14 DAY TRIAL // Windows XP has received the death sentence a long time ago for being too old and not managing to cope with today’s modern IT world, so Microsoft is getting ready to execute its ancient operating system tomorrow.
Even though Redmond has tried so hard to convince users to move to a newer OS release, the company has pretty much failed to do so, as the majority of consumers preferred to stick to Windows XP for a number of reasons.
Most users blamed the high costs of the transition to another operating system as the main reason why they refuse to upgrade, so Windows XP is currently their only option, despite the imminent end of support.
At the same time, an upgrade to Windows 8.1, Microsoft’s operating system of choice as far as the Windows XP demise is concerned, would also involve new hardware, as old computers running Windows XP aren’t really capable of running a modern operating system.
In the end, the costs of stepping away from Windows XP are clearly higher than expected and for large companies with hundreds of computers such a decision is even more difficult.
Microsoft obviously warns that staying on Windows XP is a very risky decision, especially because the operating system would be very vulnerable to attacks trying to exploit unpatched security flaws.
“If you continue to use Windows XP after support ends, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Also, as more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimize for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter greater numbers of apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP,” the company said.
Also tomorrow, Microsoft will also remove download links for Security Essentials, but existing installations will continue to be updated with new virus definitions in order to keep Windows XP machines protected.
The good thing is that plenty of security vendors will continue to update their software solutions to work on Windows XP, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find an anti-virus product to keep your Windows XP machine secure.
Even though only one day is left until Windows XP gets the axe, you still have enough time to move to another operating system that could keep your computer secure, so make sure that you consider your options before the platform launched 13 years ago is officially retired.