Microsoft Offering Windows XP Users Money Off to Upgrade

[exfileme]

It's a gift card, actually...

Microsoft Offering Windows XP Users Money Off to Upgrade : Read more

 

[mapesdhs]

If they offered the same upgrade offer but for Win7 instead, I bet they'dreceive a much stronger response...Ian.

 

[jacobdrj]

They should offer Windows at reduced cost again: $35 is an impulse buy...

 

[mapesdhs]

I just bought a whole load of unused Dell OEM Win7/Pro/64bit packs off eBay instead (10 of them), they were
only 45 UKP each. Plenty still listed, all complete with COA, etc. They come from unsold business systems.

Ian.

 

[Maxor127]

Anyone who hasn't upgraded to Windows XP either is computer illiterate, or they haven't done so on purpose. And I bet none of those groups would like Windows 8.

 

[gggplaya]

Windows 7 is actually really good, definite improvement over windows xp. Unless you have proprietary company specific software, it's worth the switch.Windows 8, no way am i ever switching to that garbage unless i get a windows tablet.

 

[canadianvice]

Win XP was fine. Windows 7 is the one that should be on the pedestal though. It is easily the best version MS has put out - I would still take 8 over XP.Windows XP needs to go away on mainstream consumer machines - these people mostly do not know how to lock down the system, and I see no reason they should have a right to contribute to the botnets that make life hard for the rest of us.It's pure negligence. If you can't afford to keep your pet from hurting others, the state puts it down. Not the pet's fault, but still, you can't be harming others just so you can selfishly keep using an archaic operating system.

 

[Spac3nerd]

Anyone who hasn't upgraded to Windows XP either is computer illiterate, or they haven't done so on purpose. And I bet none of those groups would like Windows 8.

'computer illiterate' ? Not true at all. If a computer system is still capable of running its given task well , there is no need to 'upgrade'. There are major multi-billion dollar companies that still run pre-Windows XP machines, or even PS/2s for that matter. Your average Win XP PC is more than capable of doing what average people do on PCs (light web browsing, text editors etc..), and those users see no reason to upgrade, nor do they really have to. It may come as a shock to Toms' users but not everyone needs, or wants a $1200+ machine.

 

[InvalidError]

They should offer Windows at reduced cost again: $35 is an impulse buy...

Having a cheap new OS does not help much when the hardware is 8+ years old and does not have any up-to-date drivers for Win7/8.

 

[canadianvice]

Anyone who hasn't upgraded to Windows XP either is computer illiterate, or they haven't done so on purpose. And I bet none of those groups would like Windows 8.

'computer illiterate' ? Not true at all. If a computer system is still capable of running its given task well , there is no need to 'upgrade'. There are major multi-billion dollar companies that still run pre-Windows XP machines, or even PS/2s for that matter. Your average Win XP PC is more than capable of doing what average people do on PCs (light web browsing, text editors etc..), and those users see no reason to upgrade, nor do they really have to. It may come as a shock to Toms' users but not everyone needs, or wants a $1200+ machine.

Even when your system can be compromised far easier and most of them aren't able to take care of it?
A computer is not like a fridge or something a person might repair themselves to keep running - they depend on having a third party support it to a large degree, and that's not there anymore. Some people know how to remove viruses and the like, but the vast majority of the population does not.

Oh well, I guess I should be cheering XP. I work in a place that offers computer repairs, so it'll mean more money for us.

It's now going to become a danger to others, and for that reason it has to be put down - still usable otherwise or not.

 

[masteroftheuniverse]

Duh Microsoft, nobody WANTS windows 8 for ANY price - even if you were giving it away free 95% of people on XP would stay with the better OS, XP. Intentionally making it obsoletely won't change the bald fact that Windows 8 sucks and nobody wants to put it on their machine.

 

[canadianvice]

Duh Microsoft, nobody WANTS windows 8 for ANY price - even if you were giving it away free 95% of people on XP would stay with the better OS, XP. Intentionally making it obsoletely won't change the bald fact that Windows 8 sucks and nobody wants to put it on their machine.

Oh, stop it with that overused trope already. I do prefer seven, but given the choice between XP and 8, I would pick 8 in a millisecond. It's a vast improvement over XP. Sure, I'm not such a fan of metro, but I'm much less a fan of an obtuse, archaic system. Especially now that it's just going to become a cesspit of malware. It's selfish to keep using it unless you know how to wipe and maintain it to the point it will not become part of a botnet.

 

[razor512]

Too bad all of those computers are overpriced by at least $100. Why not instead offer a discount on windows 8.1, sell it to users who have windows XP, for $20?

 

[InvalidError]

Even when your system can be compromised far easier and most of them aren't able to take care of it?

Assuming those PCs either have a direct internet connection or are actually used to browse the internet.

For people and businesses who use XP primarily to use legacy software and hardware, most of those will have little to no need to access the internet or even the LAN since they will often have a separate computer for everything else.

 

[canadianvice]

Even when your system can be compromised far easier and most of them aren't able to take care of it?

Assuming those PCs either have a direct internet connection or are actually used to browse the internet.

For people and businesses who use XP primarily to use legacy software and hardware, most of those will have little to no need to access the internet or even the LAN since they will often have a separate computer for everything else.

I am relatively confident that those are a minority.

 

[Fierce Guppy]

Don't offer XP users anything. There's really nothing MS has to do other than disable the Windows Update site on April 8. Some XP users will pull a tantrum like "Awww, I'm gonna go Linux!" and others will move on... and so the XP story ends there.

 

[canadianvice]

Don't offer XP users anything. There's really nothing MS has to do other than disable the Windows Update site on April 8. Some XP users will pull a tantrum like "Awww, I'm gonna go Linux!" and others will move on... and so the XP story ends there.

I agree - unless it means I might be able to get a cheap copy.

That said, they'll find out soon enough the error of their ways when they have to pay hundreds of dollars to fix malware on their systems. Makes my company money, so it's probably a net plus.

 

[bloodroses75]

Duh Microsoft, nobody WANTS windows 8 for ANY price - even if you were giving it away free 95% of people on XP would stay with the better OS, XP. Intentionally making it obsoletely won't change the bald fact that Windows 8 sucks and nobody wants to put it on their machine.

You're right, because having to remove spyware EVERY day due to security holes from an aging OS is so much fun....... *sarcasm*

 

[red77star]

Nothing will happen on APril 8th since Microsoft is patching Windows every Tuesday so in essence you OS is never secured. It is all smoke and mirrors Microsoft is trying to pull in order to gain some market share for Windows 8.x which is the flop since day 1. There are good number of people who never liked what Microsoft did with Windows Vista/7 let alone Windows 8. It comes down to the fact that Microsoft lost Windows Market every since Windows 8 is released.

 

[ZolaIII]

Cheap M$ marketing trick of giving discount on overpriced devices!Whit upcoming support from manufacturers for Linux drivers things are changing drastically. Now you have a choice to game, browse or do the productivity work on safer OS that costs you 0$. In the 5 years period M$ will be begging for ?.

 

[rwinches]

Let's not forget the 1.5 million ATM's and numerous kiosks that use XP.

As others have said it's not just an OS upgrade it's a hardware upgrade as well. Many don't have the cash to spend. Commercial users have very little motivation if their application runs.

Even if drivers were available 7 or 8 would run as slow as... on older HW with all the background crap that runs.

My 8 machines have had close to 2 GB of updates so far, the 32 bit a little less. I dread going to 8.1 because it will reset all the settings that took many hours to adjust.

 

[knowom]

Don't offer XP users anything. There's really nothing MS has to do other than disable the Windows Update site on April 8. Some XP users will pull a tantrum like "Awww, I'm gonna go Linux!" and others will move on... and so the XP story ends there.

Yeah because using Linux equates to pulling a tantrum despite the fact that Android is based on Linux and the majority of the server world operates on Linux plus it's free and leaner while offering better legacy hardware/software support.

 

[knowom]

Duh Microsoft, nobody WANTS windows 8 for ANY price - even if you were giving it away free 95% of people on XP would stay with the better OS, XP. Intentionally making it obsoletely won't change the bald fact that Windows 8 sucks and nobody wants to put it on their machine.

You're right, because having to remove spyware EVERY day due to security holes from an aging OS is so much fun....... *sarcasm*

Sounds like a personal problem. Even if XP is less secure it doesn't effect you. The botnet scare is a little comical as well if later OS's are so much more secure you've got nothing to worry about.

 

[knowom]

Nothing will happen on APril 8th since Microsoft is patching Windows every Tuesday so in essence you OS is never secured. It is all smoke and mirrors Microsoft is trying to pull in order to gain some market share for Windows 8.x which is the flop since day 1. There are good number of people who never liked what Microsoft did with Windows Vista/7 let alone Windows 8. It comes down to the fact that Microsoft lost Windows Market every since Windows 8 is released.

Hit the nail on the head. Ending support of XP won't make or offering a rebate won't make users like Vista/7/8/9 any more or less. As for security no OS is 100% secure and every security breach is the result of user error in some form or another. Even the most secure OS's can be hacked. The pentagon has been the target of numerous hacks and you think your consumer windows OS is secure? They might be slightly more resistant to basic hacks, but not immune to user error.

 

[rokit]

ATM are already moving to Linux, yes majority was on XP. Lack of security updates does that to companies.If your company isn't running proprietary software that works only under XP you'll migrate really slowly. And as far as i can tell more companies are chosing path of Linux everywhere and XP with proprietary software on VMs as a first step. The second one takes longer but they're hiring people again to port it to Linux or search already existent alternative(if it exist).