[RTTY] QST article about Win XP

[Tom Osborne]

Hi Gordon.

I noticed some errors in his article, also.

I was on the MS website and it says you can upgrade your XP machine to 
the newest version for $199.

I guess the solution to anything nowadays is just throw the old one away 
and buy something new.  73
Tom W7WHY



On 3/22/2014 8:34 AM, Gordon Bousman wrote:
> Not exactly directly related to RTTY but since we use computers to run
> RTTY, I wanted to comment on an article in the April 2014 QST about the end
> of Windows XP - which in my opinion had some very inaccurate statements.
>   The author (WA9PIE) states:
>
> 1)  "....There is no upgrade path from Windows XP to Windows 7" - strange
> since I just finished upgrading four Dell PC's in my shack from XP to Win7
> using official MS Win7 upgrade discs. I first used the free *Windows 7
> upgrade adviser* to make sure that my PC's would run Win7 before upgrading.
>   I also made certain that Win7 drivers existed for the hardware in question.
>
> 2)  "You certainly can't upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7 or 8" - same as
> above, I found this to be a totally inaccurate statement since MS sells XP
> to Win7 upgrade software.
>
> 3)  The author infers that the only option is to go out an buy a new PC.  I
> disagree, spending approximately $100 to $125 (I actually purchased two
> Win7 Pro upgrade discs for $85 each on Amazon recently) on an Win7 upgrade
> disc is much cheaper than spending $400 to $600 for a new lower-end PC
> especially if you have multiple PC's in your shack or home.  Further my old
> PC's have serial ports which are nice to have for certain radio interfaces
> whereas most newer PC's don't have a serial port.
>
> 4)  Win7 Pro will in fact run XP programs in "XP Mode" - something that the
> author fails to mention.  So if you have an old XP program that you want to
> use after you upgrade to Win7, it will likely run as long as you upgraded
> to the "Pro" version (not Home).
>
> Maybe the author, who is an "IT executive for a Fortune 500 retailer" wants
> to promote the purchase of new hardware but I found the inaccuracies in his
> article to be rather remarkable.  You would think that the QST editors
> would take a little closer look at the credibility of submitted articles
> such as this.
>
> 73 Gordon NW7D