PC as in computer, not "politically correct"
Trying to download and install updates on kids computer running XP.
First off: NO geek peeps, I do not want to install Windows 8 or 9.1.138, or Unix, or spend $2K on a Mac.
Computers are for them to do homework and for me posting rubbish on seabreeze, I do not play Halo18 in 3D nor do I design bits for NASA. I object to spending $100 - $200 on something that worked just bloody fine last week or month.
So really - I just want to do the update. It tells me to download updates, it is SP3.5 I think, so I download the farker. Then it tells me to install so I click on that.
Then after 5mins of telling me it is doing it, then it says it could not.
There is no "why?" button or anything, no help, nothing. Then the little bubble coems up again asking me to download the update (which I have already done 30 farken times grrr ahhhhhrrgghhhhh)
On my computer, all updates worked fine. On the kid's computer (which used to be mine) it used to do updates just fine.
It has done this repeatedly for 3mths now (not just since they stopped supporting XP)
So... anyone...?
(Then as an aside, I want to put Office (Word, Excel and PictureIt Photo editor thing at a minimum ) on my computer but can't download them. Any ideas?)
Try this www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/default.aspx
or this support.microsoft.com/kb/822798
mind you I had a similar issue yesterday , and after 45 mins ,I will just go and get a new laptop cause I can't be farrked with xp crap not allowing new updates that are supposed to fix sh1t
Install Ubuntu Desktop 14.04 LTS. Meets your budget (free), has office, security, user friendliness, support.. Serious suggestion.
Select to expand quoted1 said..
Install Ubuntu Desktop 14.04 LTS. Meets your budget (free), has office, security, user friendliness, support.. Serious suggestion.
sorry I was too busy ranting. What is that? Sounds like an African scam 
and I want the kids to have something that looks liek what they're used to (Windows) but I'm listening and interested :)
EDIT: just looked and am offside already. Their website has headers: Download Overview Cloud Server Desktop.......etc
nowhere does it have anything about - WTF is it? How does it work? Why should I...? and so on.
I found it will do an OpenStack Cloud. Seriously, what the...?
Typical computer stuff where they assume everyone is an enthusiast, as opposed to user..
I just want to use the computer like I always have. When I want a cloud, I will tell them, not the other way around.
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
Trying to download and install updates on kids computer running XP.
XP isn't supported anymore mark , time to upgrade
Select to expand quotedusta said..Mark _australia said..XP isn't supported anymore mark , time to upgrade
Trying to download and install updates on kids computer running XP.
I know it isn't
but this problem presented before it was unsupported.
Plus, it is the kid's computer for using basic educational websites and a bit of kidsafeGoogle for research. That's it.
So I just want it t work.Select to expand quoteKamikuza said..
Why do you need to update?
I dunno. I doubt I need to!!! But windows sends little message talking about the need to update for security, so I do. Then after doing that 10x in the last few years, suddenly it doesn't work.
So for me, it is like if Holden said "change your oil" and when i try they say "no you can't"
so I get all pissed off and ask why, but they won't tell me. Maybe oil is unavailable. Maybe it can only be done at a Holden dealer. But they won't say why, they just say "it didnt work"
That is why I find computers so farkin frustrating. Bloody geeks need to live in the real world.....
disable auto update for starters Open Office is free and does everything thing that MS office does
Select to expand quotechoco said..
disable auto update for starters
it is and always has been
to be clear - this computer always asked me if i wanted to download updates, and then if I wnated to install. Nothing has changed, it always used to ask me, then when I was ready I said yes.
Now with SP3.5 it asks me (like normal) so I say 'yes' and it does not work, every time, 10 or 20 times, over many months.
But interested in OpenOffice - will investigate thanks 
EDIT: jsut looked and it says it works just like MS office. But I want to open a Word doc or Excel sheet that was emailed to me - will it?
Don't let your brain get clouded... Here is what Ubuntu with browser, Open Office, image editor looks like.
<a href="imgur.com/43vl0B8"><img src="
" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /></a>
^^ sorry that still means nothing to me. Looks like Windows with maroon taskbar ;-)
I want to
(1) update the kids PC as it prompts me too but it doesn't work
(2) on my PC running XP I would like to be able to open a word or excel doc but I can't as Office is not installed. That's it.
Will Ubuntu O.S work exactly like Office and enable me to open / edit those files?
Mark, Windows XP is no longer supported. So everyone who had developed an XP exploit has kept it until last month, and right now your PC and its data are fair game for a few thousand script kiddies who have nothing better to do. You should move on. Since you don't want to spend money, Ubuntu (or Mint) is a good free option for you. The OpenOffice (and its preferred derivative, LibreOffice), will open, edit and save Excel and Word files, no worries. Also, you get to be different :)
Mark,
You can have a look at system event viewer in windows XP right after the update fails to see if any errors are logged. There might be an error message in there that you could google and find a solution.
To open/edit excel and word documents you can google "office starter" - it comes with basic excel and word applications and it's free.
Having said that, Ubuntu or Mint Linux is not a bad option to try. It has come a long way and it's pretty user friendly these days. Install is a breeze (way faster than XP, you don't need to bother with driver installations etc). Comes with all the software you need straight out of the box. FireFox for web browsing, LibreOffice for basic office functionality (it opens/edits MS word and excel files), various media players etc.
There are plenty of applications you can get from the App Market place. Most of them free.
And you can try it without installing it. Download it, burn to CD, boot from CD and choose the try option. It will run slower than it would if installed but you can see if you like it.
As previously mentioned - XP is no longer supported = open for hackers & viruses. The only way MS can keep on top of this is with constant updates...they have put out media releases stating that they have stopped providing updates for XP. As soon as they stop - you're fair game.
In layman terms (because we all like analogies) - you're driving a VX Commodore...and although the local Holden dealership is still operating, and very busy selling & servicing newer models, the mechanics/service shop have flat-out decided to refuse to work on any cars over 10 years old...and there are no spare parts left for the VX...in the world!
Ubuntu veeeeerrrrry secure
www.itnews.com.au/news/simple-ubuntu-1404-lock-screen-bypass-discovered-384036
Mark, the patch it wants you to install May be this one
www.itnews.com.au/News/384273,xp-included-in-urgent-internet-explorer-security-patch.aspx
Friends don't let friends use Internet Explorer. Make sure you have Firefox, chrome or other web browser installed and hide/delete all IE Icons.
I'm another one advocating ubuntu, I've been using it for years.
It's a similar operating system to android.
There's a great user base support geared down to the average user. here's the beginners forumhttp://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=326
And kids being kids will get on top of it real quick.
It wont play a lot of proprietary games out of the box though, (that may be a plus).
It will do all the basic stuff for free, and there's also some very sophisticated music and photo programs also for free.
the LTS version stands for long term support, which in this case is I think 5 years, 14.04LTS will be supported until april 2019.
You do need to download a rather large file though somewhere around 1 GB I think. It used to fit on a CD but now you need to burn it to DVD.
Just another advocate for Ubuntu, although I think it might be out of Mark's capabilities to install it unguided. It would be good if he had a dual boot machine so that he could use Ubuntu and drop back to Windows when he got scared 
I built a machine using Ubuntu 10.04LTS a while ago and it was meant to be a spare at my mother's place when my two nephews were there so they wouldn't fight over one computer.
Without any questions whatsoever the 9 year old started using it and figured out how to do everything including finding the game websites that they use to play games. I was very surprised, but kids being kids, they just play with it and figure it out.
can you say "download a cracked version of 7 and office and upgrade the whole show" on here?
u torrent and pirate bay. if you dont know how youtube it.
If it were me I would restore the computer to an earlier date when it was working just fine and make damn sure that all updates are turned off.
I recently got caught with a forced update of W8 to 8.1 on microsoft surface pro, they are getting just like Apple, want to control your machine.
Just had a thought, if you're using telstra for internet, there may be a problem with ubuntu. Telstra seem to use there own protocols and you need to be able to run their program to use them. Of course you'll have great difficulty doing that on ubuntu.
If the issue is the install check if there are other updates saved to the computer or listed that are of an older date that haven't been installed yet, old internet explorer updates tend to be the biggest offenders.
Trying to view Office docs for free - if you sign up for an outlook.com or have an old hotmail account that will work, Open Office should open it with out issues as should google docs (there maybe some formatting issues), if you have an iPhone down load the free office aps (think there of android as well), I think there's also a way to do read only on the office web site but I could be wrong.
Select to expand quoted1 said..
Here is what Ubuntu with browser, Open Office, image editor looks like.
<a href=imgay.com/43vl0B8><img src=?1 title=Hosted by imgay.com />
Here's what a mans desktop look like...
