If you are still using a PC computer that runs the Windows XP operating system, here are five things you need to know about the announced end of support:
- Your Windows XP computer WILL still work after April 8. It will boot up as it always has. What Microsoft is doing is dropping continued technical support and security updates for the 12 year old operating system. That means Microsoft will no longer invest time and effort improving XP and will no longer fix security risks when they are discovered. Beyond that, XP can continue to be used and even reinstalled. All patches and fixes released up until the cutoff will still be available from Microsoft for the foreseeable future. However…
- Businesses WILL want to replace their systems soon. Why? Because Microsoft dropping XP support affects SOFTWARE COMPANIES more than end users. That’s because, when writing software, they depend on Microsoft to give them the tools and support they need to make it work. Without Microsoft’s help, these companies will have a harder time keeping newer versions running on XP. Some may continue to support XP, but most others will not. Businesses usually rely on computer software to run efficiently, and if that software is no longer supported on XP, then those XP computers can’t be used to conduct business.
- Home and Home Offices MAY want to replace their systems soon. Obviously, home PCs are not as mission-critical as businesses. Most home PCs are used for two things: web and email. Some use programs like Word or Excel, some have games on them, etc. That doesn’t change on April 8; all of that will still work. What will happen over time, though, is that your PC will become more and more reliant on the security software to keep the malware and other threats at bay. XP is already the easiest system to infect, and that will just get worse. You will need to be MUCH more careful about what is downloaded to an XP PC. Internet Explorer on XP is no longer a viable option, so Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox will instead need to be used as the default web browser, although both are also slated to drop XP support sometime in 2015.
- Replace? Why not Upgrade? There are two reasons why upgrading an XP computer is ill-advised. First, the process is difficult with such a large jump in operating system versions. A lot has changed in that gap, and it may mean the finished upgrade may not be stable. Second, most PCs with XP are quite old and not powerful enough to run the later operating systems. With PCs starting nowadays at $300 or less, it makes more sense to get a new PC instead. New equipment, new operating system, new warranty, less frustration.
- Quixotic Computing can answer your specific XP questions. No situation is the same, and so this general information about the Windows XP support expiration may not fully cover questions you may have. If you would like to know this affects you specifically, give us a call at (616) 318-3729 and we can help sort out the details!
