Microsoft Support ending for XP – What does it mean to you?

Mainstream support ends in April 2014, while extended support will end in August 2014. August 2014 is the date of “concern” for current XP users since the only difference between mainstream and extended support is that design changes and feature requests by software makers, warranty claims and no-charge incident support ends with mainstream support in April 2014.

It does not mean your computer will become unusable that day. It will be business as usual .. your computer will turn on, it will start, and your programs will work. XP still holds nearly 40% of the OS market… meaning, nearly 4 out of every 10 users continue to use XP. Not only do people love XP, many just don’t have the financial means to run out and buy a new comuputer. It’s XP or nothing and you are not the only one.

So, what does “extended support” will end, really mean? Here are a few facts:

Your computer will continue to function .. business as usual as far as you will be concerned. You can continue to legally use your XP and reinstall if you format. It’s still yours.

Your current hardware (printers, scanners, mouse, keyboard, etc.) will continue to run fine. Most likely new purchases will run fine too, but no guarantees as the manufacturer may not make drivers for XP. So, don’t go out and buy a new super printer with all the bells and whistles after April 2014.. chances are you won’t be able to run it as printers and other hardware need drivers, and the more features, the higher chance it will need updated driers not available for XP.

For VERY critical security flaws, Microsoft will still issue patches for five more years, but there will no longer be updates for general security related issues or functional patches. Security updates help protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, which can steal your personal information.

Most likely, most anti-spyware / anti-malware companies will continue to update their software, but you are at higher risk because now that Microsoft is only going to release HIGHLY critical security patches, you can bet those malware makers are going to be coming out in droves trying to find holes in XP security and by the time a patch is released, you may have already become infected. What can you do? Keep yourself in the know as to what companies will continue to be providing compatible security programs for XP, along with updates. This is a time to consider upping your security… we are not sure what 2014 will bring, but at this time we recommend free versions of SuperAntispyware, Malwarebytes and Winpatrol. Upgrading to the pro-versions of these programs may be a good move as pro-versions provide real- time protection and/or additional real time protection (meaning, they run in the background always on guard).

More on Life cycles by Microsoft: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy

http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?LN=en-ie&c2=1173

Vista http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?sort=PN&alpha=Vista&Filter=FilterNO