{"id":5252,"date":"2014-04-08T10:00:14","date_gmt":"2014-04-08T14:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=5252"},"modified":"2014-04-08T10:00:14","modified_gmt":"2014-04-08T14:00:14","slug":"5-key-things-windows-xp-users-need-to-know-before-buying-a-new-pc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/04\/08\/5-key-things-windows-xp-users-need-to-know-before-buying-a-new-pc\/","title":{"rendered":"5 key things Windows XP users need to know before buying a new PC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On Tuesday, April 8, Microsoft will bid adieu to Windows XP, delivering the final security updates for the twelve year-old OS. While many XP users out there plan on keeping their PC\u2014with or without Microsoft’s support\u2014many others are looking to at long last switch to a new computer.<\/p>\n

Computer technology has changed a lot since the turn of the century, however. So as we head into XP’s final weekend, here are a few key things to keep in mind if you’re a displaced Windows XP lover on the lookout for a new PC.<\/p>\n

Do you want to be able to upgrade or fix parts?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Part of the fun of PCs can be upgrading its components. On many modern PCs that’s easier said than done.<\/p>\n

Getting a slick laptop in an aluminum unibody case might look cool, but if you ever want to upgrade your RAM or hard drive, swap out a broken keyboard, or even replace the battery down the line, make sure the laptop isn’t infuriating or even downright impossible to crack open. Many of today’s PCs sacrifice repairability in favor of sleekness.<\/p>\n

Lenovo is usually a good brand for tinkerers, with many laptops securing RAM, storage, and other components with one or two screws. If upgrading components is important to you, take the time to check out the laptop’s underside to see what you’re getting into. Business-grade laptops typically offer the easiest access; Ultrabooks frequently don’t even allow you to swap out the battery.<\/p>\n

If you’re looking at a desktop, you shouldn’t have a problem with getting into the case, but you’ll want to check that the back has standard screw heads. All-in-one PCs are usually a bear to repair, with minimal upgrade avenues available.<\/p>\n

Read more: 5 key things Windows XP users need to know before buying a new PC | PCWorld<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Tuesday, April 8, Microsoft will bid adieu to Windows XP, delivering the final security updates for the twelve year-old […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,5,9,11],"tags":[1134,1263],"class_list":["post-5252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hardware","category-microsoft","category-software","category-windows","tag-upgrade","tag-xp"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-1mI","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7990,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/04\/09\/pc-shipments-hit-a-six-year-low-as-xp-upgrades-slow-down\/","url_meta":{"origin":5252,"position":0},"title":"PC shipments hit a six-year low as XP upgrades slow down","author":"NCCT","date":"April 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"A slowdown in Windows XP upgrades and the wait for Windows 10 sent worldwide PC shipments tumbling to a six-year low in the first quarter this year, according to IDC. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 68.5 million units during the first quarter, declining by 6.7 percent compared with the same quarter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hardware"","block_context":{"text":"Hardware","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/hardware\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6235,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/08\/15\/how-long-before-microsoft-windows-xp-disappears\/","url_meta":{"origin":5252,"position":1},"title":"How long before Microsoft Windows XP disappears?","author":"NCCT","date":"August 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Netmarketshare's monthly updates on the state of the operating system and browser markets are useful not because the numbers are accurate \u2014 they clearly have a margin of error \u2014 but because they show trends. The most obvious trend at the moment is the decline of Microsoft's ancient Windows XP.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/ziff-xpv7-2014-july-600-x-320-600x320.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/ziff-xpv7-2014-july-600-x-320-600x320.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/ziff-xpv7-2014-july-600-x-320-600x320.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7981,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/04\/02\/a-year-after-its-demise-windows-xp-still-has-more-users-than-windows-8-and-8-1-combined\/","url_meta":{"origin":5252,"position":2},"title":"A year after its demise, Windows XP still has more users than Windows 8 and 8.1 combined","author":"NCCT","date":"April 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"With the upcoming anniversary of Windows XP reaching the end of its life, the OS still has more users than Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 combined. 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PC shipments worldwide totaled 74.4 million in the second quarter, declining 1.7 percent compared to the same quarter a year ago, research firm IDC said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hardware"","block_context":{"text":"Hardware","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/hardware\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8744,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/11\/11\/8744\/","url_meta":{"origin":5252,"position":4},"title":"Chrome to drop support for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and older Mac OS X versions in 2016","author":"NCCT","date":"November 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"By Ian Ginos | Neowin Google Chrome, by some estimates the world's third most popular desktop web browser, will cease to support older versions of Microsoft's Windows and Apple's OS X operating systems. In a recent blog post, Google announced that it intends to discontinue support for Chrome on Windows\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apple"","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5980,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/07\/15\/future-java-7-security-patches-will-work-on-windows-xp-despite-end-of-official-support\/","url_meta":{"origin":5252,"position":5},"title":"Future Java 7 security patches will work on Windows XP despite end of official support","author":"NCCT","date":"July 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Oracle has dispelled rumors that the upcoming security update for Java 7 and those it will release in the future might not work on Windows XP. \u201cWe expect all versions of Java that were supported prior to the Microsoft de-support announcement to continue to work on Windows XP for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Security"","block_context":{"text":"Security","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/security\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5252\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}