Just a little update on the forthcoming Windows 10 operating system to replace Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and any earlier versions, with the difference that it is a free upgrade for W7 and upwards, but not for earlier versions.
Tag Archives: Windows 8
Heads to roll and rumours
At Kapiti SeniorNet as at all circles interested in computing and technology much has been talked about the second coming or rather Microsoft’s next iteration of their Windows 8 operating system, the when and the what.
It is by now well known that their new boss Satya Nadella is talking about big changes for the Microsoft organization which could mean anything from introducing a new business model to cutting their cloth to fit a slimmed down model.
Why do I have to upgrade my trusted XP machine?
Because the time has come to say good bye to the good ole XP operating system and get into Windows 7 or 8 or 8.1.
Of course the suggestion is not a new one, at Kapiti SeniorNet the call went out quite a long time ago, and not just the once, but the situation is that all good things come to an end and that applies to software support also.
Come April this year there is no more support for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Exchange Server 2003, Small Business Server 2003 and Office 2003, so if you use any of these please take note.
All these products are now 11 years old [XP actually 13 years old but was given an extra life of 2 years], pretty good these days when things move pretty fast.
So why do you have to upgrade?
Is your computer system at risk of infection?
The answer is not straight forward, it comes down to which operating system you are using, e.g. is it Windows XP, Vista, or perhaps the newest Windows 8 that is installed on your trusted machine, and how well protected that system is?
I am talking about Microsoft’s operating systems here, not Apple’s OS, and the age of the systems counts when it comes to how vulnerable they are to being hacked.
Here at SeniorNet we still
Windows 8.1 Upgrade coming
If you are the owner of a PC with Windows 8 operating system installed you may be asking yourself whether you should upgrade to the latest free 8.1 version when it becomes available shortly.
The 8.1. version is not really a brand new version even if advertised as such, more of an update of the current one with some nice bells and whistles like bringing back a start button to the left hand bottom corner of the screen and booting direct to the desktop; You can also group specific apps and name the group, and perhaps one of the more convenient changes is that your apps can now automatically update, and the search facility is now much better.
Should you decide that you’d like to upgrade to the new version then you may need to update the Windows 8.1 drivers also to ensure top running order. Do make sure to back-up your personal data first so nothing is lost just in case, and don’t forget to make a recovery disk.
There are a number of tweaks and fixes including choices for browser other than Microsoft’s own, but all in all it comes down to whether you have become a fan of Windows 8 in which case you most likely would wish to upgrade. If you are not a fan of Windows then the 8.1 is unlikely to change your mind.
On a slightly different note you may have been thinking of investing in the Microsoft Surface Tablet as your next computer. It looks to me a little bit like Microsoft is getting awfully busy with reorganizing the company, and with the purchase of Nokia, the phone maker, the Windows phone badly needs a new blood infusion, so it is likely that a further update of Windows 8.1 to 9 or even to 8.2 won’t happen next year and not impossible that the Surface RT tablet/laptop will be dumped. Stranger things have happened.
Meanwhile enjoy your computing and staying in touch with the World.
