Microsoft Looks Like Don't Have Interests in Fixing Windows XP Problems

[Matsuda]

Windows XP is really old, and we would suggest that you don't use it unless you really have no option. For the most part, however, that age doesn't really manifest itself. Sure, the operating system is missing the security features, hardware acceleration, and built-in support for things like USB 3 that newer versions of Windows have, but old software doesn't have the same issues as, say, old cars. Old software generally runs as well today as it did when it was brand new.

But Windows XP users have noticed that this isn't entirely true. A bunch of them have found that the old operating system is working considerably worse than when it was released in 2001. The problem is that—especially among those who are still using Internet Explorer 6 or 7—each time you boot your Windows XP machine, it slows to a crawl.

There's a built-in process, "svchost.exe", chewing up the entire processor, sometimes for an hour or more at a time. Wait long enough after booting and the machine will eventually return to normalcy. But an hour can be a long time to wait.

Loss of horsepower and trouble starting up are common enough problems in old cars, but we don't really expect the same things to happen on old PCs.

It looks as if Microsoft has figured out what the problem is—though not at the first time of asking. It's all down to Windows Update. Machines using Windows Update retrieve patch information from Microsoft's servers.

That patch information contains information about each patch: what software it applies to (for example, systems that have been upgraded to Internet Explorer 7 or 8 don't need Internet Explorer 6 patches), what knowledge base article it relates to, and, critically, what historic patch or patches the current patch supersedes.

Windows patches are mostly cumulative. On a fresh install of Windows XP, you don't need to install all of the dozens of Internet Explorer 6 patches sequentially; you can generally just install the latest patch, and it will include all the historic fixes because it supersedes the historic patches that introduced those fixes.

Unfortunately, the Windows Update client components used an algorithm with exponential scaling when processing these lists. Each additional superseded patch would double the time taken to process the list.

With the operating system now very old, those lists have grown long, sometimes to 40 or more items. On a new machine, that processing appeared to be almost instantaneous. It is nowvery slow.

Microsoft thought that it had this problem fixed in November's Patch Tuesday update after it culled the supersedence lists. That update didn't appear to fix the problem.

The company thought that its December update would also provide a solution, with even more aggressive culling. That didn't seem to help either. Although the company said that it did test these updates, for one reason or another, its test scenarios didn't reflect the experience of real Windows XP machines.

There is hope that a true fix will be developed. The company says that it is working on a new supersedence logic that will "comprehensively solve this problem" and that this work is a "top priority," with "all the right (and smartest) people" working on it. Unfortunately, there's no ETA just yet.

If the fix doesn't come soon, one suspects that it may never come. Microsoft will cease to update Windows XP in April 2014. At this point, Windows XP users will be able to solve the problem for themselves anyway: they can simply turn off Windows Update forever, since it will no longer update their systems anyway.

Source

[Gamkutopolowk]

<_< kill kill windows xp now then run windows 8.1 if expire kill then run windows Xeyefinity :wub:

[emerglines]

Linux user and i'm proud, just using Windows as a garbage lab for some hacking stuff

[smallhagrid]

Such a simple solution to what this says...

Never, never, NEVER use/'upgrade' IE at all, never use outlook either.

XP can be kept 'like new' by using mostly portable apps and other small, easy things.

I do these things myself and my XP is as fast after many years as ever it was.

(And if it gets barfed I have a bunch universally restorable images as well as a VM of it.)

Runs even faster than natively as a VM under Linux too.

[nIGHT]

Solution: Use Linux and your problems are solved! ;)

[plupy]

There's a built-in process, "svchost.exe", chewing up the entire processor, sometimes for an hour or more at a time. Wait long enough after booting and the machine will eventually return to normalcy. But an hour can be a long time to wait.

Thats not true. i am using xp for 10+years and never seen svchost.exe behaving badly.

[insanedown58]

I bet M$ devs are going "Oopsie-doopsie" with all these Windows XP bugs. They're just trying to get people off the OS so they can move to higher ones. Here's my bit: Its one of two things that happens: They either move to Windows 7 or they move to Mac/Linux. Then there's that 2% that actually considers moving to Windows 8/8.1

I still stand by my suggestion for old PCs: USE LINUX. Its not rocket science to use Linux and it can do the job just as good if not better on Windows.

[cyberber]

Who gives a shit its a totally obsolete OS that had its day.

[davmil]

If my machine took an hour to boot, I'd format & reinstall XP. I've never heard of a healthy, nominal system perform even remotely this bad. At least leave it on and let it sleep :s

O/S's may not be like a car engines, but everything in this world needs maintenance and, at some point, major rebuilding. I tend to think machines whose O/S's see lots of software installed/removed/updated fit in this category. I know it's beyond many people's skills to reformat and re-do all those installs, but that's how it goes.

[davmil]

I bet M$ devs are going "Oopsie-doopsie" with all these Windows XP bugs. They're just trying to get people off the OS so they can move to higher ones. Here's my bit: Its one of two things that happens: They either move to Windows 7 or they move to Mac/Linux. Then there's that 2% that actually considers moving to Windows 8/8.1

I still stand by my suggestion for old PCs: USE LINUX. Its not rocket science to use Linux and it can do the job just as good if not better on Windows.

Linux / Unix is not a practical answer for inexperienced users, di'ba? If one wasted an hour a day waiting to boot like the person above implied, you could buy a modern computer with modern O/S with the savings after a month.

[Zigen]

Who gives a shit its a totally obsolete OS that had its day.

You again! If you don't give a shit why do you keep commenting on XP threads? Just give a rest will ya? I myself don't use XP anymore but there are still thousands and thousands who depend on this OS. Not everyone has the money or means to upgrade to something newer. Just because you have a newer OS doen't give you the right to belittle XP.

[insanedown58]

I bet M$ devs are going "Oopsie-doopsie" with all these Windows XP bugs. They're just trying to get people off the OS so they can move to higher ones. Here's my bit: Its one of two things that happens: They either move to Windows 7 or they move to Mac/Linux. Then there's that 2% that actually considers moving to Windows 8/8.1

I still stand by my suggestion for old PCs: USE LINUX. Its not rocket science to use Linux and it can do the job just as good if not better on Windows.

Linux / Unix is not a practical answer for inexperienced users, di'ba? If one wasted an hour a day waiting to boot like the person above implied, you could buy a modern computer with modern O/S with the savings after a month.

Yes its not as easy as Windows but then again its not THAT hard to completely put it off as a choice and the fact that there are distributions like Zorin to focus on newbie users makes Linux a wise option. And yes, a person will have to put that PC down and get a new one but not everyone could afford to take a full hour to boot up and use their PC. Also, not everyone could save up enough money to buy a new PC "in a month". Linux may not be the easiest option but if you can't afford a new PC now, why would you put yourself through the stress of dealing with bugs when you could install an OS that you'd need to setup in a couple of hours and be done with it?

[f33nix]

Here is a link to a post I made just yesterday: I hope this is within forum rules. :)

http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/51141-XP-Svchost-exe-using-99-CPU-%28Windows-Update%29

As written in the post, the XP was SP3 as supplied by MS (for Virtual PC use) and it is broken as IE6 does not understand the list of updates, I left it 2hrs+ running until I closed it all and applied the patches.

Hope this helps out some with your XP or XP in Virtual Machine users.

[davmil]

I'll just use reality as a indicator - ~98% of the business world uses/has to use Windows and that's the way it's going to be for a while to come. All M$FT has to do is get their head out of their proverbial butts and they'd recover their losses. Keep in mind the folks here @ Nsane are far, far more technically versed and IT competent than your average office worker or secretary, the millions upon 100's of millions of similar users I think you'd agree. I know in PI being able to use a computer's considered a pretty heavy skill, but in other areas of the world it's expected of everyone - like being able to talk on the phone. I'm all for a change, but think about numbers like the many 100's of millions and you'll see why one never sees Linux out there in people's offices... the billions of hours of experience is quite a matzo-ball (Jerry Seinfeld) for employers to swallow. Maligayang Pasko kabigan

[Sonar]

Let XP and continue with Windows 7 "lite" editions. Later on when we get a stable windows 8 - then the brains start on "win 8 lite" :)

[jtmulc]

Who gives a shit its a totally obsolete OS that had its day.

You again! If you don't give a shit why do you keep commenting on XP threads? Just give a rest will ya? I myself don't use XP anymore but there are still thousands and thousands who depend on this OS. Not everyone has the money or means to upgrade to something newer. Just because you have a newer OS doen't give you the right to belittle XP.

My folks still run XP on a ten year old Athlon XP system. They're retired. Here's what they need:

Can I check email? Yes.

Can I go on facebook? Yes.

Can I go on Youtube? Yes.

Can I shop online? Yes.

Can I use Word? Yes.

And that's pretty much it. They don't play games, they don't stream movies, they don't edit video, so an old XP system is all they need. If it weren't for MS ending updates, I'd run that machine till it dies.

[Zigen]

My folks still run XP on a ten year old Athlon XP system. They're retired. Here's what they need:

Can I check email? Yes.

Can I go on facebook? Yes.

Can I go on Youtube? Yes.

Can I shop online? Yes.

Can I use Word? Yes.

And that's pretty much it. They don't play games, they don't stream movies, they don't edit video, so an old XP system is all they need. If it weren't for MS ending updates, I'd run that machine till it dies.

Yea many don't understand how hard it is for old folks and the elderly to learn new OS on a computer. Good luck to those who tried to teach their old folks how to use windows 8!

Many from our generation take for granted the familiarity of using an OS, after all several of us have been using computers since young. However the generations before us barely touched a computer before, and thus find it harder to get used to something that keeps changing, albeit for the worse!

Shame on Microsoft for not fixing these XP bugs, I'm certain they're doing this on purpose to force users to switch to newer ones.

[jtmulc]

Yea many don't understand how hard it is for old folks and the elderly to learn new OS on a computer. Good luck to those who tried to teach their old folks how to use windows 8!

Many from our generation take for granted the familiarity of using an OS, after all several of us have been using computers since young. However the generations before us barely touched a computer before, and thus find it harder to get used to something that keeps changing, albeit for the worse!

Shame on Microsoft for not fixing these XP bugs, I'm certain they're doing this on purpose to force users to switch to newer ones.

Mom used Windows 8 when she and Dad visited my Aussie cousins last spring. She wasn't a fan of the Metro interface.

Microsoft stopping support of XP will do more to spur PC sales than 8 or 8.1 ever could.

[calguyhunk]

Some well-known (but under-appreciated) tips to keeps your old machine running fast as ever.

1. Hardware - Clean your PC physically. Make sure there's no dust build up. Use canned air or plastic liquid medicine plunger style dispenser, anti-static cloth and spirit (not water) with soft cotton cloth (not cotton balls) etc. to clean the internals once every year or so (at least). Dust reduces the life of your machine by making it run hotter and slows down the system to a crawl over the years. :(

2. Software (OS) - Re-install your OS every couple of years or so, and that's if you maintain it diligently. Keep your OS and browser updated with at least the latest available security patches etc. Don't use strong 'Registry Cleaners'. They do more harm than good. CCleaner is plenty good for 99% of your needs. Also, do regularly clean your browser cookies and cache and if you're technically savvy enough, tweak the OS to not run unnecessary (for you) tasks and background services. Go to Blackviper.com to know more about disabling Windows services. Turn off startup programs that are not required to start up with every boot.

3. Software (3^rd party) - Never ever install experimental software on your main work installation. Use a VM or a parallel installation on another partition. Use that to install & uninstall all the cr@pware if you want. Use them on your main installation only once you're satisfied with the results. :yes: Also, be careful even while installing useful & trustworthy programs. Read every page (window) carefully before pressing "Next" or "Install". They'll want to install additional (mostly redundant) software which will at best increase the load on your PC and at worst install backdoors etc. Refuse those by unchecking the relevant box. Never install any toolbar (ASK, Google, etc.) that comes bundled with 3rd party software! They'll slow your browser down to a crawl more than anything. Also, look in the Settings/Options section of all your installed programs to uncheck startup or scheduled task options. Remember not to allow programs to add context menu entries or schedule periodic tasks that you do not care for. Do not keep programs running in the background (often in the taskbar notification area).

4. Malware - Very often, the main reason for your PC slowdown is malware especially if you're on Windows. Use a proper lightweight (preferably FREE) Anti-Virus and turn on Windows Firewall. That should be good enough for 99% home users. A lot of times, poorly coded bloated security software is the reason for PC slowdowns. Avast and AVG are good starts. MSE is alright on Win7, albeit a little slow on scan speeds and on Windows 8/8.1, the native Windows Defender is plenty good for 99% users. Don't try to re-invent the wheel by installing bloated software suits. And don't run multiple real-time security software side-by-side. That's not just redundant and a performance hog, it's actually dangerous. Also, one of the easier ways to get infected is through browser plugin vulnerabilities - outdated, unpatched plugins increase the risks even more so. So keep those updated. This applies especially to Flash and Java (if you've enabled that).

5. Surfing, D/L and installation - Some good surfing practices can also save you from getting infected. Do not click on mail that promises $exy pics etc. They're almost always malware. Be careful not to download files, cracks, patches, torrents etc. from sources you don't trust. The easiest way to infect yourself (sometimes without even knowing) is to run an infected executive file or extract (decompress) a compressed file (zip, rar, 7z etc.). Download from trusted uploaders only, whether on torrent sites or otherwise. The best place to know more about online security is WildersSecurity.com and If you do happen to get infected, the best place to go to find a fix is BleepingComputer.com.

You follow these simple rules, and your PC is gonna be as fast as the day you bought it for the better part of a decade and even beyond, depending on your maintenance. Good luck :thumbsup:

Edited December 18, 2013 by calguyhunk

[MindHACKer]

Windows XP or aka: microsofts Xtreme Programming OS

Was back in 2003 the #1 OS for all PCs & Laptops,

it was the most capable os from msft, no one can say that it was lousy

but comparing it to the way Hardware is being designed today would be just wrong

10 years of progress in processor tech, GPU tech breakthroughs needs equal progress in Software.

[davmil]

Calguyhunk isn't as scary as his avator. His recommendations are the soundest advice I've seen anywhere for one's computer. AOL's another s/ware I'd get my parents to avoid if at all possible. It's OK for what they mostly want (aka: webmail) but there junkyass free software CD's full of add-ins and anti-virus of the day cause no end of slowdowns & hassles.

[Zigen]

In terms of longevity, popularity and ease of use, I have to say XP is the greatest OS ever made.

[MrEMan]

Microsoft stopping support of XP will do more to spur PC sales than 8 or 8.1 ever could.

I believe it will do more to spur the sales of mobile iThings and Android devices. You said it yourself, what do most people use the old XP machine or computers in general for these days... email, facebook, Youtube, shopping online and word processing. All completely doable on an anywhere portable efficient mobile device.

Regards

[janedoe]

My folks still run XP on a ten year old Athlon XP system. They're retired. Here's what they need:

Can I check email? Yes.

Can I go on facebook? Yes.

Can I go on Youtube? Yes.

Can I shop online? Yes.

Can I use Word? Yes.

And that's pretty much it. They don't play games, they don't stream movies, they don't edit video, so an old XP system is all they need. If it weren't for MS ending updates, I'd run that machine till it dies.

Microsoft stopping support of XP will do more to spur PC sales than 8 or 8.1 ever could.

I believe it will do more to spur the sales of mobile iThings and Android devices. You said it yourself, what do most people use the old XP machine or computers in general for these days... email, facebook, Youtube, shopping online and word processing. All completely doable on an anywhere portable efficient mobile device.

Agree completely with MrEMan, was gonna post the exact same thing. I have moved elderly relatives who had the exact same requirements to iOS/Android/WinRT tablets. No loss in productivity and for me a huge advantage because I don't have to waste precious hours of my life regularly cleaning their computers of the latest malware they somehow managed to install despite the security apps. Linux as more than one has suggested would have definitely been an option too if they were a bit more experienced, but my experiments in that direction have thus far failed miserably even with the most user-friendly distros. If you can handle it (and a newer version of Windows is not an option) I would definitely recommend Linux any day over XP. That said, if you have some peculiar antipathy towards Linux and if the XP security apps keep up and cover for any new vulnerabilities found then there's no reason to abandon the OS immediately, especially if you cannot afford modern hardware.

Also, as usual, thanks to all the conspiracy theorists for the laughs given their repeated yet completely unproven allegations about MS deliberately sabotaging XP. :)

[jtmulc]

Also, as usual, thanks to all the conspiracy theorists for the laughs given their repeated yet completely unproven allegations about MS deliberately sabotaging XP. :)

I don't think they're deliberately sabotaging XP, just dragging their feet a little when it comes to patching it in general. That this particular problem is one that will make a new version of Windows seem even faster in comparison is just a happy accident.