Both Google and Mozilla have announced support for Windows XP beyond Microsoft’s April 8, 2014 deadline. It’s a transparent attempt to inflate their market share at the expense of users. Folks, they aren’t doing you any favors.
Windows XP isn’t near as secure as Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 and when Microsoft’s support ends you will be in real danger. Many security experts think the bad guys are sitting on exploits, waiting for April, 8th.
See: The Risk of Running Windows XP After Support Ends April 2014
I used to hear from XP diehards all the time but that trend has slowed. Mostly these folks just can’t get used to the looks and layout of Window 7 and/or 8. XP to 8 is definitely a big jump but it need not be with Windows 7.
Here are some FREE tools to make the new look old!
Classic Shell can make your Windows 7 (and 8/8.1) installs look quite a bit like XP if desired.
UBitMenu – Classic Menu and Toolbars in Office 2007 / Office 2010 / Office 2013
3rd Party Themes:
*Warning – Using 3rd party themes poses risks. Having said that many Geeks (myself included) have been using these for years.
BACKUP your computer before using the themes/links below!
How to run 3rd party themes in Windows 7?
Use UxStyle
Satukoro at DeviantArt.
Themes include:
Zune for Windows 7 – beta
Luna Metallic Port to Win7Aero
Royale port to Win7 Aero
Luna port to Windows 7 -Aero-
Nullz0rz – Windows 7 Zune Theme
You can also try: AskVG – Transform Windows XP into Windows 7 without using Customization Pack
I have that one game that has a 16-bit installer. What that means is it’s a no-go under 64-bit Windows. So…
Other options:
Running XP in a Virtual Machine.
Though Windows 7’s XP Mode works fine I prefer VirtualBox and VMWare Player (XP mode not available in Windows 8). Both VirtualBox and VMWare Player are free for personal use.
Linux / Wine
Under Linux a great many old Windows programs and games run just fine using either a virtual machine (above) or by using Wine. It should be in your distro’s downloads.
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