Windows Update Site for Old OSs

[Derek Meyer]

I saw this article on Tom's Hardware today. There is a community-based project called Windows Update Restored Currently, they have updates for Windows 96, 98, Me, 2000 and XP. They have links for Windows Vista and newer, as well as Windows Server 2003. This is very much a use-at-your-own-risk site, but I know a lot of people on here maintain old computers for many reasons, so I thought I would link to it.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/windows-update-restored-site-provides-updates-for-classic-windows-versions#xenforo-comments-3813195

Derek

[Brian Elfert]

I wish I had the spare time to do stupid projects like this. They aren't coming out with new patches that fix security as far as I can tell. They are simply providing a way to install existing updates on unpatched systems.

[Alan Rutherford]

I understand about progress but part of me wishes Microsoft had stopped with Windows XP and Visual Basic 6. I have a little hardware and a lot of software that probably won't ever see daylight again, but sometimes I think about it. Thanks for telling us about this site.

Now do you have anything for CP/M?

[Derek Meyer]

I can ask my brother if he still has his copy of CP/M on 8" floppy. He probably does, though I'm not sure he could find it. He has the computer that he built to run it, too (Explorer 85), but he said he tried firing it up a few years ago and it wouldn't start. He didn't want to take the time to troubleshoot it but didn't want to get rid of it either. It is a piece of history, after all.

[Alan Rutherford]

I can ask my brother if he still has his copy of CP/M on 8" floppy. He probably does, though I'm not sure he could find it. He has the computer that he built to run it, too (Explorer 85), but he said he tried firing it up a few years ago and it wouldn't start. He didn't want to take the time to troubleshoot it but didn't want to get rid of it either. It is a piece of history, after all.

That's about where I am. 8" floppies in a box somewhere. The computer is in the back of a closet ready to go, except that I wired it to expect an IBM video terminal for output and Lord knows where you find one of them. I also have no idea what it expects for a keyboard, which is not part of the computer. Much as I'd love to have it working, there are lots of other things I also need to have working that actually get used.

[Chris Schoenthal]

I've been a computer geek since the mid 70's and was building my own PCs in the early 80's.
Just yesterday I was looking through an old box and found the 5¼ floppys for Windows 1.0.
My Atari and Timex Sinclair are still up in the attic.

[Brian Elfert]

I understand about progress but part of me wishes Microsoft had stopped with Windows XP and Visual Basic 6. I have a little hardware and a lot of software that probably won't ever see daylight again, but sometimes I think about it. Thanks for telling us about this site.

I think Windows 7 was a real improvement over Windows XP. I occasionally have to use Windows XP/2003 systems and they feel positively archaic compared to Windows 10. I like Windows 10 pretty well other than all the crap Microsoft shoves at you. An enterprise version of Windows 10 where the desktop folks have stripped all that garbage out makes it a pleasure to use.

[Curt Harms]

The legitimate problem with old software is that older $$$$$$ devices are working perfectly but only with that old OS/software. Not many companies want to replace a $100,000 device because the manufacturer can't or won't provide up-to-date software support - or they no longer exist.

[Jim Becker]

The legitimate problem with old software is that older $$$$$$ devices are working perfectly but only with that old OS/software. Not many companies want to replace a $100,000 device because the manufacturer can't or won't provide up-to-date software support - or they no longer exist.

The crux of many of these incompatibilities is that a lot of hardware interfaces "back in the day" were addressed using direct access to memory, etc., and that has not been permitted in modern OSs and hardware for years now due to security. These older devices can only be used with older computers and OS because of that. One SMC member has a shop full of that stuff, as a matter of fact. So without a completely new device, it can't be addressed with up-to-date-software.

[roger wiegand]

I've been using the Codeweavers implementation of WINE (Crossover) to run old windows programs on a Mac. It also works on other UNIX, LINUS, and Windows machines to run code back to Windows 3.1 (supported) and some Windows 2 (not officially supported). It's really quite a remarkable bit of programming. You don't install Windows, nor do you emulate it (WINE stands for "Wine Is Not an Emulator"). The Wikipedia article on WINE explains it better than I can. All I know is it lets me run ancient Windows software as well as programs written for the most recent version without the hassle of having to set up and run a Windows machine. No need to dredge up those old floppy disks.