Computers without internet access

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Windows XP fails to recognize internal WiFi. Unless you have a really late computer with XP that also came with loaded software to recognize the internal drive. Stand-alone XP can't recognize internal WiFi. Install XP on a "new" computer and it has no provisions to recognize an internal WiFi source.

Windows XP was the last of the Microsoft operating systems to not recognize internal WiFi, but the first to recognize USB in general, so an external USB WiFi adapter with software will work. It won't recognize internal WiFi.

Using some ancient computer with outdated OS will make writing paper a nightmare, you will have more reasons to procrastinate. Writing paper should be as easy and streamlined experience as possible, using unrelated websites should be slightly inconvenient, that's enough to overcome bad habit. Just install website blocker and don't bother with wifi-adapters, downgrading windows or getting second computer. Don't make it harder for yourself.

In fairness, you could install an older version of the microprocessing software on both the old computer and the new computer, allowing you to transfer files between the old computer and the new one. I personally hated the Microsoft 360, removed it, and installed Office97 on my current Windows 10 PC. Dated, I know, but very user-friendly. On my current Win10 computer, I can transfer files to older computers with older operating systems that still recognize the older Office software.

Outdated office is a good recipe for a disaster. He's writing a physics paper, probably with math formulae and stuff, it was pain in the ass in 1997 and using decades old software today would be pain in the ass squared.

There is no need to create additional problems if you can download and install website blocker in like two minutes and then block the sites in one click when you should be working.

Okay one more piece of information is in order. I would like to use Latex to write paper, where I create Tex file and then convert it to PDF. The Latex that I like to use is MikTex since when I am typesetting the file I just have to click "Typeset" instead of remembering all those commands. Actually MikTex is not the only latex format that does it. In fact, currently I have something else instead of MikTex that does the same thing, but I don't remember the name of the current latex format that I have. Would you be able to guess by any chance?

In any case, the question is: will those latex formats work on windows XP computer if I use USB drive to put it there?

That is why I suggested a local garage sale for this item. Your shipping cost would be the gas you used to get there and back if you used a vehicle. It might be close enough to walk there and back, so then there would only be the exercise cost to your body. I have had desktops given to me by neighbors as they were too lazy to drop them off at a recycling center. One of them is still working today.

How can I find the info about the local garage sales though?

It is unlikely modern distributions like MixTex provide installer for deprecated OS like Windows XP.

And virtually all modern distributions require internet connection to install additional packages.

In general I strongly believe your idea of having a second computer is a case of XY Problem. Your real problem is distracting websites and there are much easier solutions.

www.estatesales.net, www.craigslist.com or classified ads in the local newspaper are good sources for this information. Even some radio stations have free call in air times for advertising garage sales. You might find signs posted up at intersections listing them on weekends.

Like Service Pack 3?
I have a laptop with an integrated WiFi and Win XP, and I don't remember having to do anything more complicated than just installing the drivers and flipping the switch.

But if one had a desktop with internal WiFi (that wasn't integrated), all one would have to do is remove it and toss it in a shoebox, regardless of OS.


Install XP on a new computer, and you're not going to have provisions for a lot of things =)


Actually, I find that I get a lot more work done, a lot faster, when I'm using XP. I liked Win 7 at first, until I got sick of it making even the most simple of processes require much more work...not to mention, literally, long loading times on the simplest of programs...
Windows 10, why does CALCULATOR have a loading screen???

But I agree with the rest of what you're saying. Seems silly to go out of one's way to buy more computers when a simple program can get the job done.

Did the laptop come with Windows XP, or did you install it? If it came that way, and it was a later model, the driver was preloaded. If you downloaded and installed the driver yourself to activate the internal WiFi, it means it was a late XP laptop and the WiFi drivers were available (no different than using an external USB WiFi and installing the drivers from the included disc).

Now, if you were to take a newer computer, install Windows XP, it wouldn't be able to recognize the existence of internal WiFi. And, at this point, drivers for modern computer internal WiFi aren't really available for XP. So, it would take a LOT of work to even try to get the internal WiFi to activate in a new computer if you install XP. Install XP straight and the existence of the internal WiFi hardware isn't even recognized as existing. Good luck finding a driver to activate it. The computer would be without WiFi short of an external WiFi adapter device which you have to buy separately. It would be very much without Internet (unless you physically plug it in from a cable modem, or what-have-you).

OT, but if you don't like how bloated and unreliable windows is, I believe using some modern reliable and simple OS like OpenBSD, Mac or Linux is much better than using deprecated version of windows. Until couple years ago we had windows XP running on a netbook for working with legacy hardware and it was getting more and more limited even 5 years ago, I just can't imagine using it as my main system today.

I installed it.


Yeah, but like I said, you're not going to find drivers for a lot of other necessary components either. No video drivers, probably no audio drivers...not a fun time.
Not to mention, I'm not sure if you can even install 32-bit XP on these newer 64-bit systems.
RAM might be an issue as well, but IIRC, XP just ignores any surplus RAM, rather than crashing and requiring workarounds like 98 did.


Having to learn an entirely different OS, and learn all new tools and file formats, is going to be way more annoying than Windows 10 is.
Not to mention, I do a lot of game dev, so I would have to do my work on one machine, and all my testing on another machine.
That's a lot of hurdles I can avoid by just sticking with XP or FLP.

Plus, on XP, I can still enable EAX for games. And it has a lot better support for audio recording and ASIO. Win 7, you have to hack a bit of the OS to do proper recording (and I still couldn't get ASIO to work).

BTW, I never said Win 7 or 10 were unreliable.

I'm curious, what operating system did it come with? You're saying this laptop had built-in internal WiFi, was around in latter days of Windows XP, but didn't come with XP installed. What other operating system could it have used? I highly doubt any PC laptops with built-in WiFi were running Windows 98 or Windows ME at a time when even XP itself was becoming obsolete.



XP can be installed on many 64-bit systems, but it will simply downgrade quality to its native 32. (Though there was a 64-bit version of XP toward the end). Like watching an old black-and-white TV show on an HDTV. It can easily be done, but it'll still be in its native format: standard definition and black-and-white on a color HDTV.

Just as XP will ignore additional RAM, it'll likewise ignore any internal WiFi. If the only goal is basic word processing, it's entirely doable. The native video graphics of XP would be decent for basic things. If the main goal is word processing, graphics won't matter much. Believe it or not, sound drivers are probably less problematic than WiFi drivers, as many are backwards-compatible. Even if XP doesn't recognize sound natively, it will still recognize drivers that are intended for later Windows operating systems.

These things can't be compared. One-time short annoyance of transition and long-term cost of ownership and maintenance. Learning new platforms and tools is never a bad idea, it gives you freedom of choice.

It's a "desktop replacement" business class laptop. I got mine second-hand, so I had to install my own HDD and OS, but the stickers suggest it came stock with Windows 2000.
IIRC it came out around 2002, maybe early 2003? The Toshiba website has drivers for both 2000 and XP.


Word processing at 640x480, while not impossible, is pretty difficult to go back to.


I believe it, that's why I said "probably". Hardware based on the AC'97 audio codecs is still pretty popular today. Creative Labs have literally gone out of their way to make sure that PC audio technology continues to stagnate.