Help my nonprofit survive the end of Windows XP!

September 16, 2015 2:42 PM

I work for a nonprofit and we have several computers used by our students. They run Windows XP and I know that their decline and fall is probably inevitable. There is a specific old version of a program that we use which is not compatible with newer versions of Windows. Help me make a plan: I need to find a new literacy program that suits our needs, find a way to make this 10+ year old program compatible with newer computers, or at the very least keep these computers semi-functional as long as possible.

The software is Lexia Reading SOS, Version 3.53 (copyright ended in 2003). It's a literacy program for adult English language learners. My boss has not found any other literacy programs that he likes as much, including newer versions of this one, so he does not want to switch to another program. However, I am open to suggestions from people who do similar work, since this may be the only way forward.

I imagine when these computers fail completely, they will be replaced with more up-to-date versions with Windows 10. Is there any way to install and use software this old on a newer computer? Boss has tried installing it on a few computers and says it doesn't work.

Failing all else, we would like these computers to keep functioning and hope that someone will develop software we like in the meantime. They are already glitchy, slow, and reluctant to perform basic tasks. This software itself often crashes. Is there any basic maintenance I can do that will delay the inevitable?

Hope that makes sense. I am not wildly technologically literate so answers that keep that in mind are appreciated. Thank you!

posted by chaiminda to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

Running Windows XP is not a great idea for security now, let alone into the future. It is no longer supported so it is vulnerable. Are these computers connected to the internet? If they aren't, you are in better shape.

If these computers are glitchy and slow now, they need help (either replacement or wiping and re-installing Windows). It probably isn't worth anyone's time to try any maintenance.

Otherwise, if you absolutely can't get away from XP, it would be best to run Windows XP as a virtual machine on another operating system. The easiest is Windows 7, which comes with XP virtualization built-in, but Windows 7 is getting pretty old too (though it will be supported until 2020). You can also do virtualization in Windows 8 or 10, but you have to set it up yourself.

If it is feasible (i.e. you don't need to save any information), you could also set up virtual instances of Windows XP that are reset to a fixed image every time they are opened (so you are basically starting with a fresh copy of Windows XP every time you start it).

Of course, the best solution would be to find some current software that works.
posted by ssg at 3:02 PM on September 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

I only have suggestions about older software on a newer computer since this is what we had to do at a workplace of mine - Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization. It let us install a WinXP software item on Win7 machines (until we could find a new one we liked).
posted by Verdandi at 3:03 PM on September 16, 2015 [3 favorites]

Forgot to mention that if you go down the virtualization route, it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep the Windows XP virtual machine off the internet, if possible, and only allow the base operating system to access your network.
posted by ssg at 3:03 PM on September 16, 2015

If you absolutely can't move forward with newer software, you can set up a virtual computer running Windows XP and the old software on a newer system running Windows 7 or 10. VirtualBox is free software that will allow you to do this - using its "seamless mode" will cause the old application to look as if it's running on the new computer natively. Using firewall restrictions should keep the virtual machine more or less safe and you can take snapshots of the virtual machine such that you can revert back to a good state when the cruft builds up.

However, to do this well requires a decent knowledge of computers so unless you have a proficient volunteer or staff person, so you're looking at hiring a moderately expensive consultant, possibly having to buy new copies of Windows XP licenses (if the old ones are technically bound to the existing hardware), and training headaches. Is the difference between the ancient version of the software and the current version really so great that your boss can't be talked into switching?
posted by Candleman at 3:06 PM on September 16, 2015

Your boss says it doesn't work on the new machines; has he tried compatibility mode?
posted by kindall at 3:40 PM on September 16, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: The computers are hooked up to the internet. My boss really does not like the new software at all and does not want to switch. I know that would be the most technologically logical solution, and that was my first thought, too, but the new programs just won't work for our students. Thanks for the ideas so far!
posted by chaiminda at 4:13 PM on September 16, 2015

It seems your boss has given you an impossible task. You said your options are:
- find a new literacy program that suits our needs;
- find a way to make this 10+ year old program compatible with newer computers;
- at the very least keep these computers semi-functional as long as possible.

I'm unfamiliar with EL software, but I have evaluated ed tech software & hardware intersections before.
There are many options for new software... Were it me I'd want to know why the boss is so fixed on the old software. Is is a features thing, or the $$ for new software? What features are so essential in your version, and investigate other software with that in mind.
Option 2, you boss said he tried to install it on a new computer and it crashed. I'd check that myself, or you can try Candleman's approach, which if also crashes... then back to #1.
and it sounds like option 3 is already a failure...

so I'd push back on option 1, since you'll have to get new hardware anyway. You could price apps for ipad or chrome books which might make it more affordable and be able to serve more students too..
posted by TDIpod at 7:19 PM on September 16, 2015

Seconding that you should try compatibility mode on a newer version of Windows with the version of the program that you want to use. About 9 times out of 10, that solves any compatibility woes I have with programs from the WinXP era, especially if they aren't games.
posted by Aleyn at 8:44 PM on September 16, 2015

I netadmin a school, and have to deal with this kind of thing on a regular basis. If you can provide me with a link to the software's installation package, I'll have a look at it and advise you on feasible options. Memail if you don't want that link exposed publicly.
posted by flabdablet at 9:11 PM on September 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

XP is already not sustainable. Apart from the software problem, y'all should be ditching it right quick. A free and safe option, that will generally run better on older software than anything by Microsoft, is switching to Linux. And then the old software could most likely be used in Wine (which is a compatibility tool to make Windows software run on a Linux system).
A good and userfriendly Linux distribution is Linux Mint. There are several versions with slightly different desktop environments. As a Windows user, I'm currently trying out Mint with Cinnamon [as a desktop environment] and I'm impressed as well as pleasantly surprised. It comes with a nice bundle of good quality free software pre-installed.

You might need a hand to make the switch. But it's a free solution that's sustainable for the longer haul and keep these same computers usable for longer, so maybe that would free some budget?
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:59 AM on September 17, 2015

My company makes (well, made...) software that was originally developed for Windows 3.1. We've released newer products, and since then we've stopped supporting the old program. It won't run on anything after XP. We still have about 25 clients still using the old program, and most of them say something similar to your boss: the old program is better than the new one. So I understand your boss's point. Most of them still run regular XP like you are now, but a handful of them have either had their computers die already, or have heeded our warnings about security vulnerabilities, and have purchased newer computers. Those customers use XP virtual machines, as everyone else has suggested. It seems to be a good solution for the ones who are using it. I don't know how viable it is long term, but it works for now, and it should at least buy you some time until you can find something else.
posted by kevinbelt at 8:58 AM on September 17, 2015

For what it's worth, and i realize this is not true in all cases, i have yet to find a piece of "XP or older only" software that i wasn't able to get running on windows 7/server 2008 R2.

8/8.1/10? Yea, that breaks stuff. So does vista. But all the legacy software i've needed to get running both for myself and for clients has ended up working on 7.

There are extremely cheap windows 7 machines available from resellers on newegg that are "microsoft certified refurbishers". They take off lease business grade workstations, clean them up, install windows 7(with a new license key) and sell them. I've directed more than a few people who need cheap machines to run legacy software towards those.

If you want to safely run the XP machines with this software, my recommendation would be to set them up, install all updates(BEHIND A DPI FIREWALL WITH GATEWAY ANTIVIRUS, there are SO many vulnerabilities that will literally install malware within minutes on an nonupdated XP machine) to relevant software, then install deepfreeze and lock it.

Now every time you reboot you get a clean "image". No malware can do any serious harm if you reboot after every session, kinkos rental computer style.

Also, if it's not obvious, literally delete anything that even resembles a browser or internet connected application. And disallow essentially everything in windows firewall. If this application doesn't need internet access, put these machines on a separate subnet without it. If they don't need network access airgap them.

Plenty of places are going to run XP in restricted or offline ways for years. It's not radioactive, just not suitable for online general use. I bet i'll still see XP-based POS systems with a card terminal next to them and the onboard one shut off after 2020, or even 2025...
posted by emptythought at 2:58 PM on September 17, 2015