# Browser quesiton



## oneokie (Aug 14, 2009)

Is Windows XP still a viable browser to view HT?


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Windows XP is not a browser, it's an operating system. A browser is an application used to view web pages, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome.

But using Windows XP as an operating system to use to access the Internet is not a good idea. The problem is that Microsoft has dropped support for XP, so security updates are no longer available. That leaves you vulnerable to attack.

If you can only afford a computer that runs XP then you might think about a Linux workstation that still supported. But there is really no financial incentive to use a machine that can't run Windows 7, which will still be supported for another 5 years. I see used laptops at eBay that can run Windows 7 for around $50, delivered.


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

Nevada said:


> But using Windows XP as an operating system to use to access the Internet is not a good idea. The problem is that Microsoft has dropped support for XP, so security updates are no longer available. That leaves you vulnerable to attack.


The other side of that coin is that nobody is writing malware targeted at XP anymore because the user base is so small and shrinking every day. And antivirus software is of course still being updated. So it really doesn't matter that MS is no longer supporting it; XP may actually be safer now than ever before.

So, if you have XP and it does what you need it to do, go ahead and keep using it as long as you like. Just make sure you have good antivirus software, but of course that's no different than with any Windows version. (Avast & Malwarebytes make a good combo.)

That whole XP end-of-support scare, and the resulting stampede to upgrade, was the biggest boon to Microsoft and the PC industry to come along in many years.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

We'll at over 350 million still using Xp that is not a small number and the scare is real. It is not imaginary at all.
17% of the users worldwide is STILL a concern for the bad folks to get info. MOVE away from XP Or just use it on a computer that is not connected to the internet. Plain and simple. And Apples (Macs) have had malware out there and they are at less then 5%.
And one more thing, while viruses designed to attack the Microsoft Windows operating system cannot affect Apple OS X, it is possible to pass on a Windows virus, which you may have received but not noticed, to a Windows user.


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

arabian knight said:


> We'll at over 350 million still using Xp that is not a small number and the scare is real. It is not imaginary at all.
> 17% of the users worldwide is STILL a concern for the bad folks to get info.


That would be, but I think your number is wildly high:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP#Market_share

Current stats on my website show 3.6% XP users. Visitors to my site are, if anything, skewed slightly toward older equipment and away from cutting-edge stuff, so even that number may be a bit higher than the reality.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

backwoodsman7 said:


> That would be, but I think your number is wildly high:
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP#Market_share
> 
> Current stats on my website show 3.6% XP users. Visitors to my site are, if anything, skewed slightly toward older equipment and away from cutting-edge stuff, so even that number may be a bit higher than the reality.


A lot of the high XP usage he referred to was due to business purposes, such as ATMs. I don't know if XP is still used for that now. But you wouldn't see business machine usage in your stats.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

And once again someone things Wiki is a useful and reliable source for things. LOL

*Windows XP Usage Still Strong at 250 Million Users
By Scott Bekker 04/08/2015 *










https://redmondmag.com/articles/2015/04/08/windows-xp-usage.aspx


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Most of XP vulnerbilities are in Internet Explorer, media player, and whatever the heck they used to call their email client. You nlite the dickens out of XP and remove the vulnerable parts, then use current browser such as Firefox, email client such as Thunderbird, and media player such as VLC. And make sure your firewall is up. Also learn to use NOSCRIPT addon for Firefox when surfing so some malevolent script doesnt do you damage. Or you do like I do and run your favorite version of linux for online use and just keep old copy XP around to run couple windows programs offline. Dont take XP online and its pretty safe. Very unlikely the CIA/Israel is going to invent some special virus to infect your computer offline.... like they did to Iran.


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## oneokie (Aug 14, 2009)

Thanks for the replys.


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