Microsoft won’t be releasing new security patches for Windows XP come April 8th, 2014, and they’re making sure all Windows XP users know it. You’re on your own after this point — no more security updates for Windows XP!
The Windows XP End of Support pop-up will appear once per month, starting March 8. This pop-up is designed to ensure every Windows XP user knows they’re on their own and Microsoft is no longer protecting them.
What Does End of Support Mean?
Microsoft has supported Windows XP with security updates for 13 years. Whenever a critical security bug is found, Microsoft patches it and releases the fix to you via Windows Update. This helps ensure your computer is as secure as possible.
After the end of support date, Microsoft will no longer be patching security holes in Windows XP. When an attacker finds a security hole in the Windows XP operating system, they’ll be able to keep exploiting that hole until the last Windows XP PC disconnects from the Internet. Over time, Windows XP systems will become more and more insecure, with more and more known and unpatched security holes. Antivirus software will help a bit, but no antivirus software is perfect. It’s important to use a security strategy containing multiple layers of protection — antivirus is one, but using patched, secure software is another.
Over time, third-party software developers will stop supporting Windows XP with their own software, too. For the moment, most software developers will continue to support Windows XP. However, just like you can’t use modern Windows software on Windows 98, you’ll one day be unable to use modern Windows software on Windows XP.
What Can I Upgrade To?
End of support means it’s time to upgrade from Windows XP. If you don’t like the look of Windows 8, you don’t have to upgrade to Microsoft’s latest “touch-first” version of Windows. You can still buy copies of Windows 7 and upgrade your Windows XP PC to Windows 7. Windows 7 is considered a worthy successor to Windows XP after the stumble of Windows Vista, and Windows 7 will be supported with security fixes until January 14, 2020. If you’re upgrading to Windows 8, Windows 8 will be supported with security fixes until January 10, 2023! This information is available on Microsoft’s Windows lifecycle fact sheet page.
Of course, Windows licenses are so expensive to buy that you may want to consider buying a new computer rather than paying $100 for a new copy of Windows and installing it on an old, slow computer.
Paying for Windows isn’t the only option, either. You may want to consider installing Ubuntu or a lightweight version of Ubuntu like Lubuntu. These Linux-based desktop operating systems are completely free to use and will provide you with security updates for years to come. If you just use that old Windows XP computer to browse the web and don’t need any Windows-specific software, Ubuntu is a good, free alternative.
