[SOLVED] NEW COMPUTER RUNNING WINDOWS XP?

[CarlH]

i need a reliable new tower PC running Windows XP 32-bit, Home or Pro.

I don't need the machine for online work, so security risks are n/a. Ijust need to run three excellent and precious DOS programs, two of which can be installed only as originally: by 3.5" floppy disk.

The minimum spec is for a new machine is:-

Floppy disk drive (Drive A

At least two USB ports

Parallel printer port.

The processor does not need to be specially fast, nor the hard disk specially large.

I am tired of buying second hand machines which last only two to three years, and it's getting increasingly difficult to find ones with a floppy drive. I don't know if the installation for my DOS programs, which uses the Command Prompt and the command (disk drive letter, NORMALLY A) plus :INSTALL, would recognise a portable USB floppy drive Can anyone advise me on this, by the way?

Can anyone help me, or suggest (seriously!) who I might go to for a new machine?

The OS has got to be XP because othe oldest of my three programs (word processor) won't install even into XP from its original disks. To cope with this, the original publisher produced a USB installation stick specially for XP. That works fine, and I was able to import all my existing files, The special program deals correctly with both old and new files. When my first XP machine failed I wanted to return to my old "bombproof" Windows 98 machine. I had all the newer files, created on the XP machine, on a USB drive. I copied all my new files into the old copy of the program on my Windows 98 computer (W98 supports USB1). But that machine contained the original version of the program, which would allow me only to read the newer files - not edit or print them.

So the OS has got to be XP.

 

[alceryes]

You won't find anything new, if that's what you're asking.
Operating systems have drivers (either built-in or available) for the hardware that was around during the time the operating system was supported.

Your best bet will be to scour eBay for 12+ year old Dell (for example) systems that still have all the drivers available to make the system fully functional. A lot of times these sellers will have more than one identical system available. Buy two or three (after confirming that the systems work perfectly with Windows XP) and you should be good for 5+ years (hopefully).

 

[jay32267]

^^^I agree.
For my job I have to support very old equipment.
I even have to go back before XP to Windows 98 and DOS.
Ebay is my best friend for these things.
I would find some cheap Dells or something similar and by a few of them.

 

[TerryLaze]

Have you at least tried to make a VM and install your software there?
I know that success for copy protected software isn't all that high but you should at least try if it works.

(also how are your floppies from back then even still working.. )

 

[alceryes]

(also how are your floppies from back then even still working.. )

Not to hijack, but I still have a Commodore 64 with 1541 disk drive WITH 5¼" floppies that still work. It's just a roll of the dice as to how long this stuff will last.

 

[g-unit1111]

But that machine contained the original version of the program, which would allow me only to read the newer files - not edit or print them.

So the OS has got to be XP.

What's the program? Can it only run on Windows XP? Have you tried to run it in backwards compatibility on Windows 7 or Windows 10?

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

I concur with you having to look on eBay for old machines.

Alternatively, as mentioned, a VM running XP could work, or the use of an external USB floppy drive and a program called DOSBox could work as well with a newer system and OS if a full VM of XP doesn't work.

Alternatively to that, if you want compatibility with Microsoft word formatted documents on a newer system for free I would highly suggest OpenOffice or the fork LibreOffice.