My 90 year old father spends many hours each day on his computer reading the newspaper, playing PC games, and occasionally reading or sending emails. The computer he has now is a 6 or 7 year old Dell running XP. From what my dad tells me it’s starting to die, which doesn’t surprise me given the age and the amount of use it gets every day.
Given that it is pretty slow even at the best of times I thought it was time to get him a new tower. My biggest fear is that he will have trouble going from XP to Windows 10, which I haven’t even tried out yet. He’s not good with dealing with change. sigh
Does anyone have a recommendation for a PC tower that would be suitable for playing simple PC games and sending emails? And how can I move all of his stuff over to the new computer without having to reinstall everything?
Assuming the drive is still good, transfer the entire drive it’s on to the new computer as a secondary drive. Still a good idea to reinstall everything short of the OS so it all works properly but it should go quickly as the vast majority of necessary files will already be there.
If you have a Sams Club or Costco membership I would see what they have. You shouldn’t need to spend any more than $500 or so for a basic desktop which will email and play simple games just fine. Even better you might be able to find a computer with Windows 7 on it. Win7 will be supported till 2020.
Moving the hard drive over as a secondary drive to preserve documents/photos/etc. will be possible if the computer has enough power/data connections, and the data connection is the right type. All new computers use SATA drives, older computers used 40-pin ribbon-cable IDE drives.
Pretty likely. Windows games should run even if some need “XP compatibility mode” checked in their properties. DOS games do not without third-party software like DOSBOX.
Would he consider something like an iPad? Assuming by simple games you mean something like Solitaire or similar. It’s good for reading and you can put your email on it.
A tablet is a terrible choice for an older fella who is spending “many hours each day” on a desktop computer. It has a smaller screen and requires an entirely different operational skillset.
I wouldn’t move the hard drive over - if the computer is seven years old and has been seeing daily use then the hard drive probably doesn’t have too many years left in it. Backup the files onto external storage and then transfer them to the new machine. Then get him a subscription to an automated cloud backup service.
control-z is right that any basic desktop will do you just fine. He’s not doing end-game raids in WoW or anything, I assume.
I have to agree that a tablet could be very bad for someone of that age. I’m 30 years younger than the gentleman in question, but I need a nice large screen due to poor eyesight. Also things like a touch screen or tiny keyboard may be an issue.
I recently upgraded from an old Dell with Vista to a new Dell with Windows 10. W10 isn’t that big of a difference to Vista, XP, or Win7; unlike Windows 8 which was really different. Microsoft reverted to the Start button. You could pin the programs that he often uses to make it easier to adjust.
As far as the computer, I’d go with Dell. If his old computer lasted that long, as mine did, then Dell must do a good job. I’d recommend just getting him a cheaper tower with a 4th Generation Intel Core i3 chip or maybe an AMD chip. You can find them a cheaply as $350 on Amazon.
Tip: It’s usually cheaper to buy from someone like Amazon than directly at Dell. Dell can’t sell lower than the retailers or the retailers would scream. However if you want a custom built Dell or want to get a good buy on a rebuilt returned PC, then going directly to Dell could make sense.
Get a new PC, with Windows whatever (10, these days). Then download and install Classic Shell, which can make the interface look and feel like XP (or Windows 7).
What sort of games does he play? If he doesn’t play 3D games, then on-board graphics is likely to be sufficient, so you could look at an ITX or NUC form factor box rather than a big tower.
If you’re going to buy him a new monitor, get one that can swivel into portrait mode. It makes reading papers, forums, etc, so much nicer.
If he is happy now and not running into anything that XP
can’t handle, just clone his hard drive to a newer SATA drive on your computer.
Buy a new tower and maybe a new flat screen. mice & keyboards can be replaced anytime for cheap so if he likes what he has, get a new one if you must but…
IMO,. too much change will not be a good idea. He will say FINE but in reality, he would rather have the same thing, just better equipment.
I am 72 and I’m not leaving Win 7 ult pro untill it does not do the job I want.
Learning a new OS is a PITA when I get nothing useful TO ME by having it.
Don’t give him stuff he does not want. That will get you written out of the will for sure. Make him happy, not you.
If you want to go Win 10 & spend the time making sure HIS version of the games works just like they did before and are the same ones… Believe me, hearts and Free cell, & the old style solitaire are way different than later versions. in that type of game, newer is ‘sucks rocks’ and will have him shooting a hole in the computer or using a hammer.
Does anyone here have experience with running XP virtual machines in Win10? How usable is that?
FYI, there are programs, like VirtualBox, which can create virtual computer environments (virtual machines) on your computer. These virtual machines act like separate computers and can be installed with their own OS, such as XP or Linux. The virtual machines run right on your desktop and act like a separate computer.
If he really wanted to stay with XP, could he get a new computer and then run an XP VM that has all his old programs and such?
I found that XP and Windows 7 were nearly identical. The only thing that changed was that the start menu got better, and the “show desktop” function moved.
10 is a little off from 7 but not too far.
I had no problem running XP programs in 7 but I will admit I didn’t play any games.
Oh, and you can still buy machines with 7 as far as I know. I was shopping for my brother on Black Friday at the HP site and they had a lot of Windows 7 machines.
One difference between Win 7 and XP is the ability to run 16 bit programs. I am a bit younger than your father, but every new OS is a real PITA.
Someone mentioned installing an XP shell in Win 10. How does that work? I once tried to install a Windows shell in UNIX. Largely so I use my Win only editor (with upgrades, I have been using it for 31 years and am not about to change). Anyway, it worked like shit.
What I do is write and compile math, read TSD, email and play a few games. I have noticed that solitaire on Win 10 is a lot less playable than on Win 7. I haven’t tried Free Cell, but I wonder if they allow the infinite backup ability. I love that because it allows me to restart as often as possible until I really understand the layout.
