download a free and open operating system that will make the most out of the hardware and make it feel like new.

Some people are really suggesting "Linux Lite" for windows xp users, because it is designed to be an easy migration.

I would say that Linux Mint with XFCE would be a really great transition from windows xp.

It is a light user interface that is customizable and will be familiar and usable to windows users. The advantage of Mint is that it comes with propeitary codecs, and can use the ubuntu repositories for sotware if you wish.

So, you could have a ton of free software to do anything you use a computer for, with a free and easy install of the OS.

You can even make a live dvd to try it out and see.

Couldn't be simpler.

Here is a link to the 32 bit download (I'm assuming that folks using xp have older hardware).

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=155

I'm not a typical user. The first "real" operating system I used was BSD. I've been on the internet since 1979.

The last Microsoft product I used was Windows 98SE with some fairly wicked and possibly illegal modifications. (General purpose mass storage USB drivers cribbed from later versions of Windows, things like that.)

I first logged onto DU with a Windows 98SE machine.

I've had Linux machines from the early days, when it was a very rough work, but these were in my shop. Then along came Debian which has been my preferred operating system for many years now.

I'm a great hoarder of most everything I've done on computers. Every computer I've ever used and most of the files are just one or two clicks away from my desktop. This includes my homebrew 1802 computer, my university work, the Atari 8 bit computers, the Macs, the MS-DOS, MS-Windows, and DR-DOS/Geoworks machines.



My computer upgrade process usually goes like this:

I find a new machine that's better than the one on my desk. Usually it's something I've diverted from recycling; somebody else's trash.

I'll get the machine working, maybe install a larger hard drive or more memory, and then I'll install Debian, including Wine and all my usual emulators.

Then I'll connect the old computer, maybe even just the old hard drive, to the "new" computer and drag and drop the old computer's home directories onto the new computer's desktop. Drag over my configuration files, scripts, and shortcuts to their usual places... done.

Then the old hard drive goes on the shelf. I still have a few monster "boat anchor" 5.25 hard drives that haven't been run for decades because their content is mirrored on all the hard drives I've used since. The screenshot I posted is from a couple of computers back, but I've got all those on my current desktop too.

I also back up my home directories on USB drives, my largest a 500 gigabyte Seagate. I could rebuild any of my machines from that.

With Linux there's really no need to back up program files, those are on the internet. All the important stuff is in my home directories.

Best of all with Linux there are no serial numbers, no "activation codes," no "registries," none of that crazy shit to worry about.

I gave up XP when Win7 came out, but yours is a very useful post for the pitfalls some may run into with XP and a newer HDD and trying to run two OS.

Voice of experience, you got it. If I'd known all this in July I could have saved a few lost weekends if you know what I mean!

and do not want to upgrade.

I left it out of the OP but here's my story: Some older 16-bit programs (like WP 5.1) will only run on DOS, Win 95/8, or Win XP. DOS and Win 95/8 are useless for most internet applications, so for connectivity, i.e. if you want to send your data to another PC somewhere, XP is the best alternative. Also, DOS and Win 95/8 machines can't handle most USB hardware, meaning floppy disks or nothing, and they stopped selling floppy disks several years ago. If that hadn't happened I'd still be using my 1996 HP Pavilion.

but I really don't miss much of it. Most of it I was looking to upgrade anyway.

WP X6 cost a couple of bucks, but works just fine. The biggest problem isn't WP, but Word is becoming oft impossible to properly translate and jerks keep sending me text files as .docx

New W8 machines are ridiculously cheap and it's easy to make them look and work like W7, which is close enough to XP that if you don't have a couple of hundred bucks you don't have it, but if you do, and most of us do, why on earth not upgrade for more speed, efficiency, and safety?

I suspect that after the 95/98 horrorshow we all put up with and MS finally coming out with XP, as a real, honest-to-God OS, too many are just afraid of a repeat of w2000 or another best forgotten joke on us.

I've read that it can, but I've read that about every version they've released and the only one that can actually do it is still 5.1.

those old 5.1 files are mostly saved in other formats and I just haven't had much reason to dig into them anyway.

The truth is that for years I've preferred WP to work in, but since so few of us use it, the final work tended to be in some other format. When WP started allowing direct conversion to PDF years ago, it was a great relief and timesaver.

But when it comes time to update or revise it's back to WP, or Word. I've got Office15 (it was Office13 when I installed it, must have updated itself), so .docx doesn't bother me but sorting through those old 5.1 files without having 5.1 installed is freakin' horrible. Needle in a haystack. So even though it took eight months to get WP51 working on my new PC, I would have to say that it was worth it.

Microsoft should be in jail for what they've done to XP users and to computers.
Folks are running XP cause what came after it was garbage, except 7.
Who much likes the dismissiveness of Microsoft with their "just get a new computer" or a new O/S? Neither is very simple to do and certainly costly in time and energy for users.
Lots to read about if you want to do Linux and you have to burn a DVD cause there's no direct download. Afterwards you can install it on your computer. Lots you have to read and learn about the new O/S.
And who wants a new computer with more Windows junk in it like 8/8.1?
Microsoft is already abandoning 8.1 it's so bad.
People are buying machines with 7 in them, but that will also be abandoned early in 2015.
It's Microsoft which needs to be abandoned.

Just found out that Linux also makes their own computers with Linux programs.
Will certainly be looking into that and think Dell and H/P should also be thinking about tossing
Microsoft O/S's.

And Windows 10 is an excellent OS.

It looks like XP isn't going anywhere, but the hardware it runs on won't last forever, so eventually everyone using it is going to have to cross this bridge. Hope this makes it a little easier!

including links and installation tips:

From "Windows XP Security Issues: Fact Vs. Fiction" (reply #3):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/109510469

"Last call for XP":

http://www.democraticunderground.com/109510324

.........................
p.s. thank goodness for Guinness!

You can partition and set them up any way you want.
I have no problem setting a new drive up in XP, 7, or any flavor of Linux.
the only ones that come set up in GPT are Windows 8 PCs and you can actually install 8 on a MBR drive as long as a single partition is smaller than 2 Tb.

And yes, you can clone a Windows 8 c: drive to an MBR-partitioned disk and it will boot, whether you wanted it to or not. Very rugged beast this Windows 8. But you can't install XP on a GPT-partitioned disk without reformatting the whole thing first.

It takes too long to decrapify them. I have a Windows 8 laptop that now looks and feels like 7 but it took me about 3 hours of decrapifying and tweaking settings. I bought it for the performance 3 GHz quad-core cpu, 16 Gb Ram, 2 Tb hard drives, and NVidia 750M graphics.

If you install 8 on a new build you can set it up any way you want. I did once when 8 first came out to see what I could learn. Never bothered to activate and wiped the drive later and installed 7 on it. I have about 10 copies of 7 Home Premium and Pro with unused product keys(got them cheap for about $65 ea) so I can upgrade/downgrade customers' machines.

I know someone with an ancient Compaq laptop with 95 on it. It does what she wants-namely word processing and printing it out and she'll use it for that until it finally dies.
she has a newer machine she uses for email, etc., but for quietly doing her writing without interruptions and hassles the old one does just fine.

I have an audio player program that is a 37Kb .exe that sits in the system tray and will play music all day long. Works in every version of Windows from 2000 on including 8.

Not a lot, like a built-in VM for old software, just a little. But not even a start button on the desktop? Of course we're gonna hate it. What a sad waste.

"It installs faster than any other version, it boots and shuts down faster. THOSE are its good points"

8 does its utmost to hide some of the more advanced settings. And what good is a touchscreen type interface on a nontouch display?
I understand that the Metro crap is on their new server and that has really pissed off a lot of IT people.

You would think that a on the square company would be proud to have an O/S like XP running 13 years. Instead they're doing all they can to kill it.
Recall that they also refused to "update" IE for XP users which meant we all had to run around picking up new browsers. If you moved to Chrome, you likely had to mvoe on again.
I went to Safari.

Works on my 32-bit XP pro installation perfectly. I'm told it's similar to Chrome. Chrome I've avoided. Opera download link here: http://www.opera.com

And I agree that if IE and MSE are becoming obnoxious, you might as well replace them with free non-Microsoft alternatives. A good free anti-virus might be Spybot search and destroy home version, download link here: http://www.safer-networking.org/mirrors/

Next time you get an "end of support" pop-up see if there's a "do not show this message again" box you can click. I get the MSE messages too, and I don't see any opt-out box, but I haven't gotten any XP auto-update messages since I clicked the opt-out box on the first one.

p.s. welcome to DU!

problem was that IE kept fighting it. Microsoft seems to want it both ways: they don't want to update IE for XP users, but they also don't want people to replace it and have things run smoothly. At least that's my experience. Had the same problem with Firefox. They seem to so far being leaving Safari alone. You can't actually get rid of IE because it's the default browser and I think it is always running in the background no matter whatever browser you put on and declare the new "default" browser.

I don't think MSE ever did anything for me. I had it on my computer ronly a few years and forget why I put it on. I have AVG and ZoneAlarm and that's been OK so far. The worst time I ever had was with a paid anti-virus service which was Norton. Seems the download I paid for didn't go thru properly and didn't know I was exposed. They did return my money, but I had to do a total restore to get rid of the viruses. (You can only do that once.)
A friend's office is using a new super anti-virus link which she is sending me. If it seems interesting, I'll post it.

No, these msgs don't have "opt out" option.

Thanks for the welcome!

Note that a) you will need to download EasyBCD, which is free and works well, though it's a little tricky to use; and b) these instructions don't mention the GPT-MBR issue at all and assume you're using an MBR-partitioned drive.

In other words, the dual-boot option is ideal for a used PC with an empty drive, or a new hard drive, as Hobbit mentioned, but if you buy a brand-new machine, your best bet is a VM, which won't break your Windows 8 installation.

1. Can Windows XP still be activated after April 8, 2014?

Windows XP can still be installed and activated after end of support. Computers running Windows XP will still work but they won’t receive any Microsoft Updates or be able to leverage technical support. Activations will still be required for retail installations of Windows XP after this date as well.

2. Can Windows XP Mode in Windows 7 still be used in Windows XP?

Windows XP Mode follows the same support lifecycle as Windows XP, extended support will end April 8, 2014.

3. Will MED-V be supported after April 8, 2014?

Windows XP used with MED-V follows the same support cycle as Windows XP, support ends April 8th, 2014.

4. Will Microsoft Security Essentials be supported after April 8, 2014?

Microsoft Security Essentials will not be available for download on Windows XP after April 8, 2014. If you already have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, you will continue to receive anti-malware signature updates through July 14, 2015. However, please note that PCs running Windows XP after April 8, 2014 should not be considered protected.

5. Will Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool be supported after April 8, 2014?

Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool is aligned with the company's anti-malware engines and signatures, and as such the removal tool will continue to be provided for Windows XP through July 14, 2015. However, any PC running Windows XP after April 8, 2014 should not be considered protected as there will be no security updates for the Windows XP operating system.

6. Will System Center, Windows Intune, and Microsoft Deployment Toolkit still support Windows XP?

While customers may continue to use System Center, Windows Intune, and the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit to manage and deploy Windows XP past April 8, 2014, those products will no longer support Windows XP, and any technical issues which may arise will not be addressed.

7. What about Windows XP Embedded?

See the Windows Embedded product lifecycle page and Microsoft Support for more information on Windows XP Embedded lifecycles.

8. Will existing updates still be available via Windows Update after April 8, 2014?

Yes, all existing Windows XP updates and fixes will still be available via Windows Update and WSUS.

9. Will Internet Explorer 8 still be supported on Windows XP?

As a component of Windows, Internet Explorer follows the support lifecycle of the Windows operating system on which it is installed on. More information is available at Microsoft Support.

10. Which machines will receive the Windows XP End of Support notification?

The notification will be sent to users of Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional who have elected to receive updates via Windows Update. Users in organizations using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), System Center Configuration Manager, or Windows Intune will not receive the Windows XP end of support notification.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/enterprise/end-of-support.aspx

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304747404579445800901503252

Basically they urge readers to get off XP, as "the operating system will no longer be a safe place to work or play," either by upgrading to 8.1, or buying new equipment with 7 or 8.1 installed. Buying a stand-alone 7 is also possible:

Microsoft doesn't sell box copies of Windows 7 anymore. And if you buy the $99.99 version sold by online computer suppliers like Newegg, you don't get Microsoft support. You will get security updates until 2020, however.

Conclusion: "Whatever path you do choose, don't be sad: You can always bring that perfect spring day wallpaper with you."

and eventually PCs running XP will need to be replaced, and this article gives a good rundown of ball-park alternatives and prices. Here's the non-MS section:

Note the your/you're typo . . .

And the hardware specs on a Mac don't justify the cost.

My main system only cost me $750 and it beats any Mac. AMD FX-8350 OC'd to 5 GHz, 16 Gb RAM, 250 SSD boot drive, 500 Gb and 750 Gb secondary drives, 2 DVD-RW drives, NVidia GTX 650 graphics. Running Windows 7 Pro X64 on it. Of course my monitor cost me about the same, 30 inch LCD with 2560x1600 resolution.

while you're waiting to get your keyboard fixed . . .

good grief, how hard is it to download a free file and burn a usb stick and click the install now button?

http://www.wikihow.com/Install-Linux-Mint

.........................

"Install Linux Mint on Your Windows Computer or Netbook"

Would you like to try out the popular Linux Mint OS on your Windows computer or netbook? Here’s how you can do it even without a CD/DVD drive with the Mint4Win installer.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/20079/install-linux-mint-on-your-windows-computer-or-netbook/
.........................

"5 Ways To Try Out and Install Ubuntu On Your Computer"

http://www.howtogeek.com/128347/5-ways-to-try-out-and-install-ubuntu-on-your-computer/

...........................

p.s. I haven't tried any of these and can't recommend or advise except to suggest that the DVD or VM options might be preferable on newer machines so as not to interfere with the built-in Windows 7/8 boot loader and any proprietary OEM features like restore.

Thank you.
I'm bookmarking this for myself and to send to my sister who is also looking at Linux Mint.

Oops! How do you bookmark something here?

I know I'm not the only one who didn't get a proper download from Norton on an anti-virus program I was paying for and it led to my picking up viruses because I didn't know that the download hadn't happened properly. After much fooling around with trying various removers
I took my own advice and did a complete system restore. I know my sister also had a similar
problem with an anti-virus program she was paying for.

I know it had to be frustrating. You should try linux, that kind of thing wouldn't happen.

they know that downloads can be tricky and what you download they tell you has to be verified as a true copy and they tell you how to do it. If I do LINUX, I'll order the disc.
Was going to do Mint but it has no office program?
Then you'd have to download an office program separately.
I think one of the Ubuntu flavors has an office program so I'll probably try to do it all in one.
But still reading about LINUX.

ALL the versions of Mint that I downloaded had Open/Libre Office on them.

and I do recall now that someone had told me that Libre Office was included with Mint.
But thank you for reconfirming that for me.

I've never downloaded anything onto a disk.
Never owned one and wouldn't know how to begin and I think they want a special disk.
But, who knows?

If you want to boot your PC from a DVD without starting Windows 8, you will need to disable the "secure boot" feature that manufacturers are required to include in machines preloaded with Win 8. This is related to UEFI firmware and GPT partitioning, but is a different can of worms. The basic technique is to :

1. Restart your PC from "advanced startup" (Settings > Change PC Settings > General > Advanced Startup > Restart PC),
2. Open the "Troubleshooting" menu,
3. Click "Advanced Options: UEFI Firmware Settings,"
4. Open your BIOS settings,
5. Disable Secure Boot,
6. Enable boot-from-DVD option,
7. Save your BIOS settings, and
8. Exit and reboot.

Presto. Now when your PC starts, you should get a menu allowing you to choose your boot medium from a list which should include your DVD drive. If it doesn't, rinse and repeat, as different computers have different BIOS set-ups, and there might be additional hoops somewhere.
....................
p.s. here are the official instructions from Microsoft and detailed instructions from HP, in case you have an HP or Compaq machine:

1. MS, "Disabling Secure Boot": http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn481258.aspx

2. HP, "Disabling Secure Boot": http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c03653226&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en
.......................

p.p.s. I'm going to add one recommendation which is to make as few changes as possible to your BIOS as some changes will "break" your windows 8 installation, i.e. render it unbootable and unable to repair itself. If this rather scary situation happens you need to go back into BIOS and undo your last change. One more thing: Win8 BIOS menus will kick up a scary red warning when you disable Secure Boot but that you can safely ignore!

Whenever there is an opportunity to fish in troubled waters, the scamming Indians would be in the forefront calling Americans with their usual con tricks. We have seen this when natural calamities strike (Hurricane Katrina) or when there is a terror attack (Boston Marathon).

Now that Microsoft has announced withdrawal of XP support, scam calls offering "Free Upgrade" is being reported. The callers claim to be from Microsoft which has decided to reward 'you for being our loyal customer'!!

It's a fact that many could still get duped of money as well as personal info, even though the "Microsoft Windows Support Scam", has been widely reported over the last few years.

my grandson who is actually majoring in Computer Technology, don't know exact term, but he told me to download the "driver update" for Windows XP - SP3. He has a Windows 7 that he will install when he finishes college this year so I can still use Microsoft. Right now trying to familiarize myself with MacBook and how it operates, but it's taking time. Lots to learn, and my XP is kind of "old faithful" to me.

A recent thread I started gave me a lot of very helpful information, but that was before I learned he had the Windows 7 operating disk.

My question is this. I'm using Mozilla Firefox as my browser and some have told me that using it would enable me to keep using XP with no problems because of this. I did check out the driver update and was directed to a download used for the Firefox browser. The name was something like slimsilver (not correct) but something like it. I was afraid to complete the process. Still, I would like to try Windows 7 if I find I like it. Don't have extra money to spend on new PC.

Why are some saying Firefox is OK, is it true and should I do the "driver update" since my grandson will download Windows 7 in a couple of months? AND, do I have to do the driver update before the deadline that's tomorrow? Just found out Saturday he had the Windows 7 download available.

Oh, one more thing. With the driver update it's asking me to install AVG, but I read that Kaspersky's, Bitdefender, Avira or G-Data are better. AVG is the only option available, but if I download it can I remove it without any problems and replace it.

I know lots of questions, too little time.

If you want to update Firefox all you have to do is click on the Help button and go to About-it will update automatically at that point.
Anything that wants to install added stuff with the application gets a NO from me.
What driver update? If your hardware is working fine no need to update the drivers. Windows updates are NOT driver updates but patches and fixes for Windows.
If you got one of those driver update helper apps-get rid of it.
If you need an antivirus get Microsoft Security Essentials-it's free and works fairly well.

Hi ChiciB1, if I can put your mind at rest, nothing that works today will stop working tomorrow, and MS has promised to leave the existing XP updates and service packs on its servers until July 2015 at least. New XP installations will also activate. They will not offer free phone support for XP however. Old MSE updates will also be available for XP but new ones won't be issued. Hope that helps!

ps: MSE = Microsoft Security Essentials = Microsoft's free antivirus

going through a death in her family, so I'm here & then I'm gone. So I appreciate input from both of you. At the moment I'm using MacBook since it's hard for me to keep up with what I should OR shouldn't do RE: XP 2000. So, not going to do the driver thing & will try MSE. I do get asked to do Firefox updates and will go from there.
Thanks again.

As long as this thread is still pinned (thanks Steve!) I thought I'd update a few items:

1) Win XP: Still starts, stll works, and still gets one or two auto-updates from MS, like security updates for IE 8 and malicious software removal tool August update.


2) MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) for XP: Still works, but MS is definitely not issuing updates, at least for free, so regular ol' XP users will probably need to find some other anti-virus. One suggestion might be Spybot Search and Destroy 2, free home version, found here: http://www.safer-networking.org/mirrors/


3) WP: Running WordPerfect 5.1 was my raison d'être for putting XP on my Windows 8 desktop, but it turned out not to be that important, as WP X7, which came out last April, can preview WP 5.1 files in File Explorer. I think it's the first Windows app I've owned that can. Files don't even need special suffixes (but they do need some suffix, or the contents won't be visible). It's not as fast as browsing directories in WP 5.1, and previews can't be opened via keyboard commands, or at least I can't, but it does the job and lots more. Free 30-day trial here: http://www.wordperfect.com/ca/product/office-suite/


4) Windows 9: If Windows 8/8.1 is still problematic, take heart, as Windows 9, codenamed Threshold, is purportedly scheduled to be released at the end of September: http://www.cnet.com/news/windows-9-unveiling-set-for-september-30-report-says/


Last but not least, MS Word 13 (latest version) might seem strange and buggy at first, but if you can get past the online business -- it wants you to save files online, and some versions require a live connection every time you start the damn thing -- and it agrees with your operating system, it's not bad, and rarely locks up or crashes. It can also make and edit PDFs, and convert PDFs to Word docs, though it doesn't do this fast or well, particularly long docs. But all in all it's very handy and looks a little nicer than Word 2007, which runs just fine in Windows 8 in case you still have it and don't want to spring for the latest MS Office.

Windows Point-of-Sale is an XP version used in cash registers, ATMs and other specialized systems in a business or industrial environment. It's basically the same XP, just with a different tag or something. "Regular" XP has ceased updating, but the same XP updates are still being rolled out for Point-of-Sale terminals. See here for registry hack (must be comfortable with editing the registry)

DISCLAIMER: This is not an approved tactic by Microsoft and some users have reported problems. As always, back up your files and the registry (in the link is info on how to do this), and remember that as always, YMMV.

http://www.fixedbyvonnie.com/2014/06/trick-windows-xp-giving-updates-2019/#.VD6xQMlAtEA

You can also install an "unofficial" Service Pack 4 from a hobbyist developer, that's been circulating the Internet for some time now. What it does is install all the updates from Microsoft that have been released since SP3 up until April 8 of this year. It's similar to the "Update Rollup" for Windows 2000 that also had the nickname "Service Pack 5" or "Service Pack 4.5." Rated 3.5/5 at Softpedia.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Signatures-Updates/Windows-XP-SP4-Unofficial.shtml

Alternatively, you can manually download and install updates from Microsoft, automating the process by using the freeware app Windows Updates Downloader. As of yet I don't know of a way to install all of them at once and then restart when all finished (probably some scripting involved which I don't know how to do). But at least you'll have the updates saved offline for later use.

http://www.windowsupdatesdownloader.com/

I assume it is, but I imagine it is risky to assume something like this.

In very old DOS system computers, you could simly run the file "PC-info.exe and get thelow down, but don't know what to do now that we are in the 21st Century.

If you go to your C: drive and look at the files. If all you have is Program Files then it's 32 bit. If it shows both Program Files and Program Files (x86) then you have 64 bit.

Now that Win 7 is headed for the XP boneyard in 2020, to be followed by the upgrade to end all upgrades, Windows 10, in 2025, I thought I'd round up a few final links and tips as a requiem for a heavyweight:

1. XP: First off, XP Pro still works like a champ in the 2 PCs I've got it installed on, an e-bay "second chance" 2009 HP tower (now my go-to desktop) and an older behemoth my brother bequeathed a few years ago. XP starts right up, connects to WiFi, updates promptly (monthly Malicious Intruder bulletins), kicks up the usual nags and suggestions, detects new hardware, searches for drivers, runs a browser which also updates promptly, and of course, runs WordPerfect 5.1 in a reasonable facsimile of Windows 95.

Moral: XP runs best on PCs equipped to run it, and installing it on newer devices means crossing two perilous bridges before you even get to the WiFi adapter and printer drivers: 1) defeating UEFI "secure boot" restrictions, which can break newer Windows installations on the same drive, and 2) loading ACHI drivers ("press F6&quot to allow XP to run on newer drives. You can also set your BIOS to emulate IDE, or to not emulate ACHI, but that too will break versions not installed with the same setting.

2. Multi-boot setups: If you're planning a multi-boot with XP, it's advisable to start with a fresh HDD or SSD, partition it into drives, and then install XP in the first partition, followed by 7, 8, and/or 10 in that order, as later versions can detect XP boot loaders, but XP will replace an existing boot sequence with its own. If that happens, the way to rebuild your "boot store" is to open a command prompt and use BCDedit and Bootrec commands, which can be finicky:

More on BCDedit here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc709667(v=ws.10).aspx
More on Bootrec here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/927392

3. Anti-virus: Install something like Windows Defender on new Win 7 installations and something like Avira on new XP installations, as neither has a built-in anti-virus. Should you catch a bug in the interim, Malwarebytes will help get rid of it:

a) Windows Defender: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14210/security-essentials-download
b) Avira free anti-virus: https://www.avira.com/
c) Malwarebytes: https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/

4. Win 10 vs. Win 7: For all intents and purposes, Win 10 is Win 7 with Macintosh filigree, and with a few adjustments, the desktops run the same way. Nevertheless, installing Win 10 means re/installing hundreds of drivers that may or may not be compatible with your system and may not even exist, so I'd recommend a dual-boot arrangement if you have room on your hard drive -- ideally, about 100 Gb, though 25 Gb will do. That way, you can search your old OS for drivers if you discover for example that your SD card doesn't show up in Win 10 Explorer. You can download Win 10 from Microsoft here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10/ (see note 1)

5. New Win 7 systems: There are some great deals on new and refurbished Win 7 Pro devices, like this desktop on Newegg for $120: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA5YV3HJ4037. Amazon and of course e-bay also have deals on Win 7/8 equipment.

6. New Win 10 systems: If you're interested in a device with Win 10 pre-installed, and it's compatible with your other hard/software, you can probably save the trouble of a rollback with a couple of free downloads, namely Classic Shell (start button) and VLC media player (DVD player):

d) Classic Shell: http://www.classicshell.net/downloads/ (currently 4.3.0) (see note 2)
e) VLC free all-media player: https://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Other items to consider are a gadget pack (desktop clock, calendar, etc), an Acrobat PDF reader, and a PDF printer:

f) Desktop Gadget pack: http://8gadgetpack.net/
g) Acrobat Reader XI: https://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/thankyou.jsp?fileID=5519&ftpID=5507
h) Cute PDF writer: http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

Happy summer or what's left of it!
----------------
Notes:

1. The Win 10 setup will ask several times for a key, but as of now, there's no loss of functionality if you don't supply one (click "skip&quot . I suppose that might change, but 10 is a far cry from XP which is ringed about with electronic chastity belts.

2. Exercise caution when downloading as the Classic Shell site was briefly hacked a few weeks ago: make sure your anti-virus is running when downloading, save downloaded files to a folder instead of running them directly, and scan files before launching them (right-click on the file, then click "scan with Defender" or other anti-virus).