14 DAY TRIAL // As announced earlier this week, Microsoft today issued an update for Windows XP computers that would display upgrade notifications recommending users to switch to a newer operating system.
The patch, which is being delivered via Windows Update, is delivered to all desktop computers still running Windows XP, as Microsoft continues its campaign to move users to Windows 7 or 8.1.
The notification displayed to users also include a link to Microsoft’s website in case assistance is needed, with Redmond claiming that all those who want to migrate to Windows 8.1 can find not only information, but also the necessary tools for transferring data to a new PC running the modern operating system on its website.
The problem for Microsoft is that Windows XP users aren’t really pleased with this new attempt to convince them to upgrade and many already said that they plan to block the notifications continue running the 13-year-old operating system.
What’s more, some of our users told us that Microsoft actually issued the update a couple of days ago, which means that the first upgrade notifications started popping out on Windows XP machines before March 8.
On the good side, Redmond is giving users the power to disable these notifications, so if you don’t want to see them ever again, simply enable the option specifically created for this purpose.
Microsoft claims that the actual goal of this notification is to make everyone aware that Windows XP support is coming to an end and while it admits that such a strategy could easily become annoying, it says that it’s critical for users to know that their computers could become vulnerable to hackers.
“The notification will include a link to our Windows XP End of Support website where Windows XP users can find all the information they need on the end of support for Windows XP and what it means and how they can stay protected against security risks and viruses after April 8th. The notification will reoccur on the 8th of every month unless disabled by the user,” it says.
No less than 29 percent of the desktop computers worldwide are still running Windows XP, even though support for the operating system is ending on April 8. This is clearly a sign that Microsoft won’t be able to retire it completely before April, which means that quite a lot of computers out there could become vulnerable to attacks overnight.