Do I need to upgrade my server?
I have a very small computer network in the office. Currently I have a winxp machine acting as a file server for several other pcs. Basically it’s just for our accounting database. The other pcs are being slowly upgraded from winxp to win7 over the next few months. The server is behind a router firewall so there’s no way it can be accessed from outside the network. Can I keep it running winxp after support ends for that os next year? Or should I upgrade it to win7?
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It can continue to run XP indefinitely; from that point of view there is no rush.
But
if it is running XP, it will be running a 12 year old operating system that is no longer supported by Microsoft, and problems (if you have any) will be difficult to solve, because drivers, software, and so on have moved on.
Further, and more important, a Windows XP machine likely has FAR less memory, processing power, etc, than machines being sold today. So even if the software continues to run, the hardware will feel lethargic and laggy. TO say nothing of the fact that the hardware, ebing 10 years old, is at some point going to begin to give you problems (power supply, chips, fan, etc.)
So if it were my machine, I would recommend getting a W7 or W8 machine and making the transition, BEFORE it becomes a crisis and you have to do it in a hurry.
What @elbanditoroso said. Good analysis.
Adding, slightly off-topic, that if you don’t already have a good backup system in place, especially one that covers the accounting database, then do that first.
I agree with @elbanditoroso, although I would recommend that you put some serious thought and research into whether you want to choose W7, W8, or keep limping along until W9 arrives.
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