GMAIL stops operating on older PC's

[cookiedough]

Just read up online that GMAIL using google chrome will become inoperable come already Feb. 8th of this year on Windows Vista and older operating systems.

Now what do I do since I have Windows Vista and use Google Chrome with GMAIL for my email system?

Buy a new PC since mine is 8 or so years old?  I tried installing Windows 10 when it was free download several times but it ran and ran for hours and never could install in the end for some reason.  I am screwed? 

[dreamaker]

I wanted to upgrade some of my Pc's to Win 10, and the free give away was over. So I when to EBay and bought a legal Win 10 upgrade on DVD.  For giggles I also bought  an upgrade from another person on a USB thumb drive/ Flash memory. I started with the DVD, and like yourself, it seemed to go for ever. I said screw this, I then did an up grade with the thumb drive version and it worked like a charm. They were both legal media, but the USB thumb drive worked and the DVD has issues. Also these can be used on multiple computers to upgrade as long you have an existing legal OS system. I went from Win 7 to Win 10. Hope this may help!

[Oss]

I have an old puter running 3.1 and word for dos with those small hard floppy drives but its not hooked up to the net and really I only use it to copy a law document from 20 yrs ago that I think I can use on a new case coming into the office.  Clients get a kick out of my turning the old machine on and using the esc t l commands to go from drive c to floppy a and then using the portable floppy usb to upload the doc to my desktop

Amazingly you can read any old word file on new word just not the other way around

I am running windows 7 (i think) on my work puter with avg

Have both gmail and optimum accounts  Thanks for the heads up cookie if I have issues I will know why now

[Robert]

Try Mozilla and Thunderbird or maybe you have email through your internet provider that you can access through your current browser. Not a big issue just some re configuring and learning. As just a point of information you can buy Windows 7 for about 129.00 and install that but really not necessary.

[cookiedough]

I wanted to upgrade some of my Pc's to Win 10, and the free give away was over. So I when to EBay and bought a legal Win 10 upgrade on DVD.  For giggles I also bought  an upgrade from another person on a USB thumb drive/ Flash memory. I started with the DVD, and like yourself, it seemed to go for ever. I said screw this, I then did an up grade with the thumb drive version and it worked like a charm. They were both legal media, but the USB thumb drive worked and the DVD has issues. Also these can be used on multiple computers to upgrade as long you have an existing legal OS system. I went from Win 7 to Win 10. Hope this may help!

that is odd that the thumbdrive version of windows 10 worked but not the ebay version on DVD.  I really wanted to upgrade my windows vista laptop to windows 10 when it was free and tried for days and days but kept crashing at the end after 2-6 hours of attempting to convert.  I do have another laptop with windows 7 or 10 I think I can use I guess to still get just all my gmail.com emails.

gotta love NEW technology continually having to upgrade every few years.  I guess the techy computers companies have to stay in business and make money?

[Daddie O]

One issue is that Windows Vista and Windows 95 is no longer supported by Microsoft.  Meaning not secure operating systems, as no security patches will be forthcoming.  If your hardware is too old to support a newer operating system, then you should bite the bullet and buy a new system (or refurbished).  There are decent systems out there for not much than the price of Windows 7 or 10 alone anyway.

[Pete]

Try Mozilla and Thunderbird or maybe you have email through your internet provider that you can access through your current browser. Not a big issue just some re configuring and learning. As just a point of information you can buy Windows 7 for about 129.00 and install that but really not necessary.

+1 on the browser and email client.

[dreamaker]

I wanted to upgrade some of my Pc's to Win 10, and the free give away was over. So I when to EBay and bought a legal Win 10 upgrade on DVD.  For giggles I also bought  an upgrade from another person on a USB thumb drive/ Flash memory. I started with the DVD, and like yourself, it seemed to go for ever. I said screw this, I then did an up grade with the thumb drive version and it worked like a charm. They were both legal media, but the USB thumb drive worked and the DVD has issues. Also these can be used on multiple computers to upgrade as long you have an existing legal OS system. I went from Win 7 to Win 10. Hope this may help!

that is odd that the thumbdrive version of windows 10 worked but not the ebay version on DVD.  I really wanted to upgrade my windows vista laptop to windows 10 when it was free and tried for days and days but kept crashing at the end after 2-6 hours of attempting to convert.  I do have another laptop with windows 7 or 10 I think I can use I guess to still get just all my gmail.com emails.

gotta love NEW technology continually having to upgrade every few years.  I guess the techy computers companies have to stay in business and make money?

You know what really cooks my ass with Microsoft, they come out with the new OS systems, and they change the words or terms for the same functions that already exist.  So you got to waste allot of time figuring out the new term for the function that you have used on past OS.

[Pete]

I wanted to upgrade some of my Pc's to Win 10, and the free give away was over. So I when to EBay and bought a legal Win 10 upgrade on DVD.  For giggles I also bought  an upgrade from another person on a USB thumb drive/ Flash memory. I started with the DVD, and like yourself, it seemed to go for ever. I said screw this, I then did an up grade with the thumb drive version and it worked like a charm. They were both legal media, but the USB thumb drive worked and the DVD has issues. Also these can be used on multiple computers to upgrade as long you have an existing legal OS system. I went from Win 7 to Win 10. Hope this may help!

that is odd that the thumbdrive version of windows 10 worked but not the ebay version on DVD.  I really wanted to upgrade my windows vista laptop to windows 10 when it was free and tried for days and days but kept crashing at the end after 2-6 hours of attempting to convert.  I do have another laptop with windows 7 or 10 I think I can use I guess to still get just all my gmail.com emails.

gotta love NEW technology continually having to upgrade every few years.  I guess the techy computers companies have to stay in business and make money?

You know what really cooks my ass with Microsoft, they come out with the new OS systems, and they change the words or terms for the same functions that already exist.  So you got to waste allot of time figuring out the new term for the function that you have used on past OS.

That is what you get when you have a bunch of amateurs writing an operating system.
It is called lack of continuity and poor systems design.

[3fan4life]

I wanted to upgrade some of my Pc's to Win 10, and the free give away was over. So I when to EBay and bought a legal Win 10 upgrade on DVD.  For giggles I also bought  an upgrade from another person on a USB thumb drive/ Flash memory. I started with the DVD, and like yourself, it seemed to go for ever. I said screw this, I then did an up grade with the thumb drive version and it worked like a charm. They were both legal media, but the USB thumb drive worked and the DVD has issues. Also these can be used on multiple computers to upgrade as long you have an existing legal OS system. I went from Win 7 to Win 10. Hope this may help!

that is odd that the thumbdrive version of windows 10 worked but not the ebay version on DVD.  I really wanted to upgrade my windows vista laptop to windows 10 when it was free and tried for days and days but kept crashing at the end after 2-6 hours of attempting to convert.  I do have another laptop with windows 7 or 10 I think I can use I guess to still get just all my gmail.com emails.

gotta love NEW technology continually having to upgrade every few years.  I guess the techy computers companies have to stay in business and make money?

You know what really cooks my ass with Microsoft, they come out with the new OS systems, and they change the words or terms for the same functions that already exist.  So you got to waste allot of time figuring out the new term for the function that you have used on past OS.

That is what you get when you have a bunch of amateurs writing an operating system.
It is called lack of continuity and poor systems design.

HMMMM...... You must be a Mac guy.

I can't say that Microsoft doesn't have their issues, but I don't think that I'd call them amateurs.


Maybe, I've been lucky but I haven't had any issues with Windows 8.1.

 Now Regular Windows 8 sucked BIG time. 
 

[dreamaker]

I wanted to upgrade some of my Pc's to Win 10, and the free give away was over. So I when to EBay and bought a legal Win 10 upgrade on DVD.  For giggles I also bought  an upgrade from another person on a USB thumb drive/ Flash memory. I started with the DVD, and like yourself, it seemed to go for ever. I said screw this, I then did an up grade with the thumb drive version and it worked like a charm. They were both legal media, but the USB thumb drive worked and the DVD has issues. Also these can be used on multiple computers to upgrade as long you have an existing legal OS system. I went from Win 7 to Win 10. Hope this may help!

that is odd that the thumbdrive version of windows 10 worked but not the ebay version on DVD.  I really wanted to upgrade my windows vista laptop to windows 10 when it was free and tried for days and days but kept crashing at the end after 2-6 hours of attempting to convert.  I do have another laptop with windows 7 or 10 I think I can use I guess to still get just all my gmail.com emails.

gotta love NEW technology continually having to upgrade every few years.  I guess the techy computers companies have to stay in business and make money?

You know what really cooks my ass with Microsoft, they come out with the new OS systems, and they change the words or terms for the same functions that already exist.  So you got to waste allot of time figuring out the new term for the function that you have used on past OS.

That is what you get when you have a bunch of amateurs writing an operating system.
It is called lack of continuity and poor systems design.

I often wonder if it is due to bad design, it make me think sometimes these issues are by design.  I sometimes think the updates are by design, just slightly corrupt updates to make present computer appear to slow down and seem out dated. What is the solution!  Let's go buy a NEW COMPUTER!  For example: I just bought some point and shoot cameras on EBay! They are more of a professional grade cameras. The original MSRP was $1100, the retail was $799, I bought three of them and paid $30 each, one was brand new. What was wrong with them, Not a Damn Thing!  The Industry gave the impression they were out dated. It's like that with electronics, people think the item are no good so they by new.  But! far as computers, I maybe wrong, It just seems every time I update it seems to get slower and slower!

[Gryphon Rider]

I often wonder if it is due to bad design, it make me think sometimes these issues are by design.  I sometimes think the updates are by design, just slightly corrupt updates to make present computer appear to slow down and seem out dated. What is the solution!  Let's go buy a NEW COMPUTER!  For example: I just bought some point and shoot cameras on EBay! They are more of a professional grade cameras. The original MSRP was $1100, the retail was $799, I bought three of them and paid $30 each, one was brand new. What was wrong with them, Not a Damn Thing!  The Industry gave the impression they were out dated. It's like that with electronics, people think the item are no good so they by new.  But! far as computers, I maybe wrong, It just seems every time I update it seems to get slower and slower!

Aren't you finding it hard to find film? 

[dreamaker]

Sorry! These are digital cameras, not 35mm film. Same with some of my computers, Like the one I am using  now I built it back in the 90's and still using it. I have updated hardware to conform to OS, My newest one is a Surface 3 Pro Maxed out, but I rarely use it.  Point is don't get rid of your car because the ash tray's are full.

[scooperhsd]

Try Mozilla and Thunderbird or maybe you have email through your internet provider that you can access through your current browser. Not a big issue just some re configuring and learning. As just a point of information you can buy Windows 7 for about 129.00 and install that but really not necessary.

As an IT Professional, I strongly advise against using ISP email. The main reason is that it's not portable, and you are not always guaranteed to be able to take it with you.  I have both Yahoo and Gmail accounts (primarily use the Yahoo one), and I have used Outlook on it in the past.  Anymore, I just use webmail (my browser of choice is Firefox) since I also access it from my smartphone.

[Pete]

I wanted to upgrade some of my Pc's to Win 10, and the free give away was over. So I when to EBay and bought a legal Win 10 upgrade on DVD.  For giggles I also bought  an upgrade from another person on a USB thumb drive/ Flash memory. I started with the DVD, and like yourself, it seemed to go for ever. I said screw this, I then did an up grade with the thumb drive version and it worked like a charm. They were both legal media, but the USB thumb drive worked and the DVD has issues. Also these can be used on multiple computers to upgrade as long you have an existing legal OS system. I went from Win 7 to Win 10. Hope this may help!

that is odd that the thumbdrive version of windows 10 worked but not the ebay version on DVD.  I really wanted to upgrade my windows vista laptop to windows 10 when it was free and tried for days and days but kept crashing at the end after 2-6 hours of attempting to convert.  I do have another laptop with windows 7 or 10 I think I can use I guess to still get just all my gmail.com emails.

gotta love NEW technology continually having to upgrade every few years.  I guess the techy computers companies have to stay in business and make money?

You know what really cooks my ass with Microsoft, they come out with the new OS systems, and they change the words or terms for the same functions that already exist.  So you got to waste allot of time figuring out the new term for the function that you have used on past OS.

That is what you get when you have a bunch of amateurs writing an operating system.
It is called lack of continuity and poor systems design.

HMMMM...... You must be a Mac guy.

I can't say that Microsoft doesn't have their issues, but I don't think that I'd call them amateurs.


Maybe, I've been lucky but I haven't had any issues with Windows 8.1.

 Now Regular Windows 8 sucked BIG time. 
 

Nope, no particular preference, they both have their own issues.
But I did spend 45 years in the environment and supported all types of Operating Systems.
I have watched Mac and Microsoft and Unix copy the wheel and re-invent it as oblong, square and flat.
Kinda shakes your faith in mankind's intelligence.

[Pete]

I wanted to upgrade some of my Pc's to Win 10, and the free give away was over. So I when to EBay and bought a legal Win 10 upgrade on DVD.  For giggles I also bought  an upgrade from another person on a USB thumb drive/ Flash memory. I started with the DVD, and like yourself, it seemed to go for ever. I said screw this, I then did an up grade with the thumb drive version and it worked like a charm. They were both legal media, but the USB thumb drive worked and the DVD has issues. Also these can be used on multiple computers to upgrade as long you have an existing legal OS system. I went from Win 7 to Win 10. Hope this may help!

that is odd that the thumbdrive version of windows 10 worked but not the ebay version on DVD.  I really wanted to upgrade my windows vista laptop to windows 10 when it was free and tried for days and days but kept crashing at the end after 2-6 hours of attempting to convert.  I do have another laptop with windows 7 or 10 I think I can use I guess to still get just all my gmail.com emails.

gotta love NEW technology continually having to upgrade every few years.  I guess the techy computers companies have to stay in business and make money?

You know what really cooks my ass with Microsoft, they come out with the new OS systems, and they change the words or terms for the same functions that already exist.  So you got to waste allot of time figuring out the new term for the function that you have used on past OS.

That is what you get when you have a bunch of amateurs writing an operating system.
It is called lack of continuity and poor systems design.

I often wonder if it is due to bad design, it make me think sometimes these issues are by design.  I sometimes think the updates are by design, just slightly corrupt updates to make present computer appear to slow down and seem out dated. What is the solution!  Let's go buy a NEW COMPUTER!  For example: I just bought some point and shoot cameras on EBay! They are more of a professional grade cameras. The original MSRP was $1100, the retail was $799, I bought three of them and paid $30 each, one was brand new. What was wrong with them, Not a Damn Thing!  The Industry gave the impression they were out dated. It's like that with electronics, people think the item are no good so they by new.  But! far as computers, I maybe wrong, It just seems every time I update it seems to get slower and slower!

Sometimes it is and it is usually driven by marketing, pure and simple, not intellect.

[Pete]

Try Mozilla and Thunderbird or maybe you have email through your internet provider that you can access through your current browser. Not a big issue just some re configuring and learning. As just a point of information you can buy Windows 7 for about 129.00 and install that but really not necessary.

As an IT Professional, I strongly advise against using ISP email. The main reason is that it's not portable, and you are not always guaranteed to be able to take it with you.  I have both Yahoo and Gmail accounts (primarily use the Yahoo one), and I have used Outlook on it in the past.  Anymore, I just use webmail (my browser of choice is Firefox) since I also access it from my smartphone.

Using webmail is just asking to have the provider use your email to market to you as well as the owners of the browser (especially Explorer/Chrome/and others).

As an IT professional you should know better than use Yahoo/Gmail and any kind of web based browser mail.

 Sorry they are just bad news

[scooperhsd]

I pay the extra to NOT getting the marketing crap

[cookiedough]

never heard of thunderbird.

Has anyone downloaded EMCLIENT which says I can use gmail.com   vs using google chrome??

I wonder if Windows Vista will work with it, it says it can???????????

Any ideas??

[Pete]

I pay the extra to NOT getting the marketing crap

And you trust them, I suspect. Best of luck. We have a difference of opinion.
I cannot and will not recommend - Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge or any web based browser email and some others I cannot recall right now.

[Pete]

never heard of thunderbird.

Has anyone downloaded EMCLIENT which says I can use gmail.com   vs using google chrome??

I wonder if Windows Vista will work with it, it says it can???????????

Any ideas??

Thunderbird is an email client from Mozilla, nice product. I am not familiar with EMCCLIENT, sorry.
But if it uses Gmail  beware - Google will market to you and use your data.  

Update - Emclient appears to be a full fledged client email - which may be ok - just do not use Gmail/Yahoo/AOL with it or you are still exposed to marketing. If you do decide to use any of those do not let it retain your email on the server (called Sync), downloading it will remove it from the server will limit your exposure somewhat.

[..]

I often wonder if it is due to bad design, it make me think sometimes these issues are by design.  I sometimes think the updates are by design, just slightly corrupt updates to make present computer appear to slow down and seem out dated. What is the solution!  Let's go buy a NEW COMPUTER!  For example: I just bought some point and shoot cameras on EBay! They are more of a professional grade cameras. The original MSRP was $1100, the retail was $799, I bought three of them and paid $30 each, one was brand new. What was wrong with them, Not a Damn Thing!  The Industry gave the impression they were out dated. It's like that with electronics, people think the item are no good so they by new.  But! far as computers, I maybe wrong, It just seems every time I update it seems to get slower and slower!

Aren't you finding it hard to find film? 

Did you know that instant photo cameras are a big hit with teenage girls. They like showing each other photos that haven't been exposed to the internet.

Fuji is making a killing with the cameras and the film.

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/instant_photo/

Brilliant marketing to bring make old school.

[Art708]

Maybe, I've been lucky but I haven't had any issues with Windows 8.1.

 Now Regular Windows 8 sucked BIG time. 
 
[/quote]

 I have 8.1 on my laptop and desktop. I tried 10 but went back to 8.1 which works great on both computers.

[hubcapsc]

Chrome updates will stop soon for Vista and XP. I would guess
you could keep on using whatever un-updateable chrome
version you have after that, no reason for gmail to break.

Better, you could use Firefox, it will keep on supporting Vista
and XP a little while longer. Security updates are good to have.

Better still  , upgrade your whole system to Fedora for
free. Both Chrome and Firefox work great there.

-Mike

[dreamaker]

I often wonder if it is due to bad design, it make me think sometimes these issues are by design.  I sometimes think the updates are by design, just slightly corrupt updates to make present computer appear to slow down and seem out dated. What is the solution!  Let's go buy a NEW COMPUTER!  For example: I just bought some point and shoot cameras on EBay! They are more of a professional grade cameras. The original MSRP was $1100, the retail was $799, I bought three of them and paid $30 each, one was brand new. What was wrong with them, Not a Damn Thing!  The Industry gave the impression they were out dated. It's like that with electronics, people think the item are no good so they by new.  But! far as computers, I maybe wrong, It just seems every time I update it seems to get slower and slower!

Aren't you finding it hard to find film? 

Did you know that instant photo cameras are a big hit with teenage girls. They like showing each other photos that haven't been exposed to the internet.

Fuji is making a killing with the cameras and the film.

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/instant_photo/

Brilliant marketing to bring make old school.

Sorry, I am not getting your point, sometimes things go over my head, must be the blond hair!

[Pete]

Maybe, I've been lucky but I haven't had any issues with Windows 8.1.

 Now Regular Windows 8 sucked BIG time.  
  

 "I have 8.1 on my laptop and desktop. I tried 10 but went back to 8.1 which works great on both computers."


The latest or last updates of XP, Win 7, Win 8.1 and Win 10 all work reasonably well.
Take you pick, but as with all operating systems older versions are stabilized with little to no future support. But then if it runs and you have no problems why would updates be an issue anyway.

[MarkT]

Try Mozilla and Thunderbird or maybe you have email through your internet provider that you can access through your current browser. Not a big issue just some re configuring and learning. As just a point of information you can buy Windows 7 for about 129.00 and install that but really not necessary.

As an IT Professional, I strongly advise against using ISP email. The main reason is that it's not portable, and you are not always guaranteed to be able to take it with you.  I have both Yahoo and Gmail accounts (primarily use the Yahoo one), and I have used Outlook on it in the past.  Anymore, I just use webmail (my browser of choice is Firefox) since I also access it from my smartphone.

Using webmail is just asking to have the provider use your email to market to you as well as the owners of the browser (especially Explorer/Chrome/and others).

As an IT professional you should know better than use Yahoo/Gmail and any kind of web based browser mail.

 Sorry they are just bad news

+10000.  Especially gmail.  I think pretty much all google products will violate your privacy if it's possible. And gmail violates the privacy of who you email, who didn't sign up for that. That's their business plan.  For a while I asked folks not to gmail me for that reason.  But that was impractical given tons of folks don't seem to care about their privacy, or even aware what google does, and I was turning away business.  So now I have to just tolerate it and find ways to stop google and others from spamming/data mining me.  Yeah I was immersed in the industry for a long time - retired as a Sr Software Engr in '99. It was a layoff situation so I interviewed to replace the job for a while until I decided to just make my motorcycle parts business full time.  All of the companies I interviewed with at that time were focussing on data mining and wanted me to go there.  I was not at all interested in signing up for that creepy business.

Personally I use win live mail as my mail server.  Outlook is also a safe alternative.  Use Mozilla as browser with MSIE as backup if incompatibilities happen. OS is Win 7 Pro, pretty much forced when MS EOL'd XP. Have Win 10 available on my new server but don't care to try it given negative reports. Like to go to LINUX but don't want to deal with breaking what works now. I was a UNIX "guru" back in the day but am totally rusty and obsolete on it now.

[hubcapsc]

I finally started using gmail exclusively for email when the
campus email server I had managed since around 1986
finally went out of service a couple of years ago.

It is nice to be root on the server, but it is also nice to
view stuff as an appliance (gmail) that just works.

All "free" email and web-server and photo providers track
and mine you just like google, it is the way of the internet.

I love gmail, and sites.google.com, too... check out this free
place I've been stashing pictures recently:

https://sites.google.com/site/hubcapsite1/

Using your gmail userid/password, you can create a website
with a few clicks (hubcapsite1 is the above web site)...

Then you can create "web pages" within the site... I give
the pages meaningful names and think of them as directories
and fill them with pictures from this ride or that ride or some
maintenance operation or whatever... it is easy to upload one
or many files at a time into a web page.

From the top page it is easy to click through to any pictures
you might want to look at later because of the way they are
organized...

I found google sites cumbersome at first, but it is easy to do
things with just a few clicks now that I am used to it.

-Mike