Still booting after all these years: The people stuck using ancient Windows computers

 

CTRL+ALT+DEL, but make it forever. As technology marches on, some people get trapped using decades-old software and devices. Here's a look inside the strange, stubborn world of obsolete Windows machines.

 

Earlier this year I was on my way to a checkup at a doctor's office in New York City. As I rode up to the 14th floor, my eyes were drawn to a screen built into the side of the lift. Staring back was a glimpse into the history of computing. There, in a gleaming hospital full of state-of-the-art machines, was an error message from an operating system released almost a quarter of a century ago. The elevator was running Windows XP.

 

Windows 95 celebrates its 30th birthday on 24 August 2025, and this year is the 50th anniversary of Microsoft as a whole. The company may not have the cultural cachet it did when that hospital lift was installed, but after a couple of decades playing catch-up Microsoft is back on top.

 

Read more:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250516-the-people-stuck-using-ancient-windows-computers

Buy a Mac and never look back

3 hours ago, proton said:

Buy a Mac and never look back

 

Yes.  I was a Windows user for 20 years then was finally convinced to switch to a Mac.  The difference is incredible.  I would never go back.

In my oppinion it doesen't really matter that much using Windows or Mac. We have both (stationary Mac, Notebook Windows). And are just common users.

 

What I really appreciate about Mac is if it comes to a change to a newer device the fullbackup sets the new device exactly the same way up as I had on the old one. And I never had to bother about Anti-virus. Of course with the human sense not to click on every link that is offered.

For word and excel we use open office on both devices.

37 minutes ago, Schoggibueb said:

For word and excel we use open office on both devices.

 

My issue with that is the hours I had to spend reformatting any spreadsheet or document that was sent to me by the 95% of business users that standardized on MS Office.  It just wasn't worth it to save $100 a year paying for an Office subscription, much less the tiny price of a gray market (but legal) copy.  I've seen them as cheap as $39.

 

If you're working completely independently, Linux and freeware may be the way to go.  But not if you're working in a typical office environment.

 

35 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

My issue with that is the hours I had to spend reformatting any spreadsheet or document that was sent to me by the 95% of business users that standardized on MS Office.  It just wasn't worth it to save $100 a year paying for an Office subscription, much less the tiny price of a gray market (but legal) copy.  I've seen them as cheap as $39.

 

If you're working completely independently, Linux and freeware may be the way to go.  But not if you're working in a typical office environment.

 

Not sure if I understood this correctly.

With open office you can open ANY kind of Windows sheet, regardless if it's a Win95, XP or whatever document.

You also have then the same possibiltity to store any document in any kind of version.

 

Of course it suggests the ".odt" format. But you can choose again whithout any issues in what kind of format or version you would like to have it and keep the exact same format that others can use too.

 

As it's an open source sw, you can give it a try, costs you nothing except the installation time.

 

AND the layout is old fashioned like windows 95 or XP. But as most of us grew up with all these different versions - no problem.

 

I don't pay 100bucks to MS or Apple every year (!) that they allow me to use something that shouldn't cost anything.

9 hours ago, proton said:

Buy a Mac and never look back

Yep.

I miss those green screens !

23 hours ago, CatCage said:

The elevator was running Windows XP.

I doubt that.

46 minutes ago, Peter Crow said:

I doubt that.

There are hundreds of thousands controllers from various machines where the hardware doesen‘t change. And not every RS-232 adapter can handle what the original port on old notebooks were able.

For me absolutley possible what has been mentioned.

Service notebooks don‘t go onto the net, they are used only fot that one purpose to be able to connect with the controller of the machine.

 

I have both and prefer MS for my work functions.  

On 8/25/2025 at 11:13 AM, proton said:

Buy a Mac and never look back

Especially for those of us who own a G4 Processor Mac.

The cash register at one of Thailand premier hypermarts (I won't name which one for all of the obvious reasons) was still rocking with a cash register running WinXP. Not good. Which means the Point Of Sales system is probably using deprecated POS back-end systems as well as deprecated WinXP for the front-end with all the encryption and security holes that comes with those old systems.

Now - think about that?  A cash register attached to debit/credit card terminals and QR Code readers, which in turn are connected to the store's POS of sales systems with the front-end terminals running WinXP??? That just screams: "HACK ME!!!"

There is another reason that I use cash for all my transactions.  

1 hour ago, Peter Crow said:

I doubt that.

Windows XP embedded is used in zillions of devices like ATMs.

Those XP systems are customized/"slim" and often not connected to the internet.

Not full blown desktop Windows XP.

I have taken at least one picture of a "crashed" ATN with some Windows logo.

 

Switch to Linux - it doesn't cost a dime and runs like a dream every time!

On 8/25/2025 at 11:13 AM, proton said:

Buy a Mac and never look back

 

21 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

Yes.  I was a Windows user for 20 years then was finally convinced to switch to a Mac.  The difference is incredible.  I would never go back.

 

16 hours ago, TedG said:

Yep.

Switch to Linux - it doesn't cost a dime and runs like a dream every time!

8 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Windows XP embedded is used in zillions of devices like ATMs.

Those XP systems are customized/"slim" and often not connected to the internet.

Not full blown desktop Windows XP.

I have taken at least one picture of a "crashed" ATN with some Windows logo.

 

If used as a dumb terminal - perhaps.  But still.  Not supported and still hackable.  If you can get to the back-end POS system, you can do lots of damage.

Linux. +1

2 hours ago, Peter Crow said:

I doubt that.

 

Many elevator manufacturers offered an interface for real-time stats and diagnosis sometime using special versions of the Windows operating system. Its quite possible there older systems  still running Windows XP for this purpose.

 

 

22 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Windows XP embedded is used in zillions of devices like ATMs.

Those XP systems are customized/"slim" and often not connected to the internet.

Not full blown desktop Windows XP.

I have taken at least one picture of a "crashed" ATN with some Windows logo.

 

What prompted me was that the OP said the "elevator was running Windows XP", had he said the "entertainment system of the elevator", the "maintenance utilities", etc.. were running Windows 95 I wouldn't have questioned him.

 

Lift control systems cannot't run on Windows IMHO. I had a Network of 2000 PCs in my previous life, and while I haven't worked for Otis I am certain the reliability of Windows isn't acceptable for systems requiring total reliability. 

3 hours ago, Jim Blue said:

I miss those green screens !

https://archive.org/details/win95sounds/mssound.wav

 

1 hour ago, Fruit Trader said:

 

Many elevator manufacturers offered an interface for real-time stats and diagnosis sometime using special versions of the Windows operating system. Its quite possible there older systems  still running Windows XP for this purpose.

 

 

It was very solid, no whistles or bells, just plain Operating system, plenty Government systems still using it.

7 hours ago, connda said:

 

 

Switch to Linux - it doesn't cost a dime and runs like a dream every time!

Does it run Lightroom and capture one pro?