14 DAY TRIAL // Windows XP was left out of Patch Tuesday this month, which is actually the first time this is happening since this particular OS version came to be, so there's no doubt that Microsoft is finally ready to give up on it.
At the same time, the company expects users to do the same thing, but as well known, that's not going to happen anytime soon. In fact, 26 percent of the desktop computers worldwide are still running Windows XP, according to third-party stats.
That's why Microsoft issued a new warning for those still running Windows XP today, explaining that starting with this month's Patch Tuesday, no other updates and security patches will be delivered to computer that aren't powered by at least Windows Vista.
“With today’s Update Tuesday, if you are still on Windows XP you will not receive any security or non-security updates through Windows Update or Microsoft Update. Because support has ended for Windows XP, we are no longer releasing updates to the general public for Windows XP going forward,” Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc said.
“If you continue to use Windows XP without support, your computer will still likely work but will become vulnerable to security risks and over time its performance will be affected.”
As far as the reasons behind Windows XP's demise are concerned, LeBlanc said that this operating system can no longer cope with today's modern world requirements, as it doesn't have the necessary technologies to provide a fast and smooth experience.
Additionally, LeBlanc warned that Windows XP fails to provide a high level of security to users and without patches and updates, everything is getting even worse.
“I often get asked why we ended support for Windows XP. The reality is that Windows XP is an operating system that is well over a decade old. The threats that we face today from a security standpoint outpace our ability to protect our customers still on Windows XP. Our modern operating systems today provide more safety and security than ever before. We continue to encourage customers still on Windows XP to upgrade to a modern, more secure operating system like Windows 8.1,” he said.
As you can see, Microsoft's operating system of choice is Windows 8.1, but only a few XP users are actually switching to this particular version, mostly due to the high costs of the upgrade. Moving to Windows 8.1 also requires additional expenses, such as new hardware that could run the modern platform.