PSA: Windows XP support officially ends today

Oh, Windows XP. We just can't quit you. Introduced in 2001, the operating system is still going strong, with over 25% of computers still using it today...

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Oh, Windows XP. We just can't quit you. Introduced in 2001, the operating system is still going strong, with over 25% of computers still using it. However, as of today, it is no longer being officially supported by Microsoft.

"Microsoft provided support for Windows XP for the past 12 years. But the time came for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources toward supporting more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences," the company explained.

Without official support from Microsoft, it means Windows will no longer receive updates from Windows Update. That means further security updates will no longer be delivered to XP. "If you continue to use Windows XP now that support has ended, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses," Microsoft warns.

Thanks for all the memories, Windows XP. Now perhaps it's time to upgrade to Windows 7--or even SteamOS?

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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  • reply
    April 8, 2014 2:30 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, PSA: Windows XP support officially ends today.

    Oh, Windows XP. We just can't quit you. Introduced in 2001, the operating system is still going strong, with over 25% of computers still using it today...

    • reply
      April 8, 2014 4:29 PM

      Posting this from my parents Windows XP desktop. It works fine except for the fact that the windows update has been broken for months. I probably couldn't install this last update if I tried.

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        April 8, 2014 4:48 PM

        Don't log into any important accounts with it. Make a linux boot drive and use that if you have to. Mint for example is an excellent distro. Come to think about it. This seems like a great opportunity for linux to expand in share for at least those cheap people who are security savvy.

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          April 8, 2014 5:23 PM

          Won't antivirus software keep XP safe? That would be my parents first choice.

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            April 8, 2014 5:52 PM

            If there are vulnerabilities found in the Windows system components themselves, no.

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              April 8, 2014 6:33 PM

              Good to know, I'll try to sell them on Lubuntu. It's a P4 machine so it needs something lightweight.

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            April 9, 2014 8:15 AM

            Is any vendor still providing HIPS for XP? Is there a decent Application Control Solution for it, such as Privilege Guard, which home users could install?

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      April 8, 2014 5:03 PM

      [deleted]

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        April 8, 2014 6:43 PM

        Cue third party unofficial Windows Update servers

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      April 8, 2014 6:45 PM

      Posting from an XP laptop!

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      April 9, 2014 6:19 AM

      Isn't this just highly irresponsible to do if 25% of computers still use XP?

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        April 9, 2014 6:37 AM

        Financially from MS's POV, no. They're having to keep resources, such as paychecks, focused on XP vs Vista, Win 7/8/9, etc. More specifically they're STILL spending money on a product that they're no longer making on. In that light, it makes sense to try to move people to buy the newer product, 1) so MS gets that incremental revenue but 2) to have resources better focused vs so spread out to cover, what, 4 different OSs.

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          April 9, 2014 9:11 AM

          Yeah but still, they're exposing 25% of computers to all kinds of bad shit. There isn't really a precedent for this and who knows what the consequences of having open season on 25% of computers are. It's just reckless.

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        April 9, 2014 6:55 AM

        Upgrade your shit, yo.

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      April 9, 2014 6:38 AM

      I'm still holding on to an old P4D box with XP that's be fully demoted to a file server. But, come to think about it, this is probably the time to move to something more specialized and energy efficient like a NAS if I'm not going to run specific services on it; which I haven't in a while. Might just go look to see which NAS can run Plex native and call it a night for XP.

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      April 9, 2014 8:08 AM

      [deleted]

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      April 9, 2014 8:29 AM

      A fair chunk (25%?) of consumer don't have cash to be spending on OS upgrades. Either the hardware would have to fail to have them move on or YouTube/faffBook would have to stop working in their current OS. Even then whilst there are smartphones etc they may keep the PC for browsing whilst using Word etc. If the hardware doesn't fail they may well pass it on - just as likely to keep running XP as to get blessed with a Linux distro then. The issue we need to solve is the risk to other users of unsupported non- maintained OS connected to the internet. The easiest way to move people is non compatibility but that just feels wrong - My Xenix box works just fine... ;-) in Oslo in February I heard someone present that we should buy the OS license but pay extra to subscribe to license an internet connection capability from OS for a max of ten years from release - good luck with selling that to consumers.

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