Windows XP support expires in 2014 - what to do?
As of April 2014, Microsoft will no longer offer support for Windows XP. After the end of support for Service Pack 2, after 5 years the support for Service Pack 3 will also expire. We reveal what that means for you.
End of Windows XP support - the impact
- As of April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide its own support and security updates for Windows XP.
- The discontinued support should be less of a problem. You can’t contact Microsoft directly if you have any problems, but you can still get help from third parties. Or you can find them free of charge on the Internet, for example in numerous forums.
- The big problem, however, is that your system is becoming increasingly insecure. The longer you don't receive updates, the more new threats your system is exposed to. Even if Microsoft detects them, security updates are no longer made available.
- No system is 100 percent protected. The various Windows operating systems receive updates every month because new security holes have been discovered. These still exist under Windows XP, but they are no longer recognized and eliminated.
- Another problem is the support from third-party providers. These hardly make your program so that you are compatible with Windows XP.
What you should do now
- As long as you only use Windows in offline mode, i.e. there is no connection to the Internet, your system is still secure. Over time, however, your system will become increasingly insecure without the security updates. In the worst case, this ends up with a virus that leads to espionage or loss of your data.
- Therefore, make sure that you value security and get a new operating system, such as Windows 8, at the latest from the end of support. In addition to the 10 years of further support, you will also receive numerous new functions.
If you already need a solution to a problem with Windows XP, you will find helpful practical tips here.