Hands up, I'm a complete technophobe so any help and advice is very much appreciated but please keep it simple !!



Microsoft are ending their support for Windows xp as of April 8th 2014 and it's causing me some concern.



In a nutshell I am housebound so rely on my computer to keep in touch with the outside world. 99% of the time it is just for internet browsing and e-mails but I also do my banking online ( paying bills etc ) so for that reason alone security is vital.



I have a Dell Latitude D620 Laptop and the operating system is Windows XP Professional, 32 bit SP2. I run it with Microsoft Security Essentials ( free ).



As far as I can tell from the information Iv'e researched I either need to upgrade my OS, or replace my laptop completely, both of which are options I cannot really afford but will obviously have to if push comes to shove.



I keep reading all sorts of horror stories about how difficult it is to upgrade my existing laptop, and how that may end up with me losing a lot of my exisiting contents. Several thousand photo's I have taken over the years in my case. I don't have any music stored on it.



I would be grateful for any information on how I can best prepare for this change, but please keep it in plain simple English for this thicko !!

Many thanks. Moley

I was very very happy with Windows XP, it was such a major advance on previous versions, but I have to say, I think Windows 7 and now especially Windows 8 are absolutely awful. I've got Windows 7 on one laptop and don't really like it. My Dad's just got a new laptop with Windows 8 and it's ghastly. You more or less have to learn everything you thought you knew all over again, it's so different. We can't stand it.

I wouldn't replace the OS on your laptop at all, I'd keep that laptop as long as you possibly can and keep XP as long as you possibly can.

If over time you start feeling forced towards Windows 8 or whatever, do it on a new laptop so at least you've got your old friend to fall back on.

Step one is to backup all your 'data'. Preferably to an external drive/flash memory. Once you upgrade, all your data will be wiped. You should be backing up externally anyway for safety. If that CryptoLocker gets hold you will lose all data on the Laptop and any permanently connected drives.

Then you really need to upgrade to Win7 if you can. Win7 is a different beast to XP and does cause some initial frustrations as it's more locked down, even to the user/owner in places. Most of it can be overcome though.

Shame they can't hold off till October because I would have plenty of time to help

What you can do is hunt down the Microsoft Win7 checker as that will tell you whether your laptop is compatible/powerful enough. My guess is that it should be as Win7 has quite a light footprint.

_________________
Lets be careful out there !

I've just read that Windows 8 is so unpopular, Microsoft are going to quickly bring out a Windows 9, rowing back on some of the changes.

Correct

I think now that the geeks have made their purchases other sales have largely dried up. Be interesting to see what Win9 is all about and whether it's Win7 and Win8 best bits rolled together.

I've also avoided Office 2013 as that has had all it's predecessors pleasing menus replaced with big black and white buttons for tablet screen clarity and use. Absolutely pointless on a high resolution PC monitor.

_________________
Lets be careful out there !

Moley, I'd like to recommend the most recent issue of the magazine "Computeractive", as they have started a series of articles to help people who are still using XP. There's also an article comparing all the security programmes, and MSE doesn't come out very high. You may need to look for an alternative. I agree with Kremmen, that you should back up all your files on a flash dfrive or equivalent.

On another forum I frequent there is a chap who works at a nuclear power plant somewhere over Norfolk way and apparently the plant is still on XP !

_________________
Lets be careful out there !

One good reason to work at a nuclear power plant then.

Many thanks for all the replies and my apologies for being so slow to acknowledge them. I have taken the information and advice in as best I can. I'll no doubt be back again asking more dumb questions later !!

You're only real solution is to get Win7.

Then starts a learning curve as it's more locked down and you need to perform most installations as 'Administrator'. The ongoing advice is to then operate in user mode that stops anything untoward happening but I'm running in Admin mode and just being careful.

W7, tip 1, turn off UAC ASAP (what a pain in the *** that is)

_________________
Lets be careful out there !