Happy 11th Birthday Windows XP – Not Quite Dead Yet

Oct 25, 2012

Today Microsoft is in New York starting its festivities for Windows 8 , its latest operating system that promises to merge tablet and PC computing into a brand new environment. However, in the back room Windows XP is quietly celebrating its 11th birthday. October 25th, 2001 was the day Windows XP was unleashed, becoming the most successful operating system in history.

 

I’m sure Microsoft hopes to have the same success with Windows 8, but its track-record has been hit and miss…history shows the “odd” number releases are usually the good ones. We’ll have to see if Windows 8 breaks that mold.

 

 

Windows XP was so successful because it solved a lot of pain-points for PC users at the time. Hardware installation, file limitations, memory management…all of these issues made computers more of a complicated tool rather than the appliance-like device it is seen as today. Windows XP is the product that made that possible. Its so well made that even 11 years after its introduction, XP is still used 41% of the world’s personal computers as of September 2012. Only the much newer Windows 7 has a larger share, and it didn’t surpass Windows XP until August!

 

 

All is not well with Windows XP however, and its longevity is quickly coming to an end. Back in 2001, XP was the crown jewel of Microsoft’s security and vision– but things change quickly. We’re doing things on the Internet today that weren’t even imagined back then, and that led to Microsoft having to release 1000’s of patches and three complete service packs to fix security holes and compatibility issues over the years. You can only put duct tape on something so many times before deciding it needs to be replaced, and Windows XP actually came to that point in March 2011 when it declared that new versions of  Internet Explorer no longer be compatible. IE9’s focus is security, and XP’s background has way too many holes in it to even bother. Microsoft has still continued official software support for the operating system until April 8th, 2014…just 18 months from now. After that, the line is cut and all support for Windows XP will be discontinued.

 

 

So, where does that leave people still using this classic operating system? Not in a very good place. As the cutoff date looms, fewer and fewer developers are going to be including Windows XP compatibility in their products. Since no updates are provided for Internet Explorer 8, websites are going to become less functional, forcing the use of an alternative web browser such as Chrome of Firefox . Finally, you’re going to get to the point where you’re spending more time looking for workarounds to get things working than  actually doing work.

 

 

Upgrading options are also limited. If you purchased a Windows XP PC in the 2005-2007 range, you may be able to simply purchase an upgrade to Windows 7 and continue on your way. PC’s that are much older than that may be too limited to handle a more modern version of Windows, forcing the purchase of a new computer…which is scary to many people. Cloud services such as Google Drive , Picassa , Online Backup , and such store important documents and photos on the Internet, allowing the transition to a new PC much easier. Still, it can be a lot of work. If you approach it from the perspective of “Maybe I’ll get another 10 years out of my new computer,” it doesn’t seem so bad (and you know you’ll be happier in the long run).

 

So, Happy Birthday Windows XP! You got us here, we’re grateful…and we’ll make sure your retirement home has the best shuffleboard lanes and buffets available.

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This coming Monday, Aug. 17th, we will be switching to universal pricing -- one price for all DSL speeds (around $65) and one price for Fiber (around $90). So if anyone is thinking they could use one of our basic service plans, now's the time to order. For example:  DSL - 12 Mbps for $43.95/month - Great for seniors on a fixed income. Plenty of speed for surfing the web, checking email, and streaming for 1 or 2 TVs. Fiber - 60 Mbps for $45.00/month - Awesome solution for just about any household. Note that fiber is a new technology and only about 20% of the country can get it.  Check your address to see what service you qualify for and order by Sunday, 8/16/20! This is your last chance to lock in the speed and price of a great DSL or Fiber plan before they are grandfathered! 
Google Meet for your home or office.

Google Meet

By Mike Pawlecki • 20 May, 2020
Google Meet is now free for everyone. Check out TOAST.net's blog that tells you more about Google Meet usage at your home or office.

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By Mike Pawlecki • 01 May, 2020
Google - Meet Meet is video conference software, similar to Zoom. To help businesses, schools, and people around the world navigate remote life, Google is making Meet free for everyone with availability rolling out over the coming weeks. See Google's blog post for details. SolarWinds - Take Control You may need to run applications off your PC or server at the office. In that case, SolarWinds makes makes an easy-to-use application that allows home users to remote desktop to their PC in the office. It's secure and doesn't require special hardware, a static IP, or VPN. We're offering this software free of charge for 90 days. Please contact us if interested.

Work from Home

By Mike Pawlecki • 20 Mar, 2020
This week we've taken quite a few calls from companies asking how their employees and staff can work from home (WFH). We're happy to offer several WFH solutions to help organizations mitigate health risks to employees and customers. TOAST.net understands how important it is to keep your employees connected, productive, and safe during this unprecedented pandemic. Here are the services we have to help your business through this difficult time : Business Portal is a 'home page' for your browser that improves communication and efficiencies within your organization. It's a private Intranet that features company news, announcements, links to vendors and cloud apps, an employee schedule, and more! We offer this at no charge to our customers. Visit https://start.toast.net Google's G Suite - TOAST.net is an authorized reseller of G Suite, a cloud-based collaboration tool featuring Email, Calendar, Chat, Hangouts (video conferencing), and Drive. You can create files, documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with just your browser (no software to install) and share these with fellow workers, customers, and vendors. More info Remote Desktop - an easy-to-use application that allows home users to connect to PCs in the office. It's secure and doesn't require special hardware or a static IP. We're offering this free of charge for 90 days. High-speed Internet for Home - We provide residential Cable, DSL, and Fiber Internet service . So you can pay for your employee's Internet connection on your business invoice. Please contact us if you're interested in any of these services. B est wishes to everyone to stay healthy, safe, and upbeat as we socially distance ourselves for a quick end to this situation. Note: Our customer support team continues to work their regular hours. We operate support teams in multiple locations and, while there may be some disruption at certain locations for a limited time, overall we do not expect any significant change in access to support.

Cut The Cord With Unlimited Data

By TOAST.net Internet • 28 Jan, 2019
In the month after Christmas, we’ve seen a high demand for our Internet service with unlimited data. Much of it is from people wanting to use their new streaming device (Fire Stick, Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, etc.) to cancel their expensive cable TV service. This is commonly referred to as “cutting the cord.”

Fiber Expansion

By TOAST.net Internet • 17 Dec, 2018
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Start Page Updates

By TOAST.net Internet • 12 Dec, 2018
Moved Facebook link from top bar to the Popular Sites section. Added Yahoo Finance to the Personal Finance section. Yahoo Finance is one of the largest business news web sites in the United States by monthly traffic.
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