How to keep your PC secure when Microsoft ends Windows XP support

[A Guy]

The Windows XPocalypse is almost upon us. After a legendary dozen year run, Microsoft will stop providing security patches for Windows XP on April 8, 2014. Without Microsoft’s protection, all those WinXP PCs will have targets painted on their hard drives.

Nearly 30 percent of Internet-connected PCs still run Windows XP, and no, they won’t die that day. They’ll continue running like normal, but they’ll be rotting inside, becoming increasingly full of security holes. Microsoft itself has dubbed the condition “Zero day forever.”

Look, let’s be honest. You should upgrade from Windows XP right now if at all possible—but not everyone can cut the XP cord so completely. If you can’t upgrade, there are some things you can do to protect yourself. Make no mistake: These tricks are like sticking your finger in a leaking dam. They’ll help a bit, but the dam is crumbling and it’s time to get out of the way.

Source

A Guy

 

[BlueGuy]

Ya know guy, I'm getting sick of these fear mongering articles.
XP users will simply have to get creative, like 2000Pro users [like me] had to,
of course they'd have to be willing to tinker.
I had 2000 running quite safely up until early 2012, when Adobe started to play
silly buggers with their installers, Flash and Reader still works but you have to be able
to get around the installer by using the core programs and registry tweeks.
windows2000.tk

Over at MSFN.org you'll even see Win'98 users going strong.
Here you help everyday users with their system problems, msfn is the place
for those that want to keep on truckin' .

Not trying to lure anyone away from sevenforums.

 

[A Guy]

It's not fear mongering. It will quite simply be an unsupported OS, and any new security vulnerabilities will go unpatched. The bad guys will throw everything at XP knowing that not only is the OS unsupported, but most using it will be less protected.

Power users are never the ones these warnings are directed at, but ironically, the people who could most benefit are likely not going to ever see it. It behooves us to remember that the majority of PC users are not tech savvy. Those on XP would be likely to be less so.

A Guy

 

[BlueGuy]

It's not fear mongering.
OK, maybe my tone was a little too strong....
It will quite simply be an unsupported OS, and any new security vulnerabilities will go unpatched. The bad guys will throw everything at XP knowing that not only is the OS unsupported, but most using it will be less protected.

Power users are never the ones these warnings are directed at, but ironically, the people who could most benefit are likely not going to ever see it. It behooves us to remember that the majority of PC users are not tech savvy. Those on XP would be likely to be less so.

So true and what is ironic, where M$ and third party vendors dropped support for W2k almost overnight,
from early observations, it looks like XP will keep having support from third parties for quite some time to
come. From AV and firewall updates to Flash and Reader, though I switched to Sumatra long ago, XP users,
if they stick to their guns, will also benefit from the open source communities, whether they're tech savvy or not. Already I see new members on other boards I frequent joining up and asking the proverbial.....
"How do I..........?" as April approaches, then it'll spread by word of mouth until the last ones break out their wallets and migrate to new. What they're {XP users} are afraid of is a supposed learning curve but since going to Win7 I discovered it was actually a lot easier to adapt to than the leap from '98 to 2000 or to XP, there is so much built-in help in 7, and loads of familiarity [the main complaint for 8/8.1] or
"does my computer have the oomph?". Hence M$ issuing that testing utility. In fact, when I logoff here, I'll be taking a peak at those XP support forums to see if there's anything new.



G'day

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

It's not fear mongering. It will quite simply be an unsupported OS, and any new security vulnerabilities will go unpatched. The bad guys will throw everything at XP knowing that not only is the OS unsupported, but most using it will be less protected.

Power users are never the ones these warnings are directed at, but ironically, the people who could most benefit are likely not going to ever see it. It behooves us to remember that the majority of PC users are not tech savvy. Those on XP would be likely to be less so.

A Guy

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Ya know guy, I'm getting sick of these fear mongering articles.
XP users will simply have to get creative, like 2000Pro users [like me] had to,
of course they'd have to be willing to tinker.
I had 2000 running quite safely up until early 2012, when Adobe started to play
silly buggers with their installers, Flash and Reader still works but you have to be able
to get around the installer by using the core programs and registry tweeks.
windows2000.tk

Over at MSFN.org you'll even see Win'98 users going strong.
Here you help everyday users with their system problems, msfn is the place
for those that want to keep on truckin' .

Not trying to lure anyone away from sevenforums.

Ya know, BlueGuy, I'm getting sick of these posts downplaying the dangers of not upgrading before XP reaches EOL. As A guy pointed out, it's the average users that don't have the tech knowledge most enthusiasts have that will be most affected. Even worse are the businesses that will not have upgraded from XP. Unless they are paying for extended support from M$ (not likely, especially in the case of small businesses), just how secure do you think your credit/debit transactions will be after XP's EOL?

Frankly, even if one has the computer chops to stay safe after an OS's EOL (or thinks s/he does), what's the point? That kind of person is most likely running newer equipment that can handle a new OS and likes to be up on the latest and greatest. Win 7 isn't that much different than XP. I was a late adopter of Win 7 because I had a lot of legacy equipment (I run my equipment as long as I can) and some legacy software so I waited until a year and a half ago before I got my first Win 7 machine, a Lenovo notebook to replace the Asus XP netbook that was wearing out (and had less than stellar performance). I was expecting a long, difficult learning curve but, instead, was very pleasantly surprised when I was able to hit the ground running the first time I fired up my first Win 7 machine. Yes, I had a lot to learn but I was able to use the machine without any trouble from the word go. I had only two or three programs that wouldn't run on Win 7 by then, all freebies I was able to replace with more freebies that worked just as well or better than what I had. A couple more programs I had to install set to run in XP SP3 compatibility mode. The legacy hardware had been replaced by then (except the desktop computer that wasn't fully compatible with Win 7; it was a POS that needed replacing any way which I did eight months after I got the notebook). There was no excuse for me to stay with XP, especially since Win 7 is a better OS overall.

XP originally was to be supported for 10 years. M$ extended that support an additional two or three years? How many other products of any kind receive that kind of support? Nothing lasts forever. Build a bridge and get over it.

 

[BlueGuy]

Glad you have the financial means to keep up, not everybody does.
I'm still using a 12 year old HP 920c, why buy new when you don't have to, can't or don't want to.

Guess she told me! :sarc:

See my follow up above.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Glad you have the financial means to keep up, not everybody does.
I'm still using a 12 year old HP 920c, why buy new when you don't have to, can't or don't want to.

Guess she told me! :sarc:

See my follow up above.

Like I said, I keep my hardware a long time. My first desktop lasted seven years; I replaced it because it was too slow and didn't have enough storage capacity. It made more sense to replace it than it did to try to upgrade it and get mediocre results at best. My second desktop lasted five years. I replaced it because it was a POS from the word go and wasn't upgradeable to Win 7. My current machine I built about a year ago and I expect it to last to the end of Win 7 six years from now.

When one knows ahead of time they are going to need to replace something, they need to budget for it from the beginning. You've known (or should have known) when you got your machine that you had only around nine years before XP would reach its EOL (then got three bonus years). Saving $5 a month for nine years would have bought a nice budget desktop or laptop. $10 a month for nine years would get you a pretty decent machine.

It's just like a car. Sure, if you take care of it, it will last a long time. But there comes a point where keeping old iron running is no longer cost effective due to increased maintenance, higher maintenance costs, lack of parts. Other factors that have to be considered are nostalgic value vs. cost effective value, reliability (at my age, vehicle reliability is a HUGE factor), etc. Knowing that a car won't last forever means one should budget for the next one (or at least the down payment) instead of waiting for the present one to irreparably die, then moaning and groaning that one can't afford another one.

Btw, I'm retired on a fixed income. I was able to afford new equipment only because I budgeted for it. I don't have the latest technology but it should last me to the end of Win 7. If M$ doesn't have a decent OS for productivity by then, I will have to find another OS or go dark on the desktop (permanently disconnect from the internet) and access the internet from a separate, more current budget machine (and never the twain shall meet). Then again, I might be dead by then.

 

[Layback Bear]

I had Windows XP Pro for years. I never thought they would ever pry it out of my hands. XP was and is a great operating system for its day. Those days are over.
Because I'm also on a fixed income it took me 2 1/2 years to plan for the new build in my specs.
A little over kill but I still had to plan and save for quite some time.
I have two computers now running Windows 7/64 and I'm totally happy I left XP behind in it's proper resting place. Windows 7 is easy to use and a lot more secure.
The old work horse earned and deserves a rest.
RIP XP.

To answer the thread title. Its simple.
How to keep your PC secure when Microsoft ends Windows XP support

Install Windows 7.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...To answer the thread title. Its simple.
How to keep your PC secure when Microsoft ends Windows XP support

Install Windows 7.

Or Win 8. Sacrilegious as it may sound, there are people who like Win 8 (I'm not one of them).

 

[windude99]

If you do not want to get Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1, get Linux. I don't use Linux as my primary OS, but you might find a distro for your old computer that will work with it. Windows XP has been supported way longer than the Mac OS version that came out at the same time. It is incredible that Microsoft supports its operating systems this long, but eventually, it needs to be retired. I like XP, but Windows 7 is really good and I like it better. Doing custom service packs and custom patches seems like a mess. It might be cool to experiment with, but it shouldn't be used for a main computer.

 

[Layback Bear]

...To answer the thread title. Its simple.
How to keep your PC secure when Microsoft ends Windows XP support

Install Windows 7.

Or Win 8. Sacrilegious as it may sound, there are people who like Win 8 (I'm not one of them).

I understand and agree. If one wants Windows 8.xx go for it.
XP is getting it's well deserved rest.