What a shame, there will be no more support for xp and office2003. I still use xp for my main server system, it has done the job and i know how to change setting a lot faster then i can in win7 or 8
How safe will it be to use xp after the support ends?
http://www.microsoft.com/en-au/windows/enterprise/endofsuppo…
This. The issue will be if a gaping security flaw is exposed in Windows XP, Microsoft won't be releasing patches to fix it.
Knowing that, don't you think hackers would target XP users?
Precisely.. It will be completely unsafe within a few weeks.
A single exploit on a machine connected to the internet will expose the entire system and potentially your entire network.
It's not a scare tactic, there's been numerous examples of machines being deliberately set up without patches as honeypots and being hacked within minutes.
There is still quite a sizeable number of Internet-connected computers running Windows XP, many of them in corporate and government organisations — which I guess they will continue to pay support to whichever IT company to prolong the life of their desktop (or migrate off to a new OS).
On the other hand Windows XP has been around for 12 years, and even SP3 has been released for more than 5 years. You'll hate that client of yours who paid once-off fee 5 years ago still ring up asking for support…
Paid for support after XP EOL will be very expensive.
XP is a security dog. It didn't even come with a firewall until SP2. No UAC, no baked in ASLR or heap adjustments, no hardened kernel. Pffft, let it die. Security is a joke and it won't take advantage of modern hardware as well as 8.1.
Consider this;
You are a hacker and have found or become aware of a new exploit with Windows XP. Knowning that XP will be hitting end of support in a month or 2 when would you take advantage of this exploit? Immediately after the product is end of support.
It has been known for some time that XP support will cease and the fear is that hackers could be stockpiling exploits that they will release after that day. XP still has hugh numbers out there so it's a big target and worth hitting.
If this PC is your main server system as you say I would keep it off the internet and that alone will limit your risk. Remove it's gateway IP, don't forward any ports to it, and don't browse the Internet on it.
I agree it is time to upgrade.
If I were you I'd try to find a trial of win server 2012. Start playing with it , get to know where everything lives then start the upgrade process. If you upgrade hardware in 5 years you probably won't be able to do so because of the software limitations in XP…
I thought MS still intended on releasing security patches via Windows Update - just no longer would be providing phone support!?
Nope, no patches will be released to the public via Windows update. I think, and I may be wrong, that you will still get anti-virus definitions for Microsoft Security Esssentials or whatever it is from Microsoft but not sure for how long.
Some massive companies may have a support agreement with Microsoft and continue to have security updates developed and provided just for them but this comes at a massive cost to those companies.
Grrr… I hate Microsoft. Every computer I've owned has started out zippy, then been dragged to a snail's pace within a few months by constant MS updates. I'll probably be switching to Linux if I can ever work out what version to install!?
Might do a dual-boot with XP if I can work that out too… Because I have old games the kids and I still play.
Hi rfm,
I reinstall Windows for people, all the time. One thing to do (which helps a LOT) is to partition the drive & to keep Windows & your programs on one partition, whilst sending the users folders over to a second partition.
In the second partition (D:), create folders & name them exactly what they're called in your (C:) user folder. When you "move" the location, you'll need to point it to the new folders you've created on D:
So, after Windows is installed— you go into the (C:) your-user folder & right-click>properties>location>move, for all folders that are the most used: music, video, documents, photos, downloads, & desktop. Their icons will stay in your (C:) your-user folder, but they'll "point" to the other partition.
This keeps your files separate from Windows. One good feature there is the ability to fix or reinstall Windows later, and your data stays safely untouched on the other partition.
Lastly, if you want to move from MS but retain XP for old games, then install Linux Mint 13 Mate (long-term release candidate) & once installed, use the software manager in Mint to install Virtualbox. This program allows you to run other operating systems inside of it's "virtual machine". You will then be able to run XP inside of Mint!
Cheers
That is completely retarded. Why would you split a HDD? Murders speed, and is 100% pointless.
"Murders speed, and is 100% pointless."
Wrong, & pointless to you, doesn't = pointless to everyone else. Also, using the term, "retarded" is insulting & unnecessary.
There are many reasons to partition & many ways to do so. By separating the OS/programs from the user data, you get less fragmentation of the OS & also the security of knowing that if a reinstall of the OS is required, your data is not affected.
If this isn't for you, then don't do it.
Separate on another HDD not the same one. Its pointless as the HDD actually has to shift between sectors, the fastest access is the one on the edge of the physical platter, you screw that up. And if you reinstall the OS clean install it, not on a partitioned mess.
Agree, partitioning a drive used to be all the rage, now I have come to realize it big sacrifice in speed.
Mechanical drives only have one read arm to cover all that surface area!
This must be true i read it on the internet….
"It is estimated that 98 percent of the world's cash machines still use Windows XP, which could make withdrawing money after this time next month interesting."
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2332929/windows-xp-…
A lot of these are running XP Embedded which is NOT coming to end of support life in April this year. 12/01/2016 is the Support End Date.
http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?a…
Here's something interesting:
I went to make a deposit at ANZ a couple of days ago. Past the teller, in the office behind him, was a computer running XP!
Yikes…ANZ.running.XP…
Saw the same thing in an NAB branch. Probably just running their home loan software and only connected to a laser printer.
When I worked in a bank, all payments systems were off the grid. Tellers never had internet access only internal.
I never update. Windows Updates are turned off. Latest Service Pack is installed only after an app needs it. Never pro-active. I'm a laggard. Please hack my XP box someone. I use it often for the interwebs.
Yet I still haven't had one issue that wasn't my own fault. I've always been amazed at the fuss people made about end-of-life support.
Who really cares? The industry just wants to nudge you over to the next more-heavily infiltrated by the NSA operating system with each new revision. And the hardware just gets more and more compromised under the banner of easier remote admin, even when the power is off.
We are inundated with spyware both on PC and phones. This are getting less secure, not more.
With all major web browsers cracked during the latest Pwn2Own, I don't think "using the interwebs" is secure at all. Windows XP has relatively less sandboxing securities comparing to its modern counterparts so once the the browser is exploited, the whole system goes…
We have ever-more bloated web browsers (and OSs) making things worse, not better (code bloat). New exploits versus old exploits. It never ends. You find that you are chasing your tail the more you update. At least I do. Complete waste of time and resources (all in my opinion of course).
If you are concerned about scripts, you can use one of several script-blockers and only allow trusted scripts through. Nothing is completely secure, but the majority of exploits are users downloading some rubbish off the internet, not the fact that they don't have a fully up-to-date system. So I think keeping up-to-date or the lack of 'support' is a total non-issue compared to the whys and hows most people get infected or compromised.
When was your XP last compromised?
It will be just as safe as it used to be, providing you have adequate anti-virus and firewall in place and don't make a habit of visiting suspect websites.
I hate all this scare-mongering that when XP support ends it will immediately be compromised!!