Windows XP: Microsoft ends support on April 8th. After April 8th, there will be no more security updates or support for the 12-year-old Windows XP operating system. This is despite the fact that it remains the 2nd most popular OS, with almost a third of PC’s running it worldwide.
If you have any computers running Windows XP, you will already be receiving pop up notifications
Unfortunately they don’t tell you that you need to take action immediately!
Potential risks of staying with Microsoft Windows XP:
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- You could be more vulnerable to hackers, harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
- Your business could be liable if personal info such as customer credit card data is stolen.
- Businesses governed by HIPAA may no longer be able to satisfy compliance requirements.
- Software vendors will most likely drop all support, patching and updating of products that are running on XP. This will probably include anti virus software from companies such as McAfee, Symantec and Kaspersky.
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It is very important that users migrate to a modern operating system such as Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, which Microsoft will continue to support in the near future. Along with Windows XP, support for Microsoft Office 2003 also ends on April 8, 2014.
Geeks.Online recommends doing one of the following if you are still running XP
- Replace the computer, and transfer over your data from the old computer to the new one. Even the cheapest new machine will likely outperform your current computer.
- Upgrade Windows if you have any special software that you can’t re-install. You can’t upgrade directly to Windows 7 but you can go from XP, to Windows Vista, to Windows 7. Keep in mind that XP Pro can only be upgraded with Vista Business or Ultimate. The same is true for Windows 7 Pro.
- Keep your computer, erase it & reload it with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1
March 11, 2014 Categories: