"try out Linx" lol, niiiice.

Yeah, then NONE of your software will work and you'll spend all your waking hours trying to get the POS to work. ;)

use Kubuntu you retard

This 'retard' has been compiling his own distros from scratch since 1994. No matter what you nuts still say, Linux is still useless to ordinary users on the desktop: difficult to use, very little real software, buggy as hell, far more inconsistent than even Windows, and really hard for non-experts to fix (get used to arcane console commands, grandma!). Kubuntu is just the ugly KDE cousin of Ubuntu.

I only keep an XP machine to run Netflix. If you don't like buggy, don't use buggy apps. Linux is all you need in a desktop.

And yet it can’t even do Netflix. Why use a limited OS that can’t do what you need when a real one has everything you need and more?

NetFlix works on Ubuntu btw, http://lifehacker.com/you-c...

Considering a lot of smart TVs are linux based Netflix can work on Linux with no major problem. Personally I don't like Linux, I always run into driver issues with my network devices. It just seems like every step on Linux requires more work than other OSes. I really wish they would come out with something more like Android for desktops. Would be in my opinion a lot better than most versions of Linux I have tried which include Ubuntu, Red Hat and Mint.

So many commercial applications have put a much friendlier UI on Linux for their purpose it just seems odd that with all these "geek" companies one of them couldn't make a UI that is more mainstream functional than what is presently out there.

Agreed. I have went through dozens of distros trying to find one that doesn't have some sort of issue. Videos tearing even though the vsync is on, random unresponsiveness, passwords that don't work anymore etc... The biggest issue I have had recently is linux refuses to find my broadcom wifi card in this Dell D830. Always something or another. I spend more time fixing them then I do using them. I am using XP with this hack right now on this dell and it runs great. Surfs faster than 7 while using less resources and smoother scrolling. More responsive all around as well even with the 500 MB ram loss. 7 runs great, but if this keeps working I will use it. Until linux can get their poop in a group and get some decent hardware support it will never be worth a damn.

It is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\.

Oh darn. My bad. Thanks - will fix.

*Sigh*

I have no pity for the man/woman/cat/dog/child who decides to try and "extend" the life of his/her/it's machine and ends up bricking it.

Come on guys, XP is over 10 years old.

Please, let it die already.

Although, I'm more concerned about the fact that XP-era hardware will most likely struggle running modern versions of Windows, Ubuntu/Mint or Fedora.

They're the most vulnerable to being netted into botnets.

Nobody likes botnets.

Some people like botnets. Hackers like botnets, and also XP

Same reason you read this article ;p.

Thing is, there are millions of users out there who have been using their computer for doing the same few simple things -- email, a bit of web surfing, etc. -- for years, and have no need and no desire to spend another $100, let alone another $500 (if they need a new machine) on an upgrade they will have to then spend time setting up again and learning.

Think parents, or if you're young enough, grandparents. Many are more than capable of upgrading, but many are not, and as they grow older, typically any change simply increases the confusion and disruption.

I agree that it is time for XP to shuffle off this mortal coil, but that doesn't mean it will be easy for many of those who have grown used to using XP over the last 10 years to change.

It is my case. I have an old netbook of 2005, and it work well, but slow.
I'm lazy so I keep XP.

I cannot afford 400$ for a new one.
If MS proposed a windows lite version that work on those processor 15 less powerful than today, I could spend 100$. but seven of 8 are worthless.

I should look to Lunbuntu or alike, but.... pff... I have a life.

Which is why you're posting here. ;)

Given that people have had success putting Windows 7 onto a computer with a Pentium III processor, something tells me that your 2005 model will be just fine.

If people want to get hacked, then let them! It's just free CC info for the rest of us.

Funny, a year after your comment, there are STILL more people using XP than 8/8.1 combined...

That's because this guy is an ignorant clown who assumes newer automatically = better, and can't imagine any other use cases than his own.

Operating systems are like dating partners. Sure, newer may not always be better, but it is a lot more fun!

I accidentally bricked my XP computer once trying to follow a video tutorial on YouTube to change the start menu text
I don't know what exactly went wrong but I changed a value in the registry then restarted Windows Explorer
Except that Windows Explorer wouldn't restart

Ha, all you suckers think that updating to the latest and greatest is the way to say safe but the reality is you should be doing the exact opposite and use stuff that is so out of date no modern hacker can even communicate with it let alone hack it...that's why I've loaded Win 98 on my PC and I'm using AOL through my 56k modem to connect to the internet!

Wow, I should congratulate our web design team, for making ET work on Windows 98!

Actually I've tested this in a VM, and ET doesn't work in IE6 for Windows 98 (despite the name, its WAY worse than the version that shipped with XP). However, the last versions of firefox and opera for windows 98, released in 2008 and 2009 respectively, work very well with ET. If he's in Windows 98 commenting here, he's probably using one of those, as well as a third party service pack with all the newer updates ported to Windows 98 ( http://www.majorgeeks.com/f... )

This has to be a bad joke

Pretty sure it is, i got a little chuckle.

Security through obscurity is not security at all.

If web servers can communicate with your computer, hackers can as well. :P

They'll find a way to plug this up, and fine do it at your own peril

"They'll find a way to plug this up"

No, they wont.

They just need to disable something a cash register wouldn't care about. What makes you think they won't?

PieceOfShitReady, ok got it.

thinking the same thing

the name of the Dword is "Installed"...

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\PosReady]
"Installed"=dword:00000001

Thank you very much saved me a lot of time!! You would think ExtremeTech would have mentioned that vital bit of info...personal I think the poster found this info somewhere else and just simply copy/pasted it in here...Top Marks to you AlainCo

Cuz only XP users are stupid enough to try it. ;)

Windozealots are the scum of the earth

I'm rubber, you're glue. Nanny nanny boo boo!

Linux mint kubuntu is better then windows 7 or 8

FOR ME TO POOP ON!!!

TRY OUT LINUX HAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA HAHAAAAA HAAA omg I hurt myself laughing at the idea of linux

20+ years and I heard they just dipped down below 1%.

more like 95% they have the entire phone market/tv / super computers and severs

windows 8 sucks, Linux mint kubuntu is far better, easier, better looking

The subject is desktops, of course.