Reinstalling Windows XP Post End of Support

Has anyone else had to reinstall XP since the end of support deadline ? I had problems with my XP computer so I decided to reinstall from the CD like I always have in the past.
This is what happens after reinstalling Windows XP version 5.1.2600 Serice Pack 2 build 2600 from the Original CD.

1) Windows Update no longer works. [Error number: 0x80244019]
2) Microsoft Update no longer works. [Error number: 0x80240036]
3) Microsoft Catalogue no longer works
4) Internet Explorer 6 will no longer connect to any Microsoft Website
5) Internet Explorer 6 crashes at almost every website
5) Previously available download links to standalone updates for XP are now dead links
6) Previously available download links to standalone updates for IE6 are now dead links

This is important information for the 30% of users still using XP. It appears to me that Microsoft has obviously deliberately screwed its users who might need to reinstall their Windows XP that they paid for. The errors 1 and 2 are related to not having service pack 3. Obviously that is a vicious circle, you need Windows Update to get service pack 3 and to fix Internet Explorer, but Windows Update will not work without service pack 3.

 

Ah, yeah, there was update a while back that had to be applied manually on a few of my own XP systems I worked on last year, else I couldn't get Windows Update going. So might even run into that too. (where Windows Update just hangs and then fails).

For you though you might need to manually install service pack 3 http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/learn-how-to-install-windows-xp-service-pack-3-sp3 (do the download links here work?)

edit

You may have to browse with Firefox to get the downloads manually if IE6 is crashing for you.

 

Why would anyone install an insecure, unsupported, legacy, antiquated operating system when something as robust, and fast as Win8.1x is available? (much less Linux Distros to choose from)

 

Good info! However, this standalone computer, has gone through 2 motherboard changes, new harddrive for the OS, and is still operating with the original install of the OS. I don't format! Never been interested in doing that.

 

Because someone might have an older laptop they keep around because it still works fine and they have the original XP CD and the XP drivers CD that came with it to they figured they might as well use them to reinstall after malware messed it up.
Windows 8.1 requires a CPU 5x faster than XP does, 15x more RAM and 10x more hardrive space so it would not really make sense to try and run Win 8.1 on it. Aside from that I would also have to try and find compatable drivers, I can just imagine what that would be like.

 

Because, surprise, different people have different needs.

I personally keep using XP because I use my computer for professional reasons, not for gaming or downloading of warez. I have a very complex installation and building a new one would take me weeks, maybe a couple of months. I prefer to wait until I buy a new computer so I don't need to stop working as I build my new system. I'm sure that others around here have reasonable reasons to keep XP too.

Frankly, your continuous campaign against people who run XP is really silly and really boring.

 

+1
agree 110%

transitioning to Win 7, but in my own good time, for much the same reasons.

cheers,
feandur

 

UPDATE TO FIRST POST

I did as Veeshush described and installed Firefox, this enabled me to access Microsoft Downloads Center. There is no regular SP3 for XP but there is Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers. The description advises this is not for updating a single computer but I read the specs, it says it is compatable with XP Home and Pro Editions so I downloaded it. The Service pack installed successfully and XP is working properly.
I am now able to use Windows Update to get the rest of the available updates (134 of them).
I think when it has finished updating I will make a drive image so I can easily restore it if I ever need to.

 

I use a program that downloads all the updates to the hard drive so i dont need to download again.
Its called Windows Update Downloader and sucks them down from MS technet?

Not on that PC at the moment so cant check the name.

 

I think with todays multicore CPUs and large RAM banks it is easy to forget how slow and bloated the latest flavours of Windows really are. It would be like buying a new car and discovering it requires a motor ten times bigger just to make the same performance as the old one. After all who really cares about touch screens and fancy desktop features, most of us just want to run the applications we use.

 

Not only Windows. Same goes for Linux. I tried running even the lightest Linux distro on a 13 year old computer with no or little luck.

 

Glad ya got it going! It is odd (and a bit sad) XP seems to give so much hassle with updates, yet just a few years ago I was able to do a fresh install of Windows 98 on an old system and get all the updates without issue.

Yeah, you have to pretty much max out what the motherboard can physically take to get those old machines going (like maxing out the ram to 512 or 1GB, fastest CPU the socket/BIOS will take, modern pci graphic card, etc). Old legacy systems can be fun to mess with and learn off, but they're a lot more temperamental. You're either stuck using whatever OS/software was out then (which is obviously horribly outdated) or hope that modern software was built with your old rig in mind.

 

Yes I got it going thanks, I also created a drive backup with paragon, it is on a hidden partition perhaps that will save me having to go through all this again.
It is my g/f's laptop, somehow trojan malware got on it. Even though MS security essentials appeared to remove the malware, her user account was corrupted so she made a new one and it was fine for a while then a few weeks later her new user account began acting strangly. When you logged into the limited user account and checked task manager, it revealed the PC was actually logged into the Administrator Account. At around the same time she had some issues with her bank account online security, the bank blocked access to her account because of something suspicious so I decided there is a reasonable probability some kind of undetected malware was still on the laptop.

 

Sometimes it is just not worth maxing out. The older RAM is very expansive and at this point more expansive than the computer itself. I got 128mb RAM 1.13GB Pentium II and nothing can run on it except for Windows XP. Linux doesn't run on it either. Well except for puppy Linux that looks like it was taken out of cartoon network compared to XP.

 

You might want to keep a copy of the initial, activated install and of the service packs on a separate drive or DVD. Don't rely on a separate partition on the same drive. Hidden or not, if the hard drive fails, you lose the backup too.

 

Also because... in the hands of an end user knowledgeable of XP Pro it can be made to be perfectly secure, not to mention offer more privacy and potential anonymity than any Windows OS since could ever offer. It just takes 1001 tweaks and some 3'rd party support to get there.

I'm glad I have an XP Pro SP3 disc with most of it's updates since slipstreamed into it on-hand so I won't have to deal with any of this crap. Because I'm about to reformat an older PC to use as a retro gaming & general multimedia box, offline.

I've been using XP Pro for almost 10 years with no compromises. That hasn't changed since April... in fact when I checked in May I saw a critical update for IE sitting there. So it seems support hasn't come to a complete halt at all. And I'm guessing as long as the market share remains close to 30% this will continue to be the case for the really important patches. I'll be sure to let everyone know if/when that "avalanche of doom" finally hits me...

That said, I wouldn't recommend my approach to someone else. As most people lack the knowledge to do much more than check their email and Facebook walls. And can't tweak much more than their screensavers (most of which they've downloaded from malware sites). So yeah, I'd recommend that 99% stick with the most up to date OS.

 

I am having to temporarily revert back to using an old desktop that has Windows XP. It has been unused for about 5 years. I recently reinstalled the OS from the original manufacturers disk...Any tips on how to best secure this system? It will be a wi-fi connection. Thanks