click here. 

For more information about Vista Support, click here.

Should you Upgrade or Buy a New Computer?

Several factors are involved in deciding to upgrade versus buy a new computer.  One of the first things you have to ask yourself is, are you happy with your current computer?  If no, then you'd be better off buying a new computer.

If the answer is yes, then you have to determine if your current computer is compatible with Windows 7.  You can download and run the Windows 7 Compatibility Advisor for help in determining if your computer is compatible with Win7.

More Info on Windows 7

I've been getting asked a lot of questions about Windows 7 lately and wanted to share the answers so that everybody could benefit from them.

First, you've heard before that Windows 7 was due to be released this summer around August. The official release date (as of today) is October 22, 2009 (just in time for the Christmas season).

How did Windows 7 get its name? According to Microsoft, this release is the 7th significantly different operating system they've released, so they named it "Windows 7". What were the others?

• Windows 1 (released November 1985)
  
• Windows 2 (released November 1987)
  
• Windows 3 (Win3.0, Win3.1 & WinNT)
• Windows 4 (Win95, Win98, Win98SE, & WinME)
• Windows 5 (Windows 2000, and WinXP)
• Windows 6 (WinVista)
• Windows 7 (Win7)

How does Windows 7 compare to Windows XP and Vista? Let me first say that Windows 7 looks and feels like Windows Vista. So if you're looking for Win7 to look and feel more like WinXP, you're out of luck. You'll still have to get used to the new layout, terminology and features. And like Vista, there will be several different versions of Win7 released (including Starter (or Basic), Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise).

Okay, so folks hate change ... I get that. But aside from those changes, the real complaint against Vista was that it wasn't as stable as WinXP. Aside from that, Vista has some nice new features (but many folks weren't willing to give them a chance). And those features are still present in Win7.

There was another big complaint about Vista - and that was compatibility. When XP was released, any hardware or software programs that were less than four years old pretty much worked. You may have had to update a driver or two, but at least you could still use that piece of hardware or software. When Vista was released, compatibility became a major issue. Folks were forced to buy new hardware and software that would work with Vista. Unfortunately, the same will be true in Windows 7.

Perhaps Microsoft didn't have to "fix" something that wasn't broken when moving beyond WinXP. But they are in business to make money and therefore need to stay fresh by releasing new products. I like XP - but I do like some of the features of Vista too.

Except for a few startup problems from time to time, I personally never had any real trouble with Vista. I used to get annoyed by the popup window asking me if I really want to continue my action, but I quickly learned to ignore it ... and I do understand that they incorporated that extra step to help stop people from inadvertently messing up their software. So I'm willing to overlook that minor annoyance.

Why Microsoft felt the need to change the normal folder menu options from (File, Edit, View, etc.) to "Organize", "Options" and "Tools" - I don't know. But it's not hard to relearn the new naming conventions. These are some of the little changes that will annoy a lot of folks at first.

But some the advantages of the Win7 will be these.....

• More stability (than Vista anyway)
• Improved performance (according to Microsoft)
  
• Cool features first introduced in Vista (like Gadgets)
• Better computer search capability (personally, I hated this improved feature in Vista, but others loved it).
• Improved Taskbar
  

For more information about Windows 7, click the links below:

• Microsoft Videos of Windows 7
• Windows 7 News Website
• What's Really Different in Windows 7 (compared to Vista)?
• If You Loved XP, You'll Hate Win7

Keep in mind that every time Microsoft releases a new operating, they eventually stop supporting older versions. So while Microsoft will continue to support XP for a little, they will eventually stop. This means that the day will come when you will no longer be able to get Windows Updates for XP - thereby putting your computer and data at risk from hackers and other malware programs.

Microsoft is in the driver seat and unless you want to dump Microsoft and go with Linux, MACs or some other system, you'll be forced to "upgrade" at some point (either through a new computer purchase or upgrading your hardware and software). So if you're still using WinXP (like I am), then enjoy it while you can and don't worry so much about the changes when the time comes.

Computer Won't Boot After Windows Update

If you won an AMD-based computer running WinXP, you may have a problem installing Service Pack 3 (SP3) on it. I've run into this problem a couple of times now (mostly on HP computers). Most people experience the problem (i.e., the computer won't boot) after doing a Windows Update.

Here's the problem. SP3 tries to load an Intel driver on your computer during startup following the installation of SP3. The problem is that this driver is not compatible with AMD computers. To fix the problem, you have to disable this driver (which is very easy).

Here's how to fix the problem:

1. First make sure your computer is an AMD-based PC (not Intel). This is VERY IMPORTANT. In most cases, you can look at the front of the tower and there will be a sticker telling you if it's AMD or Intel based (this is assuming you've never replaced the motherboard).
2. If the computer is AMD based, start the computer to SAFE MODE (when you push the button to start the computer, you should see the SAFE MODE option; if you don't start the computer again and keep hitting the F8 key on the keyboard til you see a menu offering you the choice to boot in Safe Mode.
3. Once you're in Safe Mode follow the steps below:
   

• Click the START button and then RUN
  
• In the window type: sc config intelppm start= disabled
  (note there is a space between each word and before the word, "disabled")
  
• Hit "enter" on the keyboard
  
• Reboot the computer normally (it should work)
  

Hopefully this solved your booting problems. If not, then you may have something else wrong with the computer which requires professional technical support. If the steps above did fix your problem, I'd suggest creating a new "restore point"

Running Windows Update and installing SP3 is a good thing. This is just one of those rare flukes that caused a problem. So please don't let this little problem keep you from updating Windows.