{"id":62029,"date":"2014-03-07T11:28:40","date_gmt":"2014-03-07T09:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/?p=62029"},"modified":"2025-07-02T00:50:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:50:06","slug":"windows-to-end-xp-support-how-to-cope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/windows-to-end-xp-support-how-to-cope\/","title":{"rendered":"Windows to end XP support: how to cope"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 8, 2014:<\/strong> Microsoft will stop\u00a0publishing security patches for Windows XP. Can you still use your beloved – but abandoned – operating system? The answer is yes, but with some important nuances.<\/p>\n

It’s definite: from April 8, 2014, Microsoft will stop<\/a> issuing security updates, even the most\u00a0urgent ones. It’s a natural consequence of the end of the Microsoft life cycle<\/a>: old Windows must\u00a0die and let the new ones take its place.<\/p>\n

The most important consequence is that from that moment on,\u00a0the most critical patches will only be available to large companies<\/a>, not the end user. They won’t even trickle down to the public domain, as they are protected by a confidentiality agreement<\/p>\n

Why is it not safe to use Windows XP after April 8th?<\/h3>\n

For those who decide to stick with Windows XP after that date, Microsoft foresees continuous\u00a0zero-day vulnerabilities,\u00a0a Dante-esque scene full of malware that will scamper\u00a0freely towards\u00a0millions of PCs, both old and\u00a0not so old. Yes, millions of PCs<\/strong>: after twelve years, Windows XP still runs on more than 30% of the world’s computers<\/strong> . What does this mean for global cyber security? Malware will prosper in countries where XP is still used.<\/p>\n

\"Operating<\/em><\/p>\n

More than 30% of global PCs running XP (October 2013 data, <\/em>TNW<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Windows XP is infected much more easily than Windows 8<\/h3>\n

According to a report<\/a> from Microsoft itself,\u00a0infection rates<\/strong> in computers running Windows XP SP3 are far higher<\/strong> than those running\u00a0Windows 8, whose architecture is\u00a0safer. And that’s on the basis of\u00a0an even numbers of encounters with malware.<\/p>\n

\"Infection<\/em><\/p>\n

Infection rates vs. Encounter rates with\u00a0malware (source: SIR Report Vol. 15<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

The answer<\/strong>, according to Microsoft, is clear: you must abandon the good ship\u00a0Windows XP before it sinks with all your data. For some<\/a>, however, this is not a valid choice, partly for reasons of\u00a0compatibility and partly because people are, quite simply, attached to it.\u00a0On the other hand, those who do <\/strong>want to migrate to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, but haven’t done so\u00a0already find themselves in a borderline situation<\/strong>: exposed to the elements of a vulnerable operating system and\u00a0running the risk of losing data<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But surviving on XP is possible if you know how…<\/h3>\n

I think it’s possible to use Windows XP beyond the\u00a0“XPocalypse” without falling victim to\u00a0malware. But it’s difficult<\/strong>. You’ll need to\u00a0shield the operating system and\u00a0be proactive in assessing security threats. You’ll have to walk on proverbial\u00a0eggshells. If you’re a daredevil\u00a0who wants\u00a0to walk on the wild side by using Windows XP, I recommend you do the following things from the start, in an attempt to avoid security holes and compatibility issues.<\/p>\n

Install a free antivirus with support for Windows XP<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is antivirus software that will continue to support Windows XP. As I write, most work on XP without any problems. Two that I’d strongly\u00a0recommend are\u00a0avast! 2014<\/a> and Avira Free 2014<\/a>;\u00a0the first for its update scanner and the second for its lightness.<\/p>\n

\"avast!<\/p>\n

Avoid <\/strong>MSE<\/strong><\/a>: from April 2014, Microsoft Security Essentials might stop updating XP<\/a>, leaving you exposed to the latest malware without being able to act on it. A controversial but understandable decision.<\/p>\n

Disable plugins – they’re\u00a0a gateway to a lot of malware<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"The most dangerous viruses in recent years have infected millions of PC through vulnerabilities in Java and other plugins. Add-ons are a weak point,\u00a0even for the safest browsers. Take the example of Firefox<\/a>, which has blocked Java<\/a> by default, and disable or uninstall plugins. Java is one, but you can also do the same with Flash and Adobe Reader.<\/p>\n

Update your applications with Secunia PSI or Softonic for Windows<\/strong><\/p>\n

Windows will\u00a0stop\u00a0updating, but you can still update the other software. A vulnerabilities <\/strong>detector<\/strong> such\u00a0as the excellent Secunia PSI<\/a> checks which\u00a0version of the installed applications and updates you’re using and updates it for you.<\/p>\n

\"Secunia<\/p>\n

A similar function is performed by\u00a0avast! with its\u00a0updater software, but it only focuses on the most critical ones, such as web browsers and plugins. Another option is to use Softonic for Windows<\/a>, which also looks for the latest versions for you.<\/p>\n

Use browsers with support for Windows XP<\/strong><\/p>\n

The latest version of Internet Explorer available for Windows XP is Internet Explorer 8<\/a>. Although not outdated, it will become increasingly vulnerable, as their patch depends entirely on Microsoft.<\/p>\n

\"Internet<\/p>\n

Luckily, Firefox<\/strong> and Opera announced<\/a> that they would continue supporting\u00a0Windows XP, and Google<\/strong> will do the same with Chrome until April 2015<\/a>, which\u00a0ought to give some breathing space to a lot of\u00a0users. If you haven’t already, switch to\u00a0Chrome<\/a> or Firefox<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Look at\u00a0the option of installing an unofficial patch like SP4<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are volunteers preparing an unofficial Service Pack 4 for Windows XP<\/a>. The same happened with Windows 2000, almost ten years ago, when\u00a0the unofficial SP5 was launched. In this case, the starting point is SP3, adding all the patches that were released since then and some extras like the\u00a0Royale theme<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Unofficial<\/p>\n

Screenshot of the\u00a0installer for the unofficial cumulative patch, Service Pack 4 (<\/em>source<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

In my opinion, this is a commendable initiative, but it’s not the solution<\/strong> to the problems that XP users\u00a0will face when support is no longer available. An unofficial SP, which has not been tested by Microsoft, can expose your computer to instabilities and errors<\/strong> that can be\u00a0difficult to resolve.<\/p>\n

Want to upgrade? Use Windows 8.1 without leaving\u00a0Windows XP<\/h3>\n

As you’ve just seen, if you want to survive with XP, you can, but it’s a frugal and uncomfortable experience. An abandoned\u00a0operating system needs users who can give it\u00a0a level of care as well as constant attention. It’s not the choice\u00a0for everyone. My advice for anyone who is not convinced, is to\u00a0upgrade<\/strong> directly to Windows 8.1<\/strong>, a version of Windows that has limited many of the annoyances in version 8. When you upgrade to Windows 8.1 from XP SP3<\/a> all of your\u00a0personal files (but not programs) are\u00a0preserved.<\/p>\n

\"Windows<\/p>\n

Best of all is that if you want to continue running Windows XP<\/strong>, you can do it in the safety of a virtual machine, a PC emulator that\u00a0runs it like a\u00a0program. VirtualBox<\/a> and VMware Player<\/a> are free virtual machines that allow you to do just that.<\/p>\n

\"Virtual<\/p>\n

The advantage of running Windows XP in a virtual machine is that nothing can\u00a0happen that can affect the system: if\u00a0virus infects the virtual machine, then undoing the consequences is as simple as “rewinding” to a previous state.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you’ve had a change of heart about sticking with XP, here’s how to upgrade<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

April 8, 2014: Microsoft will stop\u00a0publishing security patches for Windows XP. Can you still use your beloved – but abandoned – operating system? The answer is yes, but with some important nuances. It’s definite: from April 8, 2014, Microsoft will stop issuing security updates, even the most\u00a0urgent ones. It’s a natural consequence of the end … Continue reading “Windows to end XP support: how to cope”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2044,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[2441],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-62029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2044"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62029"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":331189,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62029\/revisions\/331189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62029"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=62029"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=62029"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=62029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}