How To Upgrade Windows Vista

I read your article almost Windows 10 updates and that most PCs with Vista should be tossed in the trash bin. I really don't want to do that. I bought my reckoner with a disability settlement, and I only don't have the coin for upgrades. It is an HP Model m8530f with an AMD Phenom 9550 quad-core processor and 5GB of retentivity. I use it for writing, blogging, internet access, simple games, naught intense. But I practice demand to do something because at that place is only one web browser I can apply effectively, and some websites have begun to shun usa unfortunate Vista folks. Please tell me how to exercise this. I am not stupid or illiterate, just a piffling on the broke side, and a bit (OK, a lot) of a procrastinator. Jeanne

Microsoft launched Windows Vista in Jan 2007 and stopped supporting it in April final yr. Any PCs nonetheless running Vista are therefore likely to be eight to 10 years old, and showing their age. In particular, hard drives are increasingly decumbent to neglect after about five years, or l,000 hours apply, so it's important to keep skilful backups.

Vista was a pretty adept operating arrangement, at to the lowest degree after Microsoft released the Service Pack ane update, but very few people nevertheless utilize it. Microsoft has since launched Windows 7, eight, 8.1 and several versions of Windows x. It's no longer worth software providers and websites spending money testing and adapting their code to make sure it works with Vista, and so yous're likely to face increasing bug using it online.

You are also at a greater take a chance from malware. Microsoft no longer provides Vista security patches, and has stopped updating Microsoft Security Essentials. You should therefore install antivirus software that still supports Vista, though I'm not sure which still do, apart from Malwarebytes and Comodo. Whatever you take already installed should be OK as long equally the supplier keeps updating the virus signatures.

You volition also meet more than problems with browsers. I assume that the 1 browser y'all can apply finer is Firefox. The bad news is that Firefox will finish supporting Windows XP and Vista in June. Mozilla says: "For planning purposes, enterprises using Firefox should consider May 2018 equally the support terminate date for Windows XP and Vista." You have only a few weeks left.

Hardware matters

You don't always have to throw away your vintage machine. — Y'all don't always have to throw abroad your vintage machine. Photograph: vasiliki/Getty Images

The good news is that your 2008-vintage desktop PC looks powerful enough to run Windows 7 or a season of Linux. Indeed, according to HP'southward spec sheet, you could upgrade your m8530f to apply a faster only hotter processor and up to 8GB of memory. I assume you could also upgrade the Nvidia GeForce 9300 GS currently installed, and probably swap your fast 750GB hard drive for a faster SSD. You could even upgrade the 350W ability supply to a 550W version.

If your HP m8530f continues to work correctly, you don't need any of these upgrades. The point is that if it fails, you should be able to supervene upon or upgrade faulty parts without junking the whole motorcar. This may not even cost very much. People often break up PCs like this and sell the working parts on eBay for "spares or repair".

The two.2GHz Phenom X4 9550 has a PassMark benchmark score of 2542, which still qualifies as "mid range". Information technology's only near a 3rd of the speed of a current three.6GHz Intel Core i3-8100 (PassMark 8078), but it'southward still faster than the 1.1GHz quad-core Pentium N4200 (PassMark 2022) used in upkeep laptops like the Asus VivoBook Max.

Windows upgrades

The bad news is that I don't recollect your HP m8530f will run Windows 10. HP says it hasn't tested products that were bought earlier August 2013, and information technology hasn't written whatever Windows 10 drivers for them. Windows 10 might still run with the drivers Microsoft supplies, but you'd accept to try this yourself, and my web searches didn't find anybody who'd written it up.

Microsoft doesn't support an upgrade from Vista to Windows 10. Trying information technology would involve doing a "clean installation" that deletes your current software and applications. I can't recommend that unless there's a practiced chance of Windows 10 working.

However, yous could upgrade to Windows 7. The first and most obvious drawback is that yous would accept to buy a Windows 7 Upgrade or the full Windows 7 software. (For your purposes, they're the same thing.) You might be able to pick up a cheap copy locally or from eBay, just it can be difficult to identify a reputable seller.

The 2nd and less obvious drawback is that Windows 7 will just be supported until 14 January 2020. However, most businesses notwithstanding use Windows seven, and I expect that most browser and anti-virus software suppliers will continue to support information technology later Microsoft support ends. This happened before, with Windows XP.

Note: I don't recommend upgrading from Vista to Windows viii.1 – which will exist supported until Jan 23 – considering that too requires a make clean installation.

The Linux option

Linux isn't as easy to use as its fans often claim, especially when something goes wrong. — Linux isn't equally easy to apply equally its fans often claim, especially when something goes wrong. Photograph: David Sillitoe/The Guardian

GNU/Linux is well known for prolonging the life of hardware that is no longer a viable platform for Windows, and it supports all today's major PC browsers. There are, of course, some drawbacks. The primary problem is that Linux doesn't run Windows software natively, and it doesn't run programs such equally Microsoft Part, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, Apple iTunes, Intuit's QuickBooks and almost major games.

You can run some Windows software on Linux using Wine (originally from Wine Is Non an Emulator), simply you lot may have to give up or supersede some programs that are important to you.

The other trouble is learning to use Linux. This is not equally easy as its fans often claim, especially when something goes wrong. Of grade, you would have to relearn some things whether you switched to Windows ten, MacOS or Linux, just Linux has the steepest learning bend.

Fortunately, you don't have to commit to Linux to effort it. You can use your PC to create a "Live CD" (or DVD or USB thumbdrive) that will run Linux without disturbing Vista. There are hundreds of options, but you might endeavor Linux Mint – my usual recommendation for newbies – or Ubuntu Mate or Ubuntu Gnome.

Linux runs relatively slowly from a DVD and so employ a fast USB thumbdrive if y'all can. You can create one with a gratis utility, LinuxLive USB Creator.

If the experiment goes well, yous can install Linux alongside Vista in a dual-kicking configuration, and then that you can load either at will. Lots of websites take step-past-stride instructions. Read a few related to the version of Linux yous make up one's mind to install.

Y'all might also consider installing Ubuntu 18.04, codenamed Bionic Beaver, which is due to exist released today. With this version, Ubuntu has returned to the standard Gnome 3 desktop instead of Unity.

Linux tends to change rapidly, but the LTS (Long Term Support) versions – such as Mint 18.three and Ubuntu eighteen.04 – are supported for upward to five years. After a decade of Vista, you lot may capeesh the stability.

Have yous got a question? Email it to Ask.Jack@theguardian.com