Upgrading an old bloke from XP

[MyNameIsUrl]

I’m hoping to get suggestions please: my pc is over a decade old and it does what I need except (1) it’s sometimes slow and (2) security is a worry. Maybe replacement is the way forward?

The cost of replacement isn’t the real issue, except I don’t want to spend more than is needed. I’m not interested in the latest, the thinnest, the most stylish. What I don’t want is to spend a lot of effort on setup, nor do I want to pay subscriptions. Something which works out of the box and meets my needs quickly would be worth paying for.

I’ve thought about what my needs are, and this is what I’ve come up with:
- Spreadsheet (currently Excel 2000). I use multisheet workbooks including pivot tables, but not macros. I would need to open old workbooks if I don’t have Excel in the future.
- Word processing (currently Word 2000). I write letters and short docs. Need to open old docs.
- Browsing (currently Chrome). I use Gmail in browser, I access online banking/pensions/ISAs, I read news/blogs etc, watch youtube occasionally (with speakers).
- The pc is connected by Cat5 cable to router.
- Photos are stored on the hard drive for viewing, and sometimes a bit of editing using Faststone.
- File management needs to be easy.
- USB socket required for transferring photos. Backups are made onto a portable usb hard drive using xcopy.
- Printer/scanner currently wire connected.
- Microsoft Money v12.0 is used to hold financial transaction details.

I suppose I should make a leap forward, though the benefits seem rather intangible as all my needs are currently met. I imagine a new desktop box would continue to meet those needs. Any views or suggestions would be welcome.

[didds]

"- Printer/scanner currently wire connected."

usb, serial or parallel cable?

The obvious things sprininging to mind are

* do you have the installation media/executable for your current office 2000? and its install/serial key? Ditto other software you mentioned?
* is this software (^^^) compatible with windows 10 (may have to google etc)
* ditto drivers for printer ?
* what email interface do you sue? webmail or a client - and if a client which one? eg outlook express, outlook (ms office), thunderbird etc?


didds

[Infrasonic]

If you post your current PC make/model and spec it might be possible to see if a bit of basic upgrading (more RAM, cloned SSD 'C' drive instead of current HDD) and spring cleaning (turning off unnecessary startup apps via task manager, uninstalling unused apps etc.) could get you to where you want to be.
SSD's in older machines can make a dramatic difference to performance as HDD's are often the bottleneck (due to latency).

[MyNameIsUrl]

Printer/scanner currently wire connected
usb, serial or parallel cable?

usb A on the back of the pc

* do you have the installation media/executable for your current office 2000? and its install/serial key? Ditto other software you mentioned?

MS Office 200 Pro, yes on CD with product key
Windows XP Home, yes on CD with product key
Microsoft Money, yes on CD with product key

* is this software (^^^) compatible with windows 10 (may have to google etc)

ok, will google…

* ditto drivers for printer ?

Canon printer, a year old, so it’ll be fine

* what email interface do you sue? webmail or a client - and if a client which one? eg outlook express, outlook (ms office), thunderbird etc?

Gmail, in Chrome browser

[Itsallaguess]

I suppose I should make a leap forward, though the benefits seem rather intangible as all my needs are currently met.

I imagine a new desktop box would continue to meet those needs.

Any views or suggestions would be welcome.

A more modern, lower-power PC CPU will most probably still show a marked speed increase when compared against your current XP system, and although there are non-Windows alternative options that might well cover your listed requirements, I'd still probably recommend sticking with Windows to help with any transitional issues that are always seen when replacing operating systems and PC's.

You mention benefits being 'rather intangible', but given your general low-power requirements (no gaming noted in your usage list..), then have you considered a small-form-factor PC, that might mount on the back of your monitor, and at the very least provide some space-saving when compared to what might be a much larger, 'standard PC case' that you might currently have?

This is addition to the noise benefit that these small-form-factor PC's often give too - I have to listen carefully to even know that my current PC is on, and when compared to the fan-noise of my old system, it's a huge improvement in usage due to these low noise levels...

I've been a small-form-factor fan for many years, and my latest Windows 10 PC is around the size of a standard PC power-supply box and is mounted on the back of my widescreen monitor -

http://asleafar.blogspot.com/2017/05/desk-mini-110.html

This was a self-build, and I acknowledge that you've mentioned buying a system that would be up and running on delivery, but I mention this just to give you something to consider if you've not thought about the potential for space-saving on your current PC-box footprint...

If it's something that might interest you, then a local independent PC shop is likely to be able to help assemble a working system for you....

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[MyNameIsUrl]

If you post your current PC make/model and spec it might be possible to see if a bit of basic upgrading (more RAM, cloned SSD 'C' drive instead of current HDD) and spring cleaning (turning off unnecessary startup apps via task manager, uninstalling unused apps etc.) could get you to where you want to be.
SSD's in older machines can make a dramatic difference to performance as HDD's are often the bottleneck (due to latency).

From System Properties – Hardware – Device Manager
Computer: ACPI Uniprocessor PC
Disk drives: Hitachi HDP725050GLA360
Processors: AMD Athlon™ 64 Processor 3200+

System Properties – General
Microsoft Windows XP
Home Edition
Version 2002
Service Pack 3
AMD Athlon™ 64 Processor 3200+ 2.01 GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM

[bungeejumper]

I lack the tech skills to be a home builder, but last autumn I bought an ex-display model of a Dell 3268 with i5 processor and 8 gb and so forth for £199 all in. Small format, installed in 90 minutes or so, suitably future-proofed, and everything slotted in without any probs, including a 15 year old Brother laser copier/scanner.

I should think that your Microsoft Office disks will work okay with Win 10, although it would probably prefer that you use a more up to date version of USB for any extenders that you might be using? Not a major expense, but probably worth it.

FWIW, my wife's 9 year old Win 7 machine, now upgraded to Windows 10, works perfectly with her trusty Office 2003, except that for some reason the word-search facility in Windows Explorer has only limited functionality with finding her 2003 files.

BJ

[MyNameIsUrl]

A more modern, lower-power PC CPU will most probably still show a marked speed increase when compared against your current XP system, and although there are non-Windows alternative options that might well cover your listed requirements, I'd still probably recommend sticking with Windows to help with any transitional issues that are always seen when replacing operating systems and PC's.

Thanks for that IAAG, I'm certainly not against something smaller - I have experience of work laptops for many years - but my impression was that big boxes were better value if smallness isn't on my list of requirements. I've seen pcs where the pc is built into the back of the screen, but the screen I'm using now is just fine so I didn't want to replace that unnecessarily.

I don't want to give the impression that I'm on a really tight budget, I am happy to pay for something that reliably does what I need. Which brings me to the second point in my OP, the worry about the security of XP.

[didds]

... info ...

all looking good - compatability for the older software being the possibnl;e hiccough. what about faststone as software installation media/whatever + keys (?).


any compatability issues aside Id say you are in a good position

didds

[Itsallaguess]

I'm certainly not against something smaller - I have experience of work laptops for many years - but my impression was that big boxes were better value if smallness isn't on my list of requirements.

That's still likely to be the case to some degree, but the differential nowadays is much, much smaller, and so I mentioned this in case any space-saving of your current PC-case footprint would be seen as an advantage, as well as any potential improvements in a quieter running PC...

I've seen pc's where the pc is built into the back of the screen, but the screen I'm using now is just fine so I didn't want to replace that unnecessarily.

I wouldn't recommend 'all-in-one' systems like that anyway, now that you've mentioned them, as I've known people who have owned them who have had many heat-related issues with such set-ups, and anyway, I don't like the idea of locking in an expensive screen-PC combination, and the clear maintenance risks that such PC's bring with them - so what I'm really talking about are stand-alone, small-form-factor PC's that often happen to have standard VESA mounting options, that often allow you to mount the PC-box itself on the back of your current monitor, although if this was something you might want to take advantage of, then of course you'd want to check the availability of such mounting holes on the back of your current screen, and also on any potential small-form-factor option you might possibly consider...

I don't want to give the impression that I'm on a really tight budget, I am happy to pay for something that reliably does what I need. Which brings me to the second point in my OP, the worry about the security of XP.

I'd personally not be running anything regular on an XP box nowadays. The security improvements of at least Windows 7 and more appropriately Windows 10 are something you should be looking to take advantage of...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[MyNameIsUrl]

what about faststone as software installation media/whatever + keys (?)

Faststone is a free download image viewer, no media/keys required.
It was recommended on TLF some time ago: http://www.faststone.org

[Breelander]

...MS Office 200 Pro, yes on CD with product key...

Office 2000 will run in Windows 10. You may find this a useful read....

'A look at running older versions of Microsoft Office on Windows 10'
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 36cdb1936c

Or if he wants a newer Office, try LibreOffice.

[tjh290633]

I had problems when my previous computer bit the dust. The replacement (second hand) was a 64 bit model, and a lot of my old software would not run on it. Libre Office came to the rescue and Windows 10 provided features that I needed.

TJH

[Infrasonic]

If you post your current PC make/model and spec it might be possible to see if a bit of basic upgrading (more RAM, cloned SSD 'C' drive instead of current HDD) and spring cleaning (turning off unnecessary startup apps via task manager, uninstalling unused apps etc.) could get you to where you want to be.
SSD's in older machines can make a dramatic difference to performance as HDD's are often the bottleneck (due to latency).

From System Properties – Hardware – Device Manager
Computer: ACPI Uniprocessor PC
Disk drives: Hitachi HDP725050GLA360
Processors: AMD Athlon™ 64 Processor 3200+

System Properties – General
Microsoft Windows XP
Home Edition
Version 2002
Service Pack 3
AMD Athlon™ 64 Processor 3200+ 2.01 GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM

OK, halfway there.
What's the make / exact model number of the PC (so I can find the manual online), and how much RAM does it currently have?
I'd need to check the motherboard details (PCIe/SATA sockets et al) to see what the expandability is like.

The CPU is a bit dated and only single core so it's a bit of a 50/50 as to whether it's worth upgrading the current XP machine versus just buying a new W10 box. (I'm leaning more towards the latter now).
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cp ... 0%2B&id=67

My old XP box had a single core AMD Sempron 2800+ (even slower than yours) so I feel your pain...(Current machine is a quad core Intel i5 W10 box bought on steep discount + self installed SSD, night and day difference).

[MyNameIsUrl]

What's the make / exact model number of the PC (so I can find the manual online), and how much RAM does it currently have?
I'd need to check the motherboard details (PCIe/SATA sockets et al) to see what the expandability is like.

The CPU is a bit dated and only single core so it's a bit of a 50/50 as to whether it's worth upgrading the current XP machine versus just buying a new W10 box. (I'm leaning more towards the latter now).
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cp ... 0%2B&id=67

My old XP box had a single core AMD Sempron 2800+ (even slower than yours) so I feel your pain...(Current machine is a quad core Intel i5 W10 box bought on steep discount + self installed SSD, night and day difference).

On the General tab in System properties it shows 1.00 GB of RAM.
Motherboard is ABIT KN-8.
It has four slots, two with cards in.
There are 4 sockets marked SATA - 1 of the 4 is in use by the hard disc drive.
There's no make and model on it - I suspect this machine which I 'inherited' from a young relative was built by them.

[MyNameIsUrl]

What's the make / exact model number of the PC (so I can find the manual online), and how much RAM does it currently have?
I'd need to check the motherboard details (PCIe/SATA sockets et al) to see what the expandability is like.

These details from using msinfo32
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name HOMEPC
System Manufacturer NVIDIA
System Model AWRDACPI
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 47 Stepping 2 AuthenticAMD ~2009 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG, 01/07/2005
SMBIOS Version 2.2
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United Kingdom
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.5512 (xpsp.080413-2111)"
User Name HOMEPC\X
Time Zone GMT Daylight Time
Total Physical Memory 1,024.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 201.91 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 3.90 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

[BobbyD]

I’m hoping to get suggestions please: my pc is over a decade old and it does what I need except (1) it’s sometimes slow and (2) security is a worry. Maybe replacement is the way forward?

Any vaguely modern windows box should see you speeding through the next decade on that usage. You might need to switch to Money Sunset edition for OS compatibility though.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/downloa ... px?id=7564

I'd also pick up a more modern office license on ebay for £5 or so while you're at it.

Used to have an Athlon 64 3200+ back in the day.

To give you an idea of how much faster even a modest modern processor is:

CPUmark scores:

Athlon 64 3200 ___________________492________________ https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cp ... 0%2B&id=67

AMD Athlon 200GE* ______________ 4934________________https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Athlon+200GE&id=3325


£210 PC using aforesaid not flashy chip**, ***

*Selected only because it is the cheapest CPU listed in Toms Hardware's current best cheap CPU list, which is a pretty reliable guide. Available at Amazon for £40, eg. it is not a flashy chip.

** An example not a recomendation, found by simply googling AMD Athlon 200GE* and clicking something which looked cheap.

*** NO OS, but like I said example, you can find one with or add your own. Again Ebay for Win 10 license is an option I would use, although some wouldn't.

[Infrasonic]

What's the make / exact model number of the PC (so I can find the manual online), and how much RAM does it currently have?
I'd need to check the motherboard details (PCIe/SATA sockets et al) to see what the expandability is like.

The CPU is a bit dated and only single core so it's a bit of a 50/50 as to whether it's worth upgrading the current XP machine versus just buying a new W10 box. (I'm leaning more towards the latter now).
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cp ... 0%2B&id=67

My old XP box had a single core AMD Sempron 2800+ (even slower than yours) so I feel your pain...(Current machine is a quad core Intel i5 W10 box bought on steep discount + self installed SSD, night and day difference).

On the General tab in System properties it shows 1.00 GB of RAM.
Motherboard is ABIT KN-8.
It has four slots, two with cards in.
There are 4 sockets marked SATA - 1 of the 4 is in use by the hard disc drive.
There's no make and model on it - I suspect this machine which I 'inherited' from a young relative was built by them.

OK, the MB can take up to 8GB of RAM, but 32 bit XP will only address a max of 4GB (slightly less in reality), so there's no point in going beyond that.
More RAM will definitely help, especially these days even for browsing the web.
It's a cost/benefit analysis, if you sourced some secondhand RAM from a reputable dealer you could do it pretty cheaply.
Combine more RAM with a cleaned up and defragged HDD (removing as much bloat as possible) see how it performs, and then if needs be clone the HDD to an SSD (to use as a boot 'C' drive), which would speed it all up even more.
Even if you buy a new W10 box it might still be worth spending a bit on the XP box just to keep it usable as a working backup, maybe stay away from the internet on it though?

[Itsallaguess]

Even if you buy a new W10 box it might still be worth spending a bit on the XP box just to keep it usable as a working backup, maybe stay away from the internet on it though?

There's free software available that will enable the current XP machine to have it's 'image' taken, and then it can be loaded and used within a Windows 10 environment as a Virtual Machine.

This is what I've done with my previous XP box, using Virtual Box, and it works well for the odd times that I need to access it.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[genou]

You might need to switch to Money Sunset edition for OS compatibility though.

Just to butt in on this one - that's the US version of Money. More likely MyNameIsUrl is using a UK version. W10 will play happily with the UK equivalent which is Money 2005 UK ( free ) - google "Money2005-UK-QFE2" to find the installer .