I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

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ubermax
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by ubermax »

Regards the browser , we've heard good things about Firefox and Chrome but we've had good luck with Internet Explorer - no reason to change for us .
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ElJay
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by ElJay »

ubermax wrote:Regards the browser , we've heard good things about Firefox and Chrome but we've had good luck with Internet Explorer - no reason to change for us .
As others have already mentioned on this thread, anybody on XP needs to use a browser other than Internet Explorer. For one thing, many people who make websites are already not testing them to ensure compatibility with Internet Explorer 8. Secondly, the minute Microsoft pulls the plug on security updates in April, there will probably be a half dozen vulnerabilities spring out that people have been storing up to attack XP users through IE 8. Install Firefox or Chrome and start getting accustomed to it. If you must stay on XP then there is no other way forward if you want to browse the web.
stan1
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by stan1 »

Using Windows XP with Internet Explorer 8 is like trying to put out a fire by dousing it with gasoline. IE 8 does not have many security protections of a modern browser like Firefox or Chrome (or even IE 11). A newer version of IE will not run on Windows XP. Anyone who keeps using Windows XP and IE 8 is either very uninformed (and now that you've read this you can't claim you are uninformed); incredibly stubborn (as in still believes the Earth is flat); or a thrillseeker (as in investing in leveraged pork belly futures or playing high stakes roulette).

http://blogs.technet.com/b/security/arc ... -ends.aspx

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/running-win ... 18270.html

Sorry to be blunt, but saying "it ain't broke so I'm not going to change" is not a good answer. What has changed is the threat.
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cheapedy
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by cheapedy »

If your PC has at least 1gb processor and DVD drive I recommend Linux Mint. Its fabulous! It's ready out of the box. Has flash, Mp3 and DVD playback,browsers, office programs, whereas other Linux distros usually don't. It's the most user friendly Linux version out there and #1 overall. I customized mine through the built in settings to look just like Windows 95, so anyone can use it. If you want to get really nerdy you can install XP inside Linux Mint using something called a virtual machine, or run Win programs via an App called Wine. You can run a Live DVD to test it out. Just download the iso file. Get a friend with a Windows 7 or 8 pc to burn it onto a DVD (much easier , simply requires a right click option) place in PC, reboot and Presto!! It's completely safe to try as it does not install unless you specifically want it to. Play around with it. I love it and prefer to use Linux for extra security.,use Win 7 only for speech recognition and dictation. I actually installed it on a friends' old Laptop and it runs beautifully. They just use it for uploading pics and web browsing/shopping/email/youtube, so its perfect.
4stripes
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by 4stripes »

Hi OP. I see that you've seen the light--yes, Win7 is infinitely better than XP.

I wanted to add that I've had good luck running Win7-64 on old machines--a Dell D620 and D630 laptop run it just fine (8 year old Core 2 Duo laptops). Just max your RAM (probably 4 to 8 GB), and turn all the advanced properties settings for best performance (ie don't use Aero visuals). It runs fine on those.
ubermax
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by ubermax »

We've got IE11 and NIS - no security problems at all ever - great combo , no need for Chrome or FireFox
winglessangel31
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by winglessangel31 »

People who say they have outdated computers hooked up to the internet that are not infected might not know that their computers are.
Most of the time, if you are infected, it doesn't affect your own computer. You become a botnet host, and become a scourge to everyone else. :annoyed
winglessangel31
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by winglessangel31 »

denovo wrote:I am not a "hacker" who steals information from computers and I know diddly about computer security, but here's my unfounded speculation. I would think that if I were a hacker, ,since this has been in the works for such a long time (termination of XP support), that they would be planning for this for a long time and have plans to wreak havoc on XP machines. I would imagine this would be like Christmas for them, with April 8th being Black Friday.
Exactly. Among the technically informed, we're confident that anyone with an exploit is just holding off until then to release. No point releasing it early and letting Microsoft work on a patch.
lazyday
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by lazyday »

cheapedy wrote:If your PC has at least 1gb processor and DVD drive I recommend Linux Mint. Its fabulous! It's ready out of the box.
Does Mint now default to a lightweight desktop for old computers? When I last used it, it was using either Gnome or KDE which was becoming too slow for my computer, which is faster than 1g CPU.

I like lubuntu, but someone posted here about http://lxle.net/ which has proprietary codecs and such preinstalled like Mint does. It even has an XP theme or "paradigm" for Linux newbies switching from XP. It's a lubuntu LTS respin. Sounds good though I haven't tried it.
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Tycoon
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by Tycoon »

This thread piqued my interest so I downloaded Linux Mint 16, burned an ISO disk, and ran it live on my Pentium 4, 3.00GHz, 2.5G ram, 9 year old desktop. I've got to say, it was much easier to install this distribution then the Mandrake distribution I used years ago. Is anyone successfully using a Windows emulator to run Microsoft Office?
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denovo
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by denovo »

winglessangel31 wrote:
denovo wrote:I am not a "hacker" who steals information from computers and I know diddly about computer security, but here's my unfounded speculation. I would think that if I were a hacker, ,since this has been in the works for such a long time (termination of XP support), that they would be planning for this for a long time and have plans to wreak havoc on XP machines. I would imagine this would be like Christmas for them, with April 8th being Black Friday.
Exactly. Among the technically informed, we're confident that anyone with an exploit is just holding off until then to release. No point releasing it early and letting Microsoft work on a patch.
Well, it looks like I am a good speculator. That's good to know.
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nisiprius
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by nisiprius »

1) All my Windows XP machines are now spontaneously popping up announcements that Microsoft has somehow pushed out to them--well, I hope it's Microsoft that is doing this!--warning that support ends April 8th. These announcements are not appearing in a web browser, or in an email; they are actual dialog boxes that pop up and are visible even then no applications other than the desktop shell are running. Interesting, I didn't know they could do that.

2) According to Infoworld, Microsoft has announced that support for Microsoft Security Essentials has been extended until July 14, 2015. I can't speak to the degree of security if only Microsoft Security Essentials is updated and the OS itself isn't, but I certainly will be punctilious about updating and running MSE frequently after April 8th. If they really pull the plug on MSE, then I will look for other antivirus/antimalware solutions.

3) Just speaking personally, I can't upgrade XP until the company I occasionally consult for upgrades. They can't upgrade XP until three or four vendors of "mission-critical" drivers for specialized scientific hardware upgrade their drivers.

Sure, it's my opinion that anyone who can upgrade XP merely by shelling out $100 should consider doing so... if they are reasonably confident their hardware is compatible, and if they have costed out how much they will need to spend upgrading applications.

(Added) On second thought... looking at what Amazon is offering for Windows 7... I am actually very puzzled as to how one would go about upgrading from XP to Windows 7. All the Windows 7 packages seem to be for "System Builder (OEM) editions" that warn that they required a clean install and do not save anything from the existing system. Just for my information: what is it you buy if you want to upgrade from XP to 7?

Microsoft's page, Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 describes the procedure but doesn't name or link to the product itself.
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jchef
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by jchef »

As part of the regular security patches last week, Microsoft included a program to pop up an announcement warning of the end of updates: http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/wind ... tions.aspx

And yes, Microsoft will continue to update its antivirus software for another year. However they still won't be providing any security patches starting next month. This continued antivirus updates will provide a bit of security, but it won't make up for the lack of security patches. XP will still be extremely vulnerable starting next month.
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magellan
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by magellan »

nisiprius wrote:3) Just speaking personally, I can't upgrade XP until the company I occasionally consult for upgrades. They can't upgrade XP until three or four vendors of "mission-critical" drivers for specialized scientific hardware upgrade their drivers.
Could you run XP in a Virtual machine and run Windows 7 or 8 as your main OS? Since you mentioned scientific hardware and drivers, I'm assuming probably not, but I thought I'd ask.

I sometimes run Windows 8 in Oracle's VirtualBox on my Windows 7 laptop and it works pretty well, to the point where I barely realize it's in a VM. If you have an XP disk or iso and a valid license key handy, you can fire it up and test it out pretty quickly.

If it could work for you, this would be probably be safer compared to always running XP as your main OS.

Jim
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ginmqi
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by ginmqi »

XP support is ending and as others have said, XP will become quite vulnerable after that. If this is an attempt to save money then I think one needs to reexamine their monthly budget and also brush up on their PC knowledge. A very capable desktop can be built by the average consumer for less than $500 and a phillips screw driver.
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nisiprius
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by nisiprius »

magellan wrote:
nisiprius wrote:3) Just speaking personally, I can't upgrade XP until the company I occasionally consult for upgrades. They can't upgrade XP until three or four vendors of "mission-critical" drivers for specialized scientific hardware upgrade their drivers.
Could you run XP in a Virtual machine and run Windows 7 or 8 as your main OS? Since you mentioned scientific hardware and drivers, I'm assuming probably not, but I thought I'd ask.

I sometimes run Windows 8 in Oracle's VirtualBox on my Windows 7 laptop and it works pretty well, to the point where I barely realize it's in a VM. If you have an XP disk or iso and a valid license key handy, you can fire it up and test it out pretty quickly.

If it could work for you, this would be probably be safer compared to always running XP as your main OS.

Jim
Good question. I'm not sure. I don't think the actual system could run in that environment, which includes some specialized PCI bus drivers, but maybe some of the development could be done... which brings me back to that other question: how exactly does one upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7? That is to say, precisely what version of the Windows 7 product does one buy, what vendor sells it do you, and what does it cost? It is really a little mysterious. If I go to the obvious place,

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/buy

I am darned if I see anything about buying any version of Windows at all. The page describes only a) actual new PCs, b) running Windows 8.1, and even more mysteriously says that "Windows 8.1 is not designed for installation on devices running Windows XP or Windows Vista." Furthermore the page, http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... nload-shop that promises "Support and updates for Windows XP are ending on April 8, 2014. Let us help you explore some of the exciting and affordable options that are available to you, says "Very few older computers will be able to run Windows 8.1, which is the latest version of Windows." So there is no upgrade path to Windows 8.1, and they don't seem to tell you what the path is to Windows 7.
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linuxology
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by linuxology »

The question is why would you not upgrade? Is it worth it for a failure of security, being hacked, or losing your personal information? Can one truly put a price on this? By not upgrading you are definitely taking on a risk.
ajcp
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by ajcp »

nisiprius wrote:(Added) On second thought... looking at what Amazon is offering for Windows 7... I am actually very puzzled as to how one would go about upgrading from XP to Windows 7. All the Windows 7 packages seem to be for "System Builder (OEM) editions" that warn that they required a clean install and do not save anything from the existing system. Just for my information: what is it you buy if you want to upgrade from XP to 7?

Microsoft's page, Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 describes the procedure but doesn't name or link to the product itself.
You don't. You can upgrade one version, so you could go Vista->7, but not XP->7. Even your link says
To upgrade your PC from Windows XP to Windows 7, you'll need to select the Custom option during Windows 7 installation. A custom installation doesn't preserve your programs, files, or settings. It's sometimes called a "clean" installation for that reason.
They are using upgrade in the "it's a better OS" sense, not the "we'll save your configuration" sense. Honestly I'd recommend the clean format anyway though. You can use Windows Easy transfer to help the migration, but I prefer doing everything from scratch.
nisiprius wrote:That is to say, precisely what version of the Windows 7 product does one buy, what vendor sells it do you, and what does it cost?
The OEM version you mentioned earlier is fine. But note - the OEM version is tied to the first computer you install it on. So if you get a new computer, you can't put 7 on it. If you wanted to do that you would need the full (Non-OEM) version. There may be better pricing if you look around, but MS doesn't sell it anymore so you'll have to do some searching. Although for that price I'd rather buy a 2nd OEM version if I needed to.
gym4866
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by gym4866 »

hi, ......just seen this about XP systems and i thought i was running XP,but i'm running VISTA and according to the windows useage chart in one of the posts, 3.1 % vista systems are still running. that was interesting to know that..... would anyone know if microsoft will continue to upgrade it's VISTA systems ????
jchef
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by jchef »

Microsoft's policy after XP is to support operating systems for 10 years. Vista will be supported for another 3 years.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle
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sometimesinvestor
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by sometimesinvestor »

This brief quote from infoworld might be of interest :
And Mozilla is committed to making Firefox versions for Windows XP after Microsoft pulls the plug on XP support. XP yes, Metro no. Vox populi.

Remarkably, according to the latest user database figures from antivirus company Avast, 46 percent of current XP computers run Google Chrome and 29 percent run Firefox. Thus, depending on whose numbers you believe, more than 100 million WinXP PCs run Firefox -- possibly many more
ThatGuy
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by ThatGuy »

wesef wrote:What would you do with 32gb RAM? Put a man on the moon?.
Numerical analysis. You can never have too much RAM, or processing power, when running simulations.

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lazyday
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by lazyday »

that guy is trippin hairy cow won't stop shredding the orange snows
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thebogledude
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by thebogledude »

OP here. I wanted to thank everyone who responded and update everyone. Initially, I was going to put off upgrading from XP and wait until Windows 9 comes out but their schedule is too far off (2015). I have decided not to risk it and get upgraded to windows 7 for the time being. Technically speaking, it will not be an upgrade, the XP computer will be retired. Replacing it will be a brand new Asus motherboard and CPU that I purchased on amazon. Newegg was tad bit more expensive and I will get Prime shipping with Amazon. I ordered the motherboard + CPU + WIndows 7 home OEM for ~$290. I know some of you may ask, why didn't you just buy a new computer for that price? Well for one thing, it would be a pretty low end computer with cheap stock parts and tons of adware on your computer. But by buying the motherboard and CPU for that price I would be getting more bang for my buck. I also have all the components to re-use (SATA drives, graphics card, ram, power supply, cooler, etc) and I get to re-use the computer case which means less will get thrown out.
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ginmqi
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by ginmqi »

thebogledude wrote:OP here. I wanted to thank everyone who responded and update everyone. Initially, I was going to put off upgrading from XP and wait until Windows 9 comes out but their schedule is too far off (2015). I have decided not to risk it and get upgraded to windows 7 for the time being. Technically speaking, it will not be an upgrade, the XP computer will be retired. Replacing it will be a brand new Asus motherboard and CPU that I purchased on amazon. Newegg was tad bit more expensive and I will get Prime shipping with Amazon. I ordered the motherboard + CPU + WIndows 7 home OEM for ~$290. I know some of you may ask, why didn't you just buy a new computer for that price? Well for one thing, it would be a pretty low end computer with cheap stock parts and tons of adware on your computer. But by buying the motherboard and CPU for that price I would be getting more bang for my buck. I also have all the components to re-use (SATA drives, graphics card, ram, power supply, cooler, etc) and I get to re-use the computer case which means less will get thrown out.
Exactly. Building your own PC is more cost effective in long run. Not only do you have clean OS and you only install what you want you are now more knowledgeable about PCs AND as you said most parts are there for the long run and you only really need to upgrade the Big 3 (mobo, RAM, CPU) to keep up with the times. And maybe SSD when that gets more comparable to HDDs. Awesome work man!
jackpullo997
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by jackpullo997 »

Win7 is a huge step up.
I hope you got a QuadCore?
How much RAM? Go for 8GB.
You can afford it. Build a killer PC.
terpfan122
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by terpfan122 »

IMHO, Win7 is the best OS ever.

However, if you feel the need to stick with XP this may help:
http://www.tweakhound.com/2014/03/24/ex ... ever-need/
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Blues
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by Blues »

I just got a new Chromebook to replace most of what I do with my old 17" XP desktop replacement. I have to say that I love it so far.
I feel so liberated not dealing with issues deriving from conflicting software, firewalls, sandboxes, antivirus etc etc etc.

While it can't do everything, (and that is what I'll use the older box for), it does 90%+ of what I want a computer for and does it well and in a snappy manner.

Very pleased. Oh, I opted for the Acer C720P with touch screen. (And a quiet shout out to lazyday who graciously discussed many of the ins and outs of the Chromebook with me privately.)
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thebogledude
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by thebogledude »

hi, OP here. I wanted to post the components that I bought for my Win7 build. I'm sorry for the delay because I had to spend a couple nights putting it together and one final night for Win7 install and testing. Glad to report no major hiccups. I use my PC daily for web applications, MS Office and YouTube/Hulu viewing and Ebay. For the components, I chose AMD and Asus because I have experience with these brands in the past and was very satisfied. Most were purchased on Amazon with Prime shipping. I also comparison shop on Newegg and TigerDirect as well.

The CPU I chose was the AMD FX 4-Core Black Edition FX-4300. This may be too much processor power but it was price/performance the best value.

The Asus motherboard is ASUS M5A78L-M LX PLUS AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard. I found this basic budget board to be adequate for my needs and is lightning fast to boot up. It only holds 8gb of ram which is plenty for my needs.

I purchased the Adata ddr3 1333 Mhz ram 8gb from TigerDirect.com. I decided to go with 8gb maximize the board.

Graphics card is ASUS GeForce 210 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16. I have used this graphics card before and have found it to be better than most expensive graphic adapters. It is fanless.

I have a 64gb Crucial m4 ssd installed (re-using from a spare). Currently half of space is free so I have a 120gb on order. I suggest you go with a larger capacity for WIn7 and MS office to have adequate spacing.

LG Dvd Burner purchased from Newegg and an Artic Freezer CPU cooler I purchased on Amazon. Warning: The fan on the CPU cooler kept giving me a fan error in the BIOS. Windows 7 Home 64 bit oem purchased from TigerDirect.

My prices are as follows (rebates not applied.)

AMD FX 4-core Black edition FX-4300 104.99
Asus GeForce 210 34.99
Artic Freezer Cooler 19.25
Asus M5A78L-M Plus 49.99
LG Dvd Burner 16.04
ADATA 4GB Ram (Qty. 2) 108.42
Windows 7 Home 64bit OEM 94.21
----------
Total: 427.89
Last edited by thebogledude on Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:00 pm, edited 10 times in total.
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g$$
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by g$$ »

Thanks for posting an update.
jackpullo997
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by jackpullo997 »

thebogledude wrote:Total: 427.89
Total research/shopping/assembly hours = 20
Net cost at $100/hr oppty cost = $2427.89
winglessangel31
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by winglessangel31 »

jackpullo997 wrote:
thebogledude wrote:Total: 427.89
Total research/shopping/assembly hours = 20
Net cost at $100/hr oppty cost = $2427.89
Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think you're way overestimating your opportunity cost. :shock:
jackpullo997
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by jackpullo997 »

Pretty standard rate for both white and blue collar in any metro area in the USA.
Try calling a plumber, mechanic, web designer, or lawyer.
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by Epsilon Delta »

jackpullo997 wrote:Pretty standard rate for both white and blue collar in any metro area in the USA.
Try calling a plumber, mechanic, web designer, or lawyer.
The opportunity cost is the take home, not the gross earnings. This will be substantially less than the billable rate because:
  • You have to pay tax on your earnings.
  • Not all hours are billable. Time spent drumming up work (e.g. answering an RFP) is not paid.
  • Just because you want to work extra hours does not mean work is available.
ajcp
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by ajcp »

It also doesn't take 20 hours to build a computer.
placeholder
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by placeholder »

It's also the case that most salaried people can't get someone to pay them that kind of money for extra work so it's not like if I'm not doing some home task I can work an extra 20 hours at my job and get paid.
jackpullo997
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Re: I don't want to upgrade XP just yet, is that ok?

Post by jackpullo997 »

ajcp wrote:It also doesn't take 20 hours to build a computer.
Building PC is just 1 hour.
The rest is researching, posting on forums, price shopping.
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