14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will officially retire Windows XP tomorrow, so no other security patches and updates will be provided after that, which basically means that every time someone will find a vulnerability in the operating system, there’s no one there to fix it for you.
Basically, this means that your computer, which still runs Windows XP, will be quite easy to hack due to these unpatched vulnerabilities and it’s clearly just a matter of time until an attacker finds a security glitch in the operating system.
Some security experts have even warned that hackers might already have unpatched flaws in Windows XP, but they’re waiting for the April 8 upgrade deadline to make sure that Microsoft has no time to patch them.
But even though Microsoft is planning to pull the plug on Windows XP sometime tomorrow, the operating system that 28 percent of the desktop users love so much won’t disappear overnight. No, Windows XP will still work, so your operating system will still be up and running, but it won’t get any other security patches and updates in case something bad happens.
In case something bad never happens (which is very unlikely, however), Windows XP will work just like before, although you might still need performance updates that could help speed up the operating system on some specific hardware configurations.
With so many users still running Windows XP, it’s hard to believe that Microsoft would manage to kill it sometime in the next 12 months. But even though Windows XP will fight for its life, it’s very important to take the necessary steps to remain protected and avoid getting hacked, so make sure that you check this list with security vendors whose applications will still work on the unsupported operating system.
Microsoft admits that Windows XP will continue to run, but the company doesn’t want to comment too much on this, as it hopes everyone to eventually move to a newer OS version. If you’re asking Microsoft about Windows XP after April 8, it only says the following:
“Even if you have an unsupported version of Windows XP or Windows Vista without any service packs, Windows will continue to start and run.”
Windows XP will continue to display upgrade notifications right on the desktop, just to make sure that everyone is aware that end of support has arrived. At the same time, if you’re running Security Essentials, you’re still going to see some warnings as well, even though the application will continue to receive virus definition updates just like before.