{"id":240,"date":"2014-04-04T16:10:19","date_gmt":"2014-04-04T16:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virtuallearn.wpengine.com\/fits\/?p=240"},"modified":"2017-08-06T16:13:29","modified_gmt":"2017-08-06T16:13:29","slug":"rip-xp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/units.fisheries.org\/fits\/2014\/04\/04\/rip-xp\/","title":{"rendered":"RIP XP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Submitted by Thom Litts and Jeff Kopaska<\/h3>\n
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If you work for an agency or university, it has happened to you.\u00a0 The computer police called and said it is the end of the line for your XP machine.\u00a0 Get signed up for a new computer, and hand the XP one over to us.\u00a0 Everything will be fine.\u00a0 Thank you.<\/p>\n

You heard it, you experienced it, and now it is done (or will be soon).\u00a0 But, everything is not fine.\u00a0 At work, this means that a number of common tools used by fisheries professionals (e.g. FAMS, FishBC) will not function like they used to on your new computer, and may not function at all.\u00a0 At my office we, are also trying to get the new machines to operate external devices (microscopes, survey scanners) that were originally set up for use with XP machines.\u00a0 It is not going well, and there is not much support for these \u201cperipheral problems\u201d.\u00a0 \u00a0Sure, we\u2019ll get some help with these \u201cproblems\u201d from our respective IT staffers, but they are not going to solve them all.\u00a0 We can help each other by utilizing the FITS blog site to pose questions needing answers, and sharing good solutions.<\/p>\n

It is interesting to note, even with all the efforts to eradicate XP machines and with Windows XP\u2019s end-of-life at hand, that XP is still a fairly prevalent OS.\u00a0 Consider that a website Thom administers was accessed, in the last month (January 2014; >250k unique visits), predominately by computers running Windows 7 (1st, 32%), but followed by Windows XP (3rd, 7%), Windows Vista and 8.0 (4th & 5th, 4% each), and Windows 8.1 (9th, 2%) according to Google Analytics.<\/p>\n

So, if you work at a place with \u201cIT people\u201d, this is supposed to get handled.\u00a0 But what do you do if you work for a small company, or what about at home, where you are the \u201cIT person\u201d and rely on an XP box as your primary computer?<\/p>\n

Well, if you\u2019re wed to a Microsoft OS, the obvious option is to buy a new computer with a supported Windows OS such as Windows 7 or Windows 8(x).\u00a0 Extended support for these OS run into the next decade, so you\u2019re safe on that front. \u00a0But beware \u2013if you are hoping to land a new computer with Windows 7 \u2013 though it is still possible (verified via a 2\/3\/2014 visit to a popular PC builders website) – the options are limited, and fading.\u00a0 Good news is that if you opt for a new computer, you will likely find that prices are considerably lower than you paid years ago for a lesser machine.<\/p>\n

If your XP box is relatively new (2-3 years old) you might also be able to upgrade to Windows 8 (x).\u00a0 Microsoft offers a freely downloadable tool that you can run locally and assess the potential of your existing machine for upgrade.\u00a0 You can read up on and download the Windows 8.1 Upgrade Assistant here<\/a>; or key in \u201cxp end of life\u201d to your favorite search engine and poke around on the returned Microsoft.com pages for more info.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re frugal, and\/or broke (like us), you might also look to an auction house run by a major computer vendor and buy a refurbished computer.\u00a0 This is how we\u2019ve operated over the last decade or so.\u00a0 Yeah – they\u2019re refurbished, but so far we\u2019ve had good luck \u2013 and at this point in the game we\u2019ve both come to think of computers as a disposable\/recyclable product.\u00a0 So for dimes on the dollar, and Windows 7 as an option (albeit the 32-bit version – a discussion for another day), this is one avenue to consider.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re downright stingy, destitute, or simply tired of Microsoft you can convert your XP machine to a Linux box for exactly: $0.00.\u00a0 There are many flavors of Linux to choose from and you can even get by running Linux off a bootable USB Stick (instructions for Ubuntu Linux<\/a>) for internet access (and more), while keeping XP installed to run your favorite Microsoft software \u2013 though you may want to disconnect from your Wifi or Ethernet before booting to the later.<\/p>\n

Here are links to a small set of popular Linux flavors \u2013 there are many!<\/p>\n

Zorin<\/a> |\u00a0 MINT<\/a>\u00a0 |Ubuntu<\/a> |Puppy<\/a>\u00a0 –\u00a0 here is an evaluation<\/a> from TechRepublic \u00a0on Zorin as a replacement for XP, \u00a0with a lot of useful reader comments.<\/p>\n

It is important to note that on April 9,2014 your XP box will boot up as it did the day before.\u00a0 Just be aware that Microsoft no longer supports the OS \u2013 at all \u2013 XP Mode included!\u00a0 Specifically, and most importantly, this means no more security updates!\u00a0 However, Microsoft will still provide malware protection through Security Essentials (if you\u2019ve downloaded and installed it prior to April 8,2014) for some period of time<\/a>, and there are also 3rd party options on this end of the equation.\u00a0 Just be warned, hackers and malware providers love to hate Microsoft \u2013 so if you decide to make a go of it with XP, you do so at your own risk!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Jeff Kopaska <\/strong>is a graduate of Iowa State University currently employed as a biometrician in fisheries research at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. \u00a0Jeff is very involved in the American Fisheries Society (AFS) where he has served as the President of AFS-Fisheries Information and Technology Section and is the current Chair of AFS-Electronic Services Advisory Board.\u00a0 Jeff also serves as the Iowa representative to MARIS (Multi-state Aquatic Resources Information System) and is on the Science and Data Committee of the National Fish Habitat Partnership.\u00a0 As an employee of Iowa DNR Fisheries, Jeff oversees many of the technology-related efforts undertaken. <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This blog post has been adopted from Jeff’s Digital Revolution column, which is featured monthly in the AFS Fisheries Magazine.\u00a0 Continue the conversation here by leaving your comments or you may contact Jeff directly via email<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Submitted by Thom Litts and Jeff Kopaska If you work for an agency or university, it has happened to you.\u00a0 The computer police called and said it is the end of the line for your XP machine.\u00a0 Get signed up for a new computer, and hand the XP one over to us.\u00a0 Everything will be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,11],"tags":[12],"class_list":["post-240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-tech-and-software","tag-software","odd","first-child","last-child"],"wppr_data":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRIP XP - Data and Technology Section<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/units.fisheries.org\/fits\/2014\/04\/04\/rip-xp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RIP XP - 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