Bill in Co wrote:
Was just curious how many had taken the plunge and were happy about it. I
don't have any experience with Windows 10, but from what I can gather, you
"just" have to get used to its new interface, the use of "apps" (which I
assume are nearly the same thing as what we used to call programs), the
forced MS updates, and that many of the older programs can't be successfully
imported. Oh, and that you can get a classic start menu without tiles. (I'm
not sure what the distinction is between apps and programs on Windows 10).
Is all that about correct?

You can't do an Upgrade install over top of WinXP.

Win10 can upgrade over:

Win7 SP1
Win8.1
Another Win10

Just grab a copy and install. You don't need a license
key to trial it. If your CPU is too old, it'll tell you
at some point (no, the traditional Upgrade Advisor is
not available).

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10

Note that the web page is context sensitive. If you use
WinXP and a browser, or you use Linux and a browser, you
will be given a direct link to a 3.5GB or a 2.5GB ISO9660.

If you use Win7/Win8/Win10, you will instead be offered
a copy of the .NET based MediaCreationTool.exe . That will
do a download for you from your W7/W8/W10 setup.

Windows 10 has mis-detection for at least one Intel
processor, where the installer tells the user the hardware
is not suitable, when in fact the hardware is fine. This is
an error in some output coming from the processor, where
the Intel particulars do not match the behavior and capabilities
of the actual silicon. You're unlikely to have that processor.
If the software actually ran SQRT(2) on the machine, instead
of checking for some table that tells you whether SQRT()
exists, this sort of thing would not happen.

The very last generation of P4 *might* be able to run Windows 10,
but I don't think any "P4 people" have wandered by to make such
a claim. The majority of P4 processors aren't good enough. Only
the very last ones (2MB cache???) would be potentially a
candidate. A Core2 or better would be a better choice.

*******

Another way to run it.

Use VirtualBox. 5.2.22 is the last version that will run
on WinXP. You can run a 64 bit guest if the CPU supports
64 bit, even though the WinXP OS hosting Virtualbox is 32 bit.

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Then, you grab a pre-installed guest OS of the Win10
persuasion here. I have a Win7 one and a WinXP one, back
when those were available.

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-u...dge/tools/vms/

It should be possible to select some "sickly" hardware to
run WinXP and VirtualBox, such that when the Win10 VM loads,
it'll crash :-) I haven't tried to do that, to see how
vulnerable it is. By avoiding an installation step using
an "appliance" version like this, the OS has no way of
preventing you from using hardware that doesn't support
Windows 10.

When you install on physical hardware, the installer DVD
can tell you that the hardware is not a candidate.

You're only going to be running this OS for about ten
minutes, so I wouldn't be too concerned about "license keys"
and "purchasing" :-)

Without a license key present, the Settings : Personalize
section will not be available for adjustment. Perhaps that
prevents you from selecting "Dark Theme" or something.

Paul