Support for Windows XP has officially
ended. On April 8, 2014, Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 was
officially retired. So, if it isn't broken why fix it? The answer to
this is in two parts. First and foremost, because in the world of
computing today, our computers are susceptible to any number of
threats, and with the ending of support for Windows XP,
updates/patches will no longer be available to Windows XP users. This
is not good, because without regular patches to XP, hackers will find
new places to compromise XP and make your computer their playground.
So, unless you live in China, where approximately 70 % of computers
still run Windows XP, it's time to upgrade to another version of
Windows.
Second, is the commercial business
aspect of an aging XP operating system. At some point, decisions are
made by a software company to end support for a product. The reality
is that any durable good that is offered in the marketplace must have
a projected life-cycle. Windows XP has served many of us well and now
it is time for its successor’s Windows 7 and Windows 8.This is a
reality of the ever changing computing world in general, namely that
you can expect technology to shed the past in favor of the future.
Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) was the
last supported version of the 13-year-old OS. That's right 13 years
have passed. For those XP home users or companies holding on, until
they update their operating systems, there are not any good options
for waiting any longer to upgrade. For one, Windows XP will take its
place along side of Windows 98,Windows 95 and Windows 2000 as
operating systems that are ill-equipped to navigate the changing
computing environments of mobile and cloud computing. Those operating
systems spoke to a different generation of CPUs, motherboards and
chip sets as well; however important these operating systems were in
the past, they have now faded from the landscape. This means that
Windows XP will not be able to accommodate the new generation of
processors ahead, nor the changes that are coming on the horizon for
computing technologies. And two, the absence of Microsoft support
supplying patches for XP will present a constant security threat to
any remaining XP users.
So, while Windows XP may not be broke,
it is for all intensive purposes a thing of the past. If you have
been holding on before upgrading from Windows XP, now is the time to
bite the bullet and give Windows 7 or Windows 8 a try. Windows 7 is a
good choice for many prior XP users, since it has a similar interface
it won't take long to get the hang of navigating through its menus.
Windows 8, on the other hand, sports a very different interface and
is still getting the kinks worked out of it. As of this writing
Windows 8 has an update that will transform Windows 8 to resemble the
Windows 7 interface. Windows 8 navigation has proven to be a daunting
change for for many windows users – but that is another story.
Either way, since the support has ended for Windows XP, users are now
forced to choose to migrate to a new operating system from XP. There
is one important thing to take into account when making the change to
Windows 7 or Windows 8.
There is not an upgrade path from XP to
Windows 7 or 8. This means that you or your IT person will need to
backup all of your critical files, data etc and reload your programs
into the new operating system. All of your settings will be lost and
you will have to start fresh. Additionally, numerous issues can crop
up concerning software and device drivers that worked well with XP
that may not work with Windows 7 or 8 operating systems. For example,
your wireless card may not operate with Windows 7 or 8, if a driver
has not been created for it. So be prepared for possible changes that
need to take place that could stall your connectivity to the
internet.
All in all, changing to the new
operating systems can be a positive experience, if you or your IT
person plan well. In the coming blogs, I will pick up where I left
off discussing virus, malware and security threats. Understanding the
threats that exist in our everyday computing environments will help
us to successfully defend against malicious code that will bring our
computer to a crawl, take over our browser, force annoying pop ups or
try to steal our private information. Although I focused on the XP
operating system, the support for Microsoft Office 2003 has also
ended. Popular software applications, like Microsoft Office 2003,
also present a greater security risk, since Microsoft has ended its
support. Eliminating this vulnerability is important as well and
vital to system security. So, with that end, farewell to Windows XP
and Office 2003 and I hope that whatever changes you decide to make
will be good for you.
