No more support for Windows XP

[RationalVetMed]

Microsoft have just said they are no longer offering support for windows XP (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/end-support-help).

My laptop is an oldie but a goodie, still runs ok on windows XP, and microsoft's answer is that as very few older machines will be able to upgrade I need to get a new computer!

Should I be worried about continuing to use my laptop without support?

Are there any other decent operating systems which will run the same programs I run now - open office and a whole load of Serif stuff mainly - and would be straightforward for a semi-competent computer user?

Yuri

P.S. Apologies if there's a thread on this already - just point me in the right direction if there is.

 

[Segnosaur]

Microsoft have just said they are no longer offering support for windows XP (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/end-support-help).

My laptop is an oldie but a goodie, still runs ok on windows XP, and microsoft's answer is that as very few older machines will be able to upgrade I need to get a new computer!

Should I be worried about continuing to use my laptop without support?

Personally, I wouldn't worry.

While some of the Microsoft updates revolved around security issues, you just need to do the following:
- Make sure you run an anti-virus program and firewall. (There are free 3rd party options for those.)
- Don't download and run programs from unknown sources (which you probably already know)

Yeah, its possible that some virus-writer will find some unknown exploit in XP, but with fewer people running XP it makes it a much less valuable target.

Frankly, I think Windows updates may actually cause more problems than they solve.

Are there any other decent operating systems which will run the same programs I run now - open office and a whole load of Serif stuff mainly - and would be straightforward for a semi-competent computer user?

What is 'Serif' stuff? I know Serif is a font... but that's about it.

I set up a media computer at home using Linux Mint. Actually found it easier to install than WinXP. And it comes with built-in Office application.

Its got an interface similar to XP/Win7... start menu at bottom left, etc.

 

[ehcks]

All I know is I'm not buying another Windows OS.

Before April 8 I'm looking up a Linux OS that's compatible enough for me.

 

[bruto]

I would suppose that as long as you protect your data there's not much difference between no support and throwing it out, so why not keep it going if it continues to do what you need?

I usually upgrade operating systems when you can't get Turbo Tax to load any more.

 

[Hecubas]

Microsoft have just said they are no longer offering support for windows XP....

Highlighted the part I found funny as an IT person. The current XP situation is almost like 1999 in that the general public is becoming aware of the situation in the 11th hour.

Anyways, if you are a creator type, you probably want to get a hold of a system with Windows 7 on it as would probably be the most comfortable transition for you. If you are a consumer type (web surfing, streaming) Windows 8 is probably fine but will confound you with it's split personality.

And here we go with another Win8 thread.

 

[Andy_Ross]

It's been a windfall for us. It has coincided with SOE putting out their new version 11 of Exact. Half our customers are on gear more than 5 years old and have been too tight to upgrade. It's all P4 processor running XP and was staggering under version 10. Version 11 is killing it.

 

[Ocelot]

Firstly this is by no means a recent development.

There's every chance that you'll be able to run Windows 7 download and run the "Upgrade Advisor" to check

http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=20

What will stop in April is the critical security updates. A few people have these switched off anyway which is fine if you don't connect to the internet but if you do then there's every chance that some pimply ukrainian will be scouring your hard drive for credit card numbers and using your connection for his nefarious activities.

You can mitigate the risk by following basic security advice:

Run a software firewall and antivirus. Don't open unexpected attachments or follow links where you're not familiar with the destination. Modify your browser security so that you only run scripts on trusted sites.

However if you're doing banking and shopping online then you may find your bank will be unsympathetic should you join the increasing number of people who fall victim to fraud and they find that you're using a system that is not patched against the latest exploits.

In which case you'll find that Open Office will run fine on Linux I don't know about Serif

 

[Roger Ramjets]

Should I be worried

Not necessarily. Support for XP doesn't end until April 8, so look on the bright side - if you die before then it won't matter!

Are there any other decent operating systems which will run the same programs I run now - open office and a whole load of Serif stuff mainly

Serif products only run on Windows, so you are stuck there. However you don't need to worry unless Serif drops support for XP. Since newer versions of Windows are 99% compatible with XP, it's unlikely that will be an issue for many years.

- Make sure you run an anti-virus program and firewall. (There are free 3rd party options for those.)
- Don't download and run programs from unknown sources (which you probably already know)

and...
- Don't open suspicious emails or click on links without verifying their addresses.
- Don't visit 'dodgy' websites
- Avoid 'free' stuff that you should be paying for.

Better still, avoid using the Internet altogether on your laptop. Get another machine for that, and run Linux on it.

The main thing you have to worry about is that a critical file or setting could get corrupted, and you might not be able to reinstall XP to the same state. To protect against this you should back up your entire hard drive, preferably to an image file (using eg. Norton Ghost).

 

[Kopji]

You will eventually need to change from XP but there is no need to rush.

- Security
It is generally safe now, but trying to anticipate how safe the XP environment will be in a couple months involves the typical risks of predicting the future. I would make sure you keep a cold backup of your important files. (A cold backup could be as simple as copying your My Documents and Pictures folders to an external USB drive and then disconnecting). Some of the worst attacks currently involve encrypting your local data and then asking for a ransom to give you the decryption key. A hot backup in this case will not help you because your backup will also be encrypted. If I were to guess, it is this kind of attack that would be most worrisome in an unprotected XP environment.

- Programs
OpenOffice is widely supported on a variety of of OS's, so not much problem there.

Serif is another story, it is very Windows centric. Chances are though, that you would need to update or purchase new versions anyway. They say it doesn't work on 64 bit systems, so might be dying. Major changes like this are a good time to step back and ask yourself if a completely different program suite would work better for you.

There is a compatibility reference for Serif programs here:
https://community.serif.com/forum/4552/compatibility-of-serif-products-with-windows-versions

Basic article with several links on Linux, which would otherwise be an obvious OS choice:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2107...ndows-xp-refugees-who-dont-want-a-new-pc.html

For any three computer people there will be more than six opinions about what Linux is best, but Ubuntu is popular and easy to use.

I found that Windows 8.1 was easy to adapt to from XP, but expect to spend a day or two in a rough patch of learning new features. Staying with Windows would mean replacing your venerable old laptop, not upgrading. If your laptop is older than three or four years its value is probably about zero anyway, unless a top tier.

Good luck!

 

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Does anyone know what decision they made about Microsoft Security Essentials? Will they release virus updates for it on XP or not? If not, what antivirus program do people recommend?

I'm buying a new machine in a few weeks, but better to be safe before then. I won't have it configured and running before April 8.

~~ Paul

 

[TheL8Elvis]

Does anyone know what decision they made about Microsoft Security Essentials? Will they release virus updates for it on XP or not? If not, what antivirus program do people recommend?

I'm buying a new machine in a few weeks, but better to be safe before then. I won't have it configured and running before April 8.

~~ Paul

http://blogs.technet.com/b/mmpc/archive/2014/01/15/microsoft-antimalware-support-for-windows-xp.aspx

To help organizations complete their migrations, Microsoft will continue to provide updates to our antimalware signatures and engine for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015.

ETA:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security-essentials-download?os=winxp&arch=other

After support ends for Windows XP on April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates for Windows XP to help protect your PC against malware. On this same date, Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP. If you already have Microsoft Security Essentials installed when support ends for Windows XP, you will continue to receive Microsoft Security Essentials updates for a limited time to help identify malware on your PC. You can also still get the Malicious Software Removal Tool for Windows XP for a limited time through Windows Update and the Download Center.

I read that in conjunction with the top link to mean the limited time is "through july 14, 2015"

 

[Kopji]

McAfee support policy for Enterprise Products on Windows XP SP3, beyond April 8, 2014
McAfee will continue to support current versions of Enterprise Endpoint Products on Windows XP SP3 beyond April 8, 2014 for a limited time, as long as it is technically and commercially reasonable for McAfee to do so, and there is no external dependency. For example, if a McAfee product requires Microsoft to provide a fix and Microsoft does not provide the fix, then McAfee cannot support the product any longer.

Future releases of Enterprise Products that are released after April 8, 2014 might not support Windows XP SP3.

I'm gonna guess that McAfee's statement will be fairly typical of the AV vendors.

Basic message is that this is a good time to bail on XP.

 

[RationalVetMed]

What a great set of responses - many thanks folks. I'm going to have to have a proper think about what to do and make a better effort to encrypt some of my more important files.

I use two laptops - the old, XP one at home and a newer one at work running windows 7. I synchronise files between the two using a memory stick - now I'm worried about the old laptop infecting the new one if it does get attacked.

What's a 'cold backup' by the way - one you don't update perhaps? Some of the jargon is going over my head somewhat. I'm going to have to take a bit longer to study the replies.

What a pity Serif Software (http://www.serif.com/) won't work on other operating systems.

Thanks again,,Yuri

 

[This is The End]

Should I be worried about continuing to use my laptop without support?

I have literally went years without updating before and had zero problems, even with very frequent and heavy use. That is also without 24/7 virus protection (I just scanned once a month), zero firewall, and with frequent installs and uninstalls of various programs.

So if you go one step further and have a good firewall on 24/7, a good Anti-everything on 24/7, and don't install things like crazy, then this is about as close to a non-issue as there is.

 

[commandlinegamer]

What's a 'cold backup' by the way - one you don't update perhaps?

Definition may vary slightly, but generally it's done when a system or database is offline.

I do cold backups regularly from my customer's machines, removing the hard disk, plugging it into my workshop PC and copying relevant files.

A hot backup would be me plugging an external hard disk into the customer's PC or laptop and copying files while their machine was on. For various reasons (hardware failure, infections, etc) hot backup isn't always possible anyway.

A hot backup may lead to inconsistency, if files are in use, though backup software may simply skip those.

The danger, as mentioned above, is if you've got say, an external drive which is constantly plugged in, and watches for file changes which it then copies. You won't lose much data if your computer goes down but if one of those nasty encrypting ransomware variants gets on your machine you may lose the data on it and the backup drive.

So, it may not be ideal but I'd recommend (for domestic users) doing a backup, once or twice a day at most, disconnecting the external device when done.

 

[Donal]

I learned hot and cold referred to if the media the backup was stored on was always attached or not. The advantage of a "hot" back up would be that it regularly updates and can be scheduled to run automatically. A "cold" back up would be protected from any attacks on attached drives.

 

[elbe]

Highlighted the part I found funny as an IT person. The current XP situation is almost like 1999 in that the general public is becoming aware of the situation in the 11th hour.

It could be a response to XP itself telling its users that. My XP VM had a popup with an end of lifetime warning. I was a little amused.

 

[Desert Fox]

I have a pair of older machines. They are dual core with 4 GB of ram so will do fine with Win 7.

Just I like XP and for what I use those two machines for, it is fine.
Planning to around Christmas get a used quad core laptop

 

[This is The End]

It could be a response to XP itself telling its users that. My XP VM had a popup with an end of lifetime warning. I was a little amused.

I believe what you are referring to is one of the final updates. I'm not sure how much of an in-joke of an update that was.

Date last published: 3/5/2014
Download size: 504 KB
This update is intended to notify customers of the Windows XP End of Support date, April 8th 2014.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2934207

 

[RationalVetMed]

I believe what you are referring to is one of the final updates. I'm not sure how much of an in-joke of an update that was.http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2934207

Yes, the final update was to get my own laptop to tell me that Microsoft weren't doing any more updates - oh the irony.

I've discovered, according to the link to the upgrade suitability check which someone kindly posted, apparently I can upgrade to Windows 7.

But I've only got 1Gb of RAM on my laptop so I'm not convinced and also I can't find where to get a copy of Windows 7 - half the web-sites I've seen which sell software looked like the "dodgy websites" I was warned about earlier - all flashing buttons and "download now"!

Also, some of the feedback on Amazon from people having bought update versions of Windows 7 tells how they've been ripped off by buying illegal copies accidentally - how do I know what is or isn't an illegal copy? Where is the best place to go to get an upgrade copy of Windows 7, and will there be any point on a laptop with 1Gb RAM?

This is an ubelievable situation - I've got an old, but perfectly functional laptop and I'm having to look at getting rid of it. Not right - thanks for all the help though, it's much appreciated.

Yuri