XP End-Of-Life, What It Means and How It Affects You

UPDATE: 04/28/2014 - if you haven't yet, stop using Internet Explorer (IE) immediately. There's a serious security flaw in IE and XP computers will not be patched. If you want the Microsoft mumbo jumbo, read this and this.

People still running Windows XP and have Automatic Updates turned on will receive the warning that XP is no longer supported. I've gotten several messages from people expressing varying degrees of concern.

What It Mean that XP has reach End of Life (EOL)

• If you are still running Windows XP, it basically means it is really time to upgrade if you have the funds. XP has been around for 12 years, so you're not getting the best of the Internet any more.
• It means Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for Windows XP. So, if there is a security concern (like the recent OpenSSL Heartbleed Bug), there's no updates to protect you from hackers (Oh Noes!).
• It means no more updates to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Security Essentials and likely other applications like web browsers. That may very well mean that web sites like Facebook just won't look right down the road on your computer.

What It DOESN'T Mean

• Your XP computer is not going to stop working. It'll keep doing the same things it was doing last week.
• Your XP computer is not going to suddenly get hacked. You're no more vulnerable than last week.

An Analogy

Let's say you have an old car named Windows XP. I don't mean a 1965 Ford Mustang, more like a 1972 Ford Pinto. XP's End-Of-Life is like Ford declaring that they will no longer manufacture parts, honor any safety recalls, or for that matter service them at dealerships. You can still put gas in it, drive it around, do oil changes, etc. Your Pinto will still keep running, but when it breaks, that's the end. Windows XP is like that Pinto, it'll keep driving, but you can't find parts.

So, What's the Bottom Line?

Seriously, time for a new computer. Or, get a nice tablet and you may find that it's an adequate replacement for your old XP computer. But don't freak out.

If you must keep using your XP computer, get a different browser and keep your antivirus software up-to-date. I would recommend you stop using Internet Explorer and use Google Chrome instead. Google has promised to keep Chrome running on XP until April 2015.

Finally got myself a laptop

So, after 13 years of marriage and three laptops purchased for Cathy, she finally forced me to buy one.

I had been eying an Acer Timeline for church for weeks. The specs are such that it hits the sweet spot for me. 14", LED screen, 8hr battery life, 4.4 lbs, with a built-in optical drive. I love it.

At least I did until Saturday afternoon, when I closed the lid and it never came back on. Not even a POST. Acer said to send it in so I took it back to the Microsoft Store.

They have them back in stock, so I got my replacement, no hassles. They're also running a promotion, buy a laptop and get a monitor for free. Not only did I walk back out with my replacement laptop, I also got the last free LCD screen this week! They'll have more next week, though.

If you're in the market for a 14" laptop and a 21" monitor, call the Microsoft Store in Mission Viejo! It was about $540 out-the-door.

Patch Internet Explorer Now

You may have heard that Google's China operations were hacked. It turns out it was due to a flaw in Internet Explorer, and Microsoft has issued a patch.

1. If you are still using Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) or IE7, please upgrade to IE 8.
2. Also, please go to Windows Update (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/) and install the latest patches.
3. Consider installing another browser, such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.

The flaw in Internet Explorer seems worst on IE6, but has been demonstrated in IE7 and IE8.

It wasn't just Google that was targeted by the Chinese hackers, as Adobe provided additional information, and Yahoo and Northrop Grumman were also affected. Google, however, came forward with the information, and has effectively decided to pull out of China. As an interesting side note, Google hacked the hackers right back (link via Gizmodo).

The patch has been available since Jan 22nd (for reference, see bulletin MS10-002 and KB 978207). It may already be installed, but please 1) upgrade to IE8 and 2) run Windows Update. Alternately, switch to Firefox or another browser like Chrome.

Think you already have the patch but you're not sure?

• For Windows XP, look in Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs, click 'Show updates' at the top, and look for 'Windows Internet Explorer # - Software Updates' and look for an installed on or near 1/22/2010 named 'Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB978207).'
• For Windows Vista and Windows 7, click Start and type 'View Installed Updates' in the search box and press ENTER. Look for the Microsoft Windows section, and look for 'Update for Microsoft Windows (KB978207)' installed on or near 1/22/2010.

Screen Shot for XP

Screen Shot for Vista / Windows 7

Fix for 'Rules in Error' - 'Cannot Reply to Message' for Outlook 2007 Out-Of-Office rule

I was trying to set up an out-of-office rule in Outlook 2007. If you have Exchange, this is very easy, but if you are using POP (and maybe IMAP?) account, you'd need to duplicate the effect with an email rule and leave Outlook running. You can follow the directions on Microsoft KB# 311107 to set up such an out-of-office rule without Exchange.

For Outlook 2007, I got a pop-up message with a title 'Rules in Error' indicating simply 'Cannot Reply to Message'... which was not helpful. My Outlook 2007 is up-to-date, and a Google search (example) of the error led me to believe this is actually a bug in Outlook 2007.

The rule I set up is very basic and always replies with the same template (screenshot), yet I received the error message (screenshot). Contrary to (seemingly) popular opinion, there are ways to resolve this. I have found two things to make Outlook 2007 POP3 out-of-office work.

1. Update to Office 2007 SP2 and use a plain-text Outlook template.
2. Process the rule once manually and leave Outlook running.
   

Option 1: Update to SP2 and use a plain-text template
If you read Microsoft's directions carefully, it tells you to use a Plain Text template in Outlook 2007, but it does not specify plain text template for previous versions. I made a plain text template and my out-of-office rule worked just fine.

I am running Outlook 2007 SP2, but on a computer with Outlook 2007 SP1 the out-of-office rule did not work (plain-text or not). I used option #2 (see below), but later updated to Office SP2 (available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b444bf18-79ea-46c6-8a81-9db49b4ab6e5&displaylang=en) and used the plain text template.

So, that's one way... what's the other?

Option 2: Process the rule manually once
Thanks to this post at Lockergnome, there is another workaround. After you set up an email rule and it generates the error, the rule is disabled. The rule itself seems valid, and you can run it manually. So, restart Outlook and re-enable the rule, and run the rule once manually and apply it to your existing messages before another email is received. Voila, it works!

1. Set up the out-of-office rule
2. Close Outlook 2007
   
3. Start Outlook 2007 and click on Tools > Rules and Alerts and turn on your rule
4. Still in Rules and Alerts, click on 'Run Rules Now...' and select your out-of-office rule and click on Run Now
5. Close the Rules and Alerts and leave Outlook 2007 running

Interestingly, at least one email needs to be in your Inbox when you run the rule, or it doesn't seem to work. If you have trouble finishing these steps before the rule is applied, try disconnecting your network cable or setting Outlook to work offline.

Pros and Cons
Option 2 has the advantage of working with graphical templates and does not require updating to SP2. However, it stops working if Outlook 2007 is restarted - you'll have to run the rule manually again.

Option 1 has the advantage of being more 'reliable' -- you start Outlook 2007 and it keeps working. However, it is plain text and it may require a sizable update.

Summary
If you don't mind updating to Office 2007 SP2, you can create a plain-text Outlook template and use it with your out-of-office rule. If you object to either plain-text replies or to installing SP2, you can run the rule manually once and it should keep running.

Vista on my laptop (and driver tips)

So, I installed Windows Vista Ultimate. When I went to the Microsoft's New Day Launch Tour 2007 event in LA and got my copy of Office 2007.

Heres' a hot tip: You are not forced to go to the track you sign up for at the New Day event. If you sign up as a developer, you can still attend the Technology Decision Maker (TDM) track, which is shorter. So if there are any openings left, take them.

Another tip: About 2:30 PM, the TDM track ends, and you can finish your survey and pick up your swag bag.

Final New Day tip: Create a disposable email address to sign up with. Be sure to hit all the booths and have your badge scanned. If you can, preprint some business cards, too, with your disposable email address to enter the drawings. Most booths were having drawings for Microsoft Zune players.

Anyway, the New Day attendee bag includes a "pre-release" version of Vista Ultimate with a valid key. That's what I am running now. I think it is the new equivalent of "not for resale" (NFR). The swag bag includes the Office 2007 license. This gift is actually just the product key; you'll download the install file later, much like the "Power Together" promotion worked (those are beginning to arrive, by the way).

Installing Vista: Before you install Vista, run the Microsoft Upgrade Advisor. If you have a 3.0 or better you should be just fine. Vista will load in 40 minutes (at least it did on mine). I have a Toshiba Satellite M105-S322 and almost everything just worked, except for my fingerprint reader and SD card slot.

Finding Drivers: Finding drivers for my laptop was not easy. Toshiba's support site did not list any drivers for my laptop, and I had a few devices not working (biometrics, SD slot, touchpad scroll). If you are going to install Vista, here's a few suggestions:

• Back everything up (duh).
• Before installing Vista, print our your Device Manager screen from System Properties in Control Panel.
• Visit your computer/laptop manufacturer's web site and look for drivers for Vista. If they don't exist, you can either use the XP drivers (not ideal, but works) or hunt for drivers on similar models.
• Download any BIOS updates for your computer/laptop before installing Vista.
  

So far, the biggest problem I've read about in forums is "where's the Vista driver for XYZ?" I have a Toshiba Satellite, so I visited Toshiba's site looking for Vista drivers on other Toshiba laptops. Since the same components get reused in other machines, Vista drivers for those machines work for my laptop, too. That's how I found my SD flash reader drivers, fingerprint reader drivers, and my ALP touchpad drivers.

Experience with Vista: I am pretty jaded. After about 30 minutes of using Vista, the Flip 3D thing lost it's novelty. I like the gadget bar, but that was previously available as a 3rd party add-on.

Here's what I do like, though... performance did not suffer (much). The Start Menu integrated search is pretty handy. And, I must admit, everything is prettier. That's about it.

Bottom Line: If you have XP, there's no compelling reason to purchase an upgrade, unless you use a tablet PC. However, Vista is nice, with some networking enhancements. Vista is probably what XP should have been. Get it if it is cheap or free, but I wouldn't rush out to spend money on it just for the eye candy.