I have a laptop w/ windows xp.?

Question

I read today that Microsoft will end support for the XP OS system in a few days & I am searching what to do. I don't really like the windows ops's out since xp, & have heard some unpleasant things about win 7 & 8 so I don't really want to go there.
would I be better off buying a Mac, or have a Linux installed in my Toshiba laptop which is close to 10 yrs old, if it will work, or break down and install Win Vista ?

Answer 1

Odds that a 10 year old laptop will not have the requirements to run Vista, 7 or 8. Also it is unlikely that there are drivers for a unit that old in Vista, 7 or 8.



Your first option is to continue running XP. Just because Microsoft is pulling all the XP stuff off their web site does not mean that XP will magically stop working. MS has not supported XP in any way since the release of XP SP 3 six years ago. So the deadline next week really changes nothing from what it has been since the release of Vista.



The second alternative is to go with a non_MS OS such as Linux. Realize that Linux has no apps, no games, and other surfing the Internet really can not do anything. You would probably find it a big step backwards.



Your third option is a new PC. If you want to buy a Apple, go for it. But once you discover how ecpensivee they are and that they can not run 95% of the software and games on the market, don't come crying to us.



Instead upgrade to a unit running Windows 7. It is a decent OS, very stable and runs well. Like XP. Vista is no longer supported by Microsoft. And Win 8 is sto bad that MS has already replaced it with 8.1.

Answer 2

Your laptop is too old to run Windows 7 or 8. Vista is junk. So you could buy a Mac for over $1,000 or you could download Linux free and see how you like it. I'd recommend Linux Lite. It was created specifically for older computers. It's a real full-featured operating system that comes with LibreOffice Writer and Calc, which are open source (free) alternatives to MS Office Word and Excel. You can also download Impress (free), which is an alternative to PowerPoint. These programs will read, write, create, and save files in the corresponding MS Office formats.



I loaded Linux Mint 13 on an old Dell running XP and it works fine. There are newer versions of Linux Mint, but 13 has long term service (LTS) updates and works well with older computers.



The great thing about Linux is that you can burn the OS to a DVD (or CD for Linux Lite) and run the OS from the DVD to see if you like it before you install it.



Edited: I've also used Zorin. It's fine as well. The version of Linux you choose is mostly personal preference. There are some good YouTube videos showing how to install Linux Lite on old XP computers, by the way.

Answer 3

With a laptop that age, I'd opt for Linux as the operating system. Windows 7 isn't that bad. ( Neither is Vista if you're computer is equipped to handle it ). I have both and have little, if any, problems with either operating system. Windows 8 is another story as you can tell by all the complaints you read. Windows 9 or whatever the next operating system will be named is supposedly on the horizon, so you may want to see what that will look like before making any decision about another Windows OS or moving over to Apple products.

Answer 4

you can install linux on most windows computers.so i would just get a new laptop and install linux, you probably wont get vista drivers for your computer since the computer came out years before vista. contact me if you need more help. [e-mail]

Answer 5

Windows 7 is better than XP. Try it for yourself. :) Its smoother

Answer 6

you could try Linux Zorin