Redmond’s anti-virus software will no longer support Windows XP

Jan 9, 2014 07:14 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft will officially retire Windows XP in April and in order to make sure that the majority of users actually make the move to a newer operating system, the company is now planning to remove XP support for Security Essentials.

A short statement posted on the Windows XP end of support page reveals that Security Essentials will no longer work on this platform after April, so users need to find another anti-virus application if they decide to stick to the 12-year-old OS.

“After April 8, 2014, technical assistance for Windows XP will no longer be available, including automatic updates that help protect your PC. Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP on this date,” Microsoft explained.

At the same time, the company told Neowin in a statement that running up-to-date anti-virus software was essential to keep a computer fully protected, hinting that without Security Essentials, Windows XP machines would be very vulnerable to attacks.

“Running a well-protected solution starts with using modern software and hardware designed to help protect against today’s threat landscape. In addition, Microsoft recommends best practices to protect your PC such as: 1) running up-to-date antivirus, 2) regularly applying security updates for all software installed, and 3) using modern software that has advanced security technologies and is supported with regular security updates,” a company spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Windows XP is at this point installed on nearly 28 percent of computers worldwide, which makes it the second most popular operating system in the entire world, just after Windows 7.

As a result, many users are actually expected to stick to Windows XP after end of support comes, but Microsoft hopes to cut its market share to only 13 percent by April and thus move the majority of consumers to a newer platform.