What OS? Garage 'puter edition

paranoid_android74 wrote: I thought XP was no longer supported. Can you still get Antivirus software for it?

Microsoft is generally not releasing any updates to it. That's about all unsupported means.

Aftermarket is still supporting it just fine. As is Microsoft actually, as they are still releasing security updates for it.

But, you are running legacy software with XP. So many of the latest and greatest software's won't work on it.

Which is fine by me. All I need the garage computer to do is run my automotive software. Volvo's software being the most obnoxious and incompatible with almost anything to do with the 21st century.

foxtrapper wrote: Aftermarket is still supporting it just fine. As is Microsoft actually, as they are still releasing security updates for it.

Nope, security updates to the OS ended on 8th April 2014:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/WindowsForBusiness/end-of-xp-support

Mike wrote: I am firmly in the "don't run XP" camp. If you need Linux, the options already mentioned are pretty strong. Xubuntu is probably my favorite for a super friendly distro for old hardware. If you need Windows, I'd cancel the memory upgrade and buy a Lenovo IdeaCentre Stick 300 for $90-$110. It's a tiny computer. Comes with Windows, costs about what a Windows license would cost. Just make sure your monitor will take HDMI, or that you're prepared to get the adapters.

See, this is exactly why I asked here. Yous guys is smart!

I completely forgot about the Live option, and Xubuntu for that matter. I'll give that a go first.

Now I'm thinking, should I allow XP to connect to the internet so it can update itself? I'm certain this machine hasn't been connected to anything in at least five years (yikes!). Good idea/bad idea?

+1 for the HDMI stick computer. There are some newer models in the $140 range that have more power. There is also a Chrome stick for about $85 that has caught my eye, but my garage monitor doesn't have HDMI.

For Linux, I'd suggest Mint with MATE or Lubuntu (LXDE). If you were nearby, I have some more powerful machines just collecting dust that could use a home.

GameboyRMH wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: Aftermarket is still supporting it just fine. As is Microsoft actually, as they are still releasing security updates for it.

Nope, security updates to the OS ended on 8th April 2014: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/WindowsForBusiness/end-of-xp-support

I am well aware support officially ended. I'm also well aware of getting updates from Microsoft after that date. The last was something like six months ago.

foxtrapper wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: Aftermarket is still supporting it just fine. As is Microsoft actually, as they are still releasing security updates for it.

Nope, security updates to the OS ended on 8th April 2014: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/WindowsForBusiness/end-of-xp-support

I am well aware support officially ended. I'm also well aware of getting updates from Microsoft after that date. The last was something like six months ago.

Likely for features other than the OS, like IE, antivirus, drivers, etc,

Also they are pushing Windows 10 hard and supplying "updates" that are really prep for automatically upgrading you to Windows10.

A rather significant vulnerability was patched right after the end of support date, so Microsoft released a patch for MS12-021, and included an XP update. That was in May 2014, and is the last XP update. My best guess is that you're thinking of Microsoft Security Essentials, a security software suite that continued to support XP through July 2015. Some other programs, including possibly some other Microsoft programs might have had later end of life dates, and may have delivered their updates through Windows Update.

There is an XP Embedded POS Ready 2009, which is a minimal derivative of XP designed for cash registers. That is supported till 2019. Windows Server 2003 is related to XP, and support for that ended in July 2015.

If there is something else out there, I'd like to learn about it.

Mike wrote: My best guess is that you're thinking of Microsoft Security Essentials, a security software suite that continued to support XP through July 2015.

That could be. In fact that likely is it. It's not something I was paying close attention to.

I'm not at all saying XP isn't legacy software now. Or that it's being kept all up to date and spiffy. It's not. Just that you can still run it quite successfully, and that there are diehard fans keeping patches and such going, if you're determined to keep using it. And that there have been some updates after the official drop dead date.

I have to keep XP going on my garage machine because the blasted Volvo Vida software rarely works in any of the modes or boxes on even a Windows 7 machine. Heck, it doesn't even like service pack 3.

One friend/coworker is still running Windows 3.11 at home. How's that for dinosaur operating systems! No, he can't use lots of modern software, maybe none in fact. Not even sure he can surf the web with that machine. But, it still works and makes him happy.

In fact, as far as I know, the US Air Force is still using Foxpro for DOS.

In reply to paranoid_android74:

Neither. Drink your whiskey neat. Straight up, no water:

https://www.debian.org/

Also: When I interface with ECUs or OBD-II scanners or require some particular software that isn't available on linux I run Oracle Virtualbox with whatever OS works best (OS-X, Win7, XP, 10-suck, etc).

It needs a bit more horsepower to do that but it lets you control whom it can communicate with and keeps it separate from your data and your network (if you choose).

Well, the 2GB ram upgrade showed up today. Needless to say it didn't make much of a difference that I can tell yet. I'm still on XP on this thing. I've cleaned up as much of it as I can, but really a clean install would work best. Only the computer didn't come with the CD. Oh well, this experiment has only cost $17 so far.

I was able to create a mini iso CD for Xubuntu last night, but had trouble during the install. It kept flaking out on the mirror location despite the network setup seeming to complete successfully. I'll mess with it more today.

I'll explore the Debian option today too. Thanks again guys!

I think XP was the start of having the backup install on the hard drive, where you burn your own. It might be there and is worth checking.

Otherwise, ebay. You might even find the entire setup disc set, which will include XP, for your particular computer with all the other weird little drivers you need. A lot of times this way is cheaper than a Microsoft packaged XP disc.

paranoid_android74 wrote: Well, the 2GB ram upgrade showed up today. Needless to say it didn't make much of a difference that I can tell yet.

That's probably due to Windows' idiotic swap file management combined with the effects of a fragmented swap file. In Windows, always disable swap, delete your swap file, then create a fixed-size swap file (if necessary) to prevent this.

If you have 8GB+ on Win7 or later you can get away with no swap file, and Windows really takes off when you do this because it always uses swap when enabled no matter how much free RAM you have.

Debian wins the day. I tried Xubuntu for many hours and I couldn't get it to install properly.

As a result I no longer have XP- lol! But that's fine, I don't have anything pressing to use it for. When I need it I will figure out a way to make it work.

Thank you again everyone for the help! Now I just need to finish my garage