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jcpainter's avatar
jcpainter
Explorer
Jul 07, 2019

Can you get a decent browser on Windows XP?

I'm doing some MUCH overdue electronics purging. We have two laptops running Windows XP that I would like to donate to a local charity.

They actually run pretty well except for internet access. The only browser I've found that will still even run on XP is an old version of Internet Explorer. Older Firefox and Chrome browsers that used to work on the machines don't work anymore, as Windows XP is no longer supported by them.

Only a very small handfull of sites can be accessed using the old Internet Explorer and of course, you can't upgrade it.

I Googled and found mention of a few unknown browsers that are supposed to be compatible with XP, but they wouldn't even install.

Is anyone here actually still using Windows XP with a browser that will access most online sites?

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  • n0arp's avatar
    n0arp
    Explorer
    Jul 07, 2019
    The best thing you can do if you don't have licensing for a newer version is to wipe them and let someone else deal with it. If you must provide an OS, find an intuitive Linux distribution (Ubuntu, Fedora) and donate them with that - that will provide the needed functionality for the majority of interested parties and allow them to run a modern browser.

    I'm a Network Security Engineer by trade, and wouldn't touch XP in this era. It's been end of support for over five years now and has several well documented issues. There are a few ad-hoc updates for the most severe of issues, but it's a significant liability and the fact that it is end of life should be heeded.

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