Is XP going off sale? Do i need to get it?

[robert707]

Hi i have a pc form 2001. Win98 SE , 800 processor. Asus AGP V7100 video,
VIA KT133 AGPchipset.

I heard windows XP is going off sale monday, is that true? Do i need to upgrade, like,
today? A few issues i need to decide...if this is all true.

If i want to keep using my current PC...is XP better than 98?...because I keep hearing that 98 is faster....but so many things no longer work unless you have XP. (certain websites services, ipods!) I'm starting to feel the pressure.

Also...is vista really a complete disaster? And could vista run on my 2000 PC?
Are they going to come out with something better or more streamlined than Vista?

My main worry is if i don't upgrade now i'm basically forcing myself to buy a whole new PC in a few years.

I wouldn't mind just milking my 98 for as long as i can but am not sure how wise that is.

Oh....one last related question, I heard they will be coming out with these budget asus
desktop pc's that will really drive the cost of PC's down. I'm not sure if this is just hype
or not. I'm just stunned a decent PC is still 1000$ plus.


k thats it.
Thanks for any feed back.

Robert.

[risk_reversal]

You could always keep 98SE and dual boot with XP.

I am not sure whether your system has the grunt to run XP but as far as Vista is concerned your rig will not cut it.

[augiedoggie]

Also...is vista really a complete disaster? And could vista run on my 2000 PC?

Vista is different from XP, that is all. There are folk that hate it but to call Vista a disaster is way over the top in my opinion. As to wether it will run on your 2K rig, I seriously doubt it. Also your peripherals will probably have to be replaced as there probably won't be drivers if they are the same age as your systems. Also, 98 software and w2k software will be hit and miss as to wether they will run. I know this is confusing to make a snap judgement, all depends on what you're willing to spend and when. I hope this helps.

[DavidGP]

Originally Posted by robert707

I heard windows XP is going off sale monday, is that true? Do i need to upgrade, like,
today?

Yes and no you dont really need to upgrade to XP, especially if your PC with Win98 is working fine for your needs, unless there are new specific things you wish to do that Win98 doesnt have compatability for, I notice a few items in your post so will try and answer them.

If i want to keep using my current PC...is XP better than 98?...because I keep hearing that 98 is faster....but so many things no longer work unless you have XP. (certain websites services, ipods!) I'm starting to feel the pressure.

In some respects each new Windows version is better than the previous one and XP is a very good OS, still has its downsides like all OSes, but is a very good popular choice.

Yes many new softwares now are geared to XP and above, as the older Windows versions are that old that developers are not spending time to make their applciations backwards compatible, so if you have an iPod or thinking of buying one then yes an upgrade is needed.

Also...is vista really a complete disaster? And could vista run on my 2000 PC?
Are they going to come out with something better or more streamlined than Vista?

Some may argue yes, but in reality NO its not a disaster at all, when used with compatible hardware ( yes its more tech hungry than the older Windows versions, but this is natrual progression with tech ) it is very stable, I have it on 3 PCs at home and in the 2yrs + I have had it, I have not had to re-install it due to BSODs or other crashes.

Yes Microsoft like all other Operating System makers will always once finished one project will be working on the next and the next Windows version is in development now and called Windows 7, will it be better??? who knows it may or may not be.

My main worry is if i don't upgrade now i'm basically forcing myself to buy a whole new PC in a few years.

I wouldn't mind just milking my 98 for as long as i can but am not sure how wise that is.

To be honest and as mentioned above, your current PC will likely struggle with XP, as the CPU is by todays standards a very slow one, you may not have enough ram to run XP smoothly ( you not mentioned how much ram you have installed? )

So you may need to upgrade your PC to a current hardware one to run XP or Vista

Oh....one last related question, I heard they will be coming out with these budget asus
desktop pc's that will really drive the cost of PC's down. I'm not sure if this is just hype
or not. I'm just stunned a decent PC is still 1000$ plus.

Not seen these ASUS budget PCs, but yes with the explosion of users to PCs and maybe due to how easily the internet is accessable these days, the cost of PCs and more so laptops have fallen, I noticed a really decent spec'd ACER laptop the other day for £399 ($800 ish) which would have say a year ago cost over £1000 ($2000)


I guess you have a small decision to make in jumping in to a new PC with new Windows version be that XP or Vista, as some makers are still supplying XP with new PCs, until stocks run out. OR sticking with your faithful Windows 98 PC for a bit longer.

[robert707]

To HALO:

Well i have 384 ram. I thought that because my PC was bought in 2001 around the time XP came out originally then XP would run fine on it. But if it turns out that even with XP I'd need to upgrade then that makes my decision easy.

I think i'll save my self a headache and stick with 98 until the next version of windows comes out -wait for it's service pack - then dump my PC.

[dlb]

Unless I missed something, I didn't see anything that answered the question:
"Is XP going off sale?"
I have heard that this was happening June 10th... then June 10th came and went.... then I heard June 10th 2009.... then I heard June 30th 2008.... Then I heard July 31 2008..... and I have also heard July 10 2009
Which is it??? And if it's tomorrow, maybe I should invest a couple $grand$ in some XP Home and XP Pro CD's and licenses. Then wait a year, and sell 'em at triple the price on Ebay!

[Appzalien]

XP is not really going off sale. Whats happening is Microsoft will not release any new copies. As long as a store has stock it will continue to sell. Newegg has a professional version for system builders that sells for around 140 dollars. I don't think it will ever get cheaper than that, if anything as it starts to get scarce it may go up. So if I were you I would buy it now or forever hold your pirated copy, I mean Peace.

[sosaman]

As of April 2008, Microsoft is extending availability of Windows XP Home Edition for OEMs to install on Ultra Low-Cost PCs. The new OEM end date will be the later of either June 30, 2010, or one year after the general availability of the next version of Windows.

bah, i thought i replied to this yesterday!! maybe i did a preview instead!!

the above quote was from this link below.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/default.mspx

from what i read a few mos ago (i'd have to dig up the link), is that they were considering extending the end of life for xp, as major pc manufacturers (ie - dell, hp), are now selling down grade options (xp instead of vista), - sos

i personally have 1 spare copy of xp, and am considering purchasing another copy (maybe xp pro)?

[DavidGP]

Originally Posted by robert707

To HALO:

Well i have 384 ram. I thought that because my PC was bought in 2001 around the time XP came out originally then XP would run fine on it. But if it turns out that even with XP I'd need to upgrade then that makes my decision easy.

I think i'll save my self a headache and stick with 98 until the next version of windows comes out -wait for it's service pack - then dump my PC.

Yes the bare min specs for XP and even Vista are a bit too low IMO for a smooth PC experience, for XP will be most happy with 1GB ram 512mb as a min, so long as you dont have onboard graphics, which will take anything from 32mb to 256mb of your main system ram. Like many things since XP was released, software has become more memory hungry so the initail specs to run XP are a bit on the conservative side.

Next version of Windows as in Windows 7 will likely be 2011/2 if the testing phases go to plan, so your trusty win98 will have a fair way to go yet.

Not easy desision to upgrade now or leave it I know.

Originally Posted by dlb

Unless I missed something, I didn't see anything that answered the question:
"Is XP going off sale?"

Sort of mentioned both in my long post, first and last paragraph. Also should have linked to this which is the offical line on the roadmap to Windows OSes from Bill Veghte ( Senior VP @ MSFT ) http://www.microsoft.com/windows/letter.html

[Appzalien]

In a more direct reply to your original post, I have run XP on a motherboard with an 800mhz processor and onboard video although I did have 512mb of pc2700 memory in there and it was fine.

As an aside, for the longest time after I built my second pc I ran my first with Win98SE on it just for the purpose of utilizing it to run programs that at the time were not XP compatible. So there's no reason to toss your 98 just yet, although a format and reinstall to clean it up might be in order.

AS for speed, when I first started fooling around with PC's I naively thought that as new versions of windows came out they would boot faster and run faster but going from 95 to 98 and then to XP what I experienced changed my mind. As more and more junk is added to the startup it slows both boot and operating speeds as long as you don't take into consideration faster parts, just the OS, they have all seemed slower to me. I don't use Vista yet but from what I have heard its the slowest yet, and XP has its stripped versions around (XP Gamer, Tiny XP and XP Performance Edition), these were created by the warez scene to circumvent Microsofts enevitable bloat.

Some may say that the warez versions are illegal but I say, if I follow the MS rules and install only on one PC, I should be able to use my license key on any XP as long as it in the same category (home/pro). Also there are programs out there which will let you create your own stipped down version from your own cd but you need at least some gumption to do it rather than the easy way out (download someone elses work).