Computer newbies forum: Windows XP? When is MS going to stop supporting this OEM?

"What support did you need?"

I've seen folk ask this question but only one of them called in for support. If the system is working, you can ignore this and keep using it till it stops working. And MSFT never offered support for the OEM to us. We would have to call the laptop maker or just reload the OS.

There are a lot of other support systems and folk out there (like this forum.)
Bob

I agree fully with the other two answers, but let me post just a few thoughts, if I may. The world is going to end on December 21, 2012 and Microsoft will stop supporting XP in 2014. So, why worry about it? Heh! A lot of people run right out and buy something new as soon as it comes out. It doesn't matter if they are Apple fanbois or Windows. If you are a geek, having the latest and greatest is very important to some. However, there are things to consider. First of all, unless Windows 7 comes on a new PC you technically have to purchase it. Would it be easier just to upgrade your whole system? Maybe. It is something to consider.

The part that bothers me most, is you mentioned upgrading XP to Windows 7. Technically, there is no such thing. There really is no "upgrade" from XP to win7. You have to wipe your entire hard disk and start from scratch. You can't just pop in the CD and answer messages and then you are upgraded. It's a wipe-and-reload deal. Now there are some software utilities to help out in this situation but the bottm line is you are still wiping off your computer so make sure you know what data you are going to keep.

The next issue will be drivers. A lot of proprietary hardware drivers won't 'upgrade' to Windows 7. So, as long as you are going to wipe the drive, you might want to make sure that you have all of the hardware drivers in order and ready to go.

I think that the most important thing to consider is to look at your PC for a little windows sticker. If the sticker says something like "Compatible with Windows 3.0" (OK, MAYBE it will say compatible with XP, or windows 2000 then, technically, your computer may or may not work so well with Windows 7. There are tests you can run on the Microsoft website to see if your computer is compatible and with what "flavor" of Win7. I strongly suggest you run it just to make sure your expectations will be met. In many cases, Windows 7 will run fine. You will also have to decide on whether or not you want Windows 32-bit or 64-bit. Again, you will need to check hardware (driver) compatibility with 64-bit. This should help you break out beyond the 4 GB barrier if you want more memory.

Personally? I think I'd like to see the dust settle a bit with the Windows 8 upcoming release and then find out what I can do if I really don't like the metro interface. I know I don't want to use a touch-screen unless I'm dealing with a laptop. I have a few months to decide on all that and I'll probably just buy a new PC anyway.

Good luck.