Home computer use: Windows XP: file transfer

Self-tutoring about home computer use: the tutor shares some experience with XP.

Like almost everyone, I loved Windows XP and was very sad to see it go. It was a consolation that Windows 7 was very good, as well. I’m using Windows 10 right now. However, three computers here can’t accommodate Windows 10. One uses Ubuntu (and works very well), another uses Lubuntu (and works very well), and the third uses XP.

As I recall, the XP computer has always worked reliably. I keep it set up because an old scanning device runs off it. That device is how we scan to pdf on site.

One by one, browsers have stopped working with the XP computer. Eventually I installed Opera, which worked for a few years. No longer, it seems.

Self-contained, though, the old XP computer still works fine. The other night I used its scanning device to produce a pdf. Thence, I couldn’t share directly to email, since none of its installed browsers works anymore.

I found a memory stick with nothing important on it, then plugged it into the XP computer and saved the pdf to the memory stick. Then, I safely removed the memory stick and plugged it into a modern computer. I scanned it for viruses; it was clear. From that computer the file was sharable to email.

Such file sharing using physical devices seems less and less common, even for me. Yet, when an old thing still works, sometimes one needs to be backwards-compatible to continue enjoying its function.

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.