What are my options when Microsoft end support for Windows XP?
Posted by: easypccare.co.uk - High Wycombe on 1st November
2013 @ 08.30
The end of support for Windows XP means that Microsoft will
no longer be issuing security updates. But there are ways to continue
using an older machine safely.
Will Windows XP keep working after support ends?
YES Windows XP will keep working. The only thing that happens when support ends is that bug fixes, patches, vulnerability fixes, and so forth will no longer be made available.
This will be very much like Windows 98. If you’ve got Windows 98, it still runs. It may not support all of the software that you care about and you’re certainly not getting bug fixes, but fundamentally, it never stopped working.
The same will be true for Windows XP. When the end of support date arrives, Windows XP will just keep happily XPing along. You just will no longer get any important or even unimportant security updates.
No updates… is that an issue?
Well, yes and no. There’s really no harm in continuing to run Windows XP with the exception of what we refer to as “unpatched vulnerabilities.”
What that means is somebody discovers a bug in the software that could be somehow exploited by malware writers to insert or cause malware to be installed on your machine. If you’re running Windows XP past the security date, that unpatched vulnerability will remain forever unpatched. In other words, you will always be vulnerable to any malware that might want to take advantage of that.
How can I mitigate that problem?
If you’ve got anti-malware software that continues to work on Windows XP, that’s one way to at least minimise the threat. Good anti-malware software will probably catch the malware that tries to exploit those kinds of vulnerabilities.
The catch is how long will good anti-malware tools continue to support XP? This I don’t know.
The other factor is that as XP declines in market share, the actual authors of malware are now focusing their efforts and their attentions on things like Windows 7 or Windows 8. Those types of malware may not even apply to Windows XP anymore. In other words, you may actually be kind of more secure by having the older operating system that the malware authors aren’t paying attention to either.
What about Office 2003?
As with Windows XP there will be no updates or patches for any vulnerabilities found.
What that means is somebody discovers a bug in the software that could be somehow exploited by malware writers to insert or cause malware to be installed on your machine. If you’re running Office 2003 past the security date, that unpatched vulnerability will remain forever unpatched. In other words, you will always be vulnerable to any malware that might want to take advantage of that.
Should I continue to use XP after April 2014?
The answers is YES.
But you must buy a a good antivirus program, we would recommend ESET Smart Security, and also buy Malwarebytes an anti spyware/malware detection and removal program. We would not recommend you use XP to connect to your online bank account, we suggest you download a live Linux CD for online banking. (We can supply and support our CD for only £9.99).
The other is option rather than buy a new computer is to install Linux on your current computer and move away from Windows. There are many different versions to choose from, but give us a call and we will discuss the options with your for FREE!
Our CD comes with it own Office program and can edit and read Microsoft Office documents, comes with it's own browser and email client for true privacy and security, call us or email us for more information,
Contact easypccare.co.uk today and we will discuss the best options with you.
|
Comment Box is loading comments...
|
- Recent Blogs
