Have You Upgraded WIN XP Yet? ... 95% of Bank ATMs Have Not!

[1492]

It's estimated that nearly 500 million PCs still run Window XP, 70% in China. But with the April 8 deadline for extended end of support looming, it appears that 95% of bank ATMs are still running WIN XP. Some banks have reportedly worked out extended support agreements with Microsoft until they can upgrade. No such options for end users. But would you pay for a extended support anyway?

See article CNN Money: 95% of bank ATMs face end of security support.

[MNGeeks61]

strollin wrote:

drsteve wrote:
A heads up to anyone thinking of buying a Win 8 machine and then rolling back to 7: be aware that some hardware is NOT backward compatible (no drivers), and that 8 uses a different BIOS system that can cause problems trying to install 7 on some machines, according to a number of forum posts on geek sites. So if you plan to do this, do your homework before you open your wallet.

Technically, Win 8 doesn't use a different BIOS system but most likely comes installed on newer machines that use UEFI instead of BIOS. To install Win 7 32-bit on newer hardware requires you to change the UEFI settings to use the Legacy boot option. 64-bit Win 7 can be installed using UEFI boot settings.

^ This.

Until the time that the legacy option in a UEFI BIOS is gone that is...

I dual-boot XP and Ubuntu. I have about 70% compatibility running WINE; some things that don't run there I can either get a similar Linux app or I have to switch back to XP. Mostly it's the newer games that struggle...some of the old, old games I still enjoy aren't supported on Win7, or I've been lazy and they're supported now but I haven't checked 🙂

I stopped leaving my PC's on when I quit Folding@Home and Seti@Home. I was debating using several machines to do bitcoin mining, but that's not worth it, with the specialized ASIC's and other hardware that a lot of people seem to be using.

[oilslick]

Well it's been 6 days now and win 8.1 seems pretty good, still getting used to it but glad I went with windows instead of apple, after seeing how well it works I regret getting the Iphone 5S and should have stayed with a Samsung for better connectivity with win 8.1.

[strollin]

drsteve wrote:
A heads up to anyone thinking of buying a Win 8 machine and then rolling back to 7: be aware that some hardware is NOT backward compatible (no drivers), and that 8 uses a different BIOS system that can cause problems trying to install 7 on some machines, according to a number of forum posts on geek sites. So if you plan to do this, do your homework before you open your wallet.

Technically, Win 8 doesn't use a different BIOS system but most likely comes installed on newer machines that use UEFI instead of BIOS. To install Win 7 32-bit on newer hardware requires you to change the UEFI settings to use the Legacy boot option. 64-bit Win 7 can be installed using UEFI boot settings.

[drsteve]

A heads up to anyone thinking of buying a Win 8 machine and then rolling back to 7: be aware that some hardware is NOT backward compatible (no drivers), and that 8 uses a different BIOS system that can cause problems trying to install 7 on some machines, according to a number of forum posts on geek sites. So if you plan to do this, do your homework before you open your wallet.

[mlts22]

An ATM running XPe (XP Embedded) is understandable. This is an OS that is not meant to ever be upgraded, is never on the Internet proper, and if it does, it uses a heavy firewall.

I've seen some ATMs actually end up using plain old XP... then they will eventually fail and will not start up, demanding a valid CD key and activation code.

Of course, the best answer is going with Windows 8.1 Embedded Pro. This will at least give a service life of 5-10 years.

[skyhammer]

rv2go wrote:
I have a 7 year old Sony laptop that came with XP installed. When I registered it with Sony, they sent me a Windows 7 installation CD. At that time there were a lot of negative comments being made about Windows 7 so I stayed with the XP because I was happy with it. I don't how it will work today, but I am thinking about having the Windows 7 installed.

Widows 7 didn't come out until October 2009,you must have waited a few years before you registered your 7 year old lap top.

[wintersun]

There is the very old adage that if it isn't broken don't fix it. There is no user interface that is simpler than of an ATM and does not even need Windows much less the 64-bit memory space of Windows 7/8.

Microsoft support is only meaningful if you have mission critical applications on tens of thousands of desktops running business software.

XP support was extended multiple times as corporate IT departments as a whole would not migrate to Vista which was flaky and required computer upgrades to compensate for its very poor performance.

With Microsoft playing games with Window 8 it is reasonable for the banks, and no companies are slower to adopt new technology than the banks, to see whether they will need to go from XP to Windows 7 or be forced by Microsoft to go to Windows 8.x.

I would expect that the ATM hardware will need to be replaced and banks if they are smart will instead go to Linux for their ATM's and migrate off Windows entirely. It would be the wisest decision for this application.

[MrWizard]

i've had Win8 for about 15 months on this New lenovo it came with

i still think win7 and xp/2000 were better OS, but time marches forward No matter what we think.

ever since M$ invented the "REGISTRY" to replace program initialize files, windows has been 'BUGGY' and it will continue to be that way
each new version adds another layer of software overkill between the user and the machine

[drsteve]

Once you get it figured out, Win 8 is better than 7, or XP for that matter. My first day with 8, I was undecided whether to send this laptop back to Lenovo, install 7, or just shoot the thing and put it out of it's misery. It takes a few days to learn the ins and outs, but once you do, you'll be glad you did.

[oilslick]

Xp forever until... if you do ANYTHING securely on your computer, banking, stock trading, buying anything with a credit card online, even your taxes, it's time to change.. but to what? Sorry but the big apple just doesn't do it so win 8.1 it was. Picked up a couple of laptops with office and it's almost away to the races....after 2 really full days of "learning":S and still the email doesn't work properly and I think forget the Itunes.:R

[Thunder_Mountai]

I've got an ancient Dell Inspiron running XP, newer Inspiron with Windows 7 and wife has Lenovo with Windows 8.1. The XP is the most stable platform. I use it to run a weather station and webcam. Would still be using it if it was smaller and lighter. Windows 7 machine occasionally does the Windows crash and burn for no reason. We both dislike Windows 8.1. It is very stable but the learning curve is steep. It just doesn't seem intuitive to me. Works ok for basic Windows functions, but it is a pain when trying to do the out of the normal operating things.

[1492]

spadoctor wrote:
FWIW if your new computer comes with win8 a free downgrade is available to win7.

FYI, that offer is only for WIN 8 Professional and will use your same key code to install Windows 7 Pro. It doesn't include the install DVD, but you can download an .iso from MS authorized servers and make your own. Though will likely not automatically activate from the net, so need to call MS.

[SCR]

Turbo Diesel Dude wrote:
Our new computer came with Windows 8 which sucked big time and it was upgraded (really?) to 8.1 which also sucked so we went back to Windows 7. Cost $150.00 but relieved us of the aggravation.

A upgrade from Win 8.1 🙂

[powderman426]

Alfred622 wrote:
Some people may think that when Microsoft Support on XP ends next month that their software will suddenly stop working. No, end of support just means that Microsoft won't continue making patches and bug fixes available. Usually those patches become less and less frequent as the operating system ages since fewer bugs remain. Also, the majority of bugs are intended to protect against issues brought to your system via the internet. So if you are careful and don't use internet much on an old system, end of support may not impact you at all. Things that used to work will continue to work.

When you buy new software you'll want to verify its compatibility. For example, some software you can buy today will only run on Windows 8, or may only run on Windows 7 and above. If you're still using XP at that time, you can deal with it then.

I tend to keep the original operating system on each computer I buy. I keep installing the manufacturers updates. Then, when it comes time to replace the system, I'll buy all new hardware & new operating system at that time. This is one of the reasons that PC sales are down right now- consumers do not want Windows 8 therefore they are not buying new - or they are looking at Apple. I'm giving serious consideration to switching to Ubuntu (linux - free) and Open Office (also free). More and more people are moving in that direction.


Good thinking.


Ubuntu is fast, free, and way less prone to viruses.

Good luck, all!