Microsoft stops anti-virus protection for Windows XP
The end of the widely used operating system Microsoft, Windows XP is near. April 8 - the long-awaited end date of support for the 12-year-old OS - the news should not take the majority of users by surprise.
However, Microsoft’s other XP solution may hit die-hard XP users who refuse to update. This week, the company announced that April 8 will also end up supporting Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows XP, the company's free anti-virus application.
Not only will Windows XP users no longer receive security patches after April 8, as well as their installed Microsoft Security Essentials, will not receive more virus updates, leaving their machines doubly unprotected.
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The end of Microsoft’s support for its Security Essentials product is not a very tactful way to move XP’s supporters step by step to its latest product, Windows 8.1. Millions of users still clinging to XP will have to find another free antivirus software product or run the risk of malicious attacks that are likely to follow the demise of XP.
Between 20 and 30 percent of Internet users worldwide still use Windows XP, according to recent data, including more than 50 percent of users in China. Professionals do everything to avoid the approaching “XPocalypse”, but millions of people will also need to upgrade their systems to avoid an unlimited number of malicious attacks.
If you are still using XP on your computer, Microsoft recommends upgrading to a newer version of Windows before April 8. To upgrade to the latest version of Windows with XP, you must first download and run the Microsoft Windows 8 Update Assistant to check if your computer meets the Windows 8 hardware requirements. If your computer does not meet the requirements, you should consider buying new computer with preinstalled Windows 8.
Whether or not your computer can support Windows 8, current XP users should also take care of backing up any data they want to transfer to new systems, because upgrading from XP (or Windows Vista) means losing all files, settings, or programs currently installed on the old OS.
However, Microsoft’s other XP solution may hit die-hard XP users who refuse to update. This week, the company announced that April 8 will also end up supporting Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows XP, the company's free anti-virus application.
Not only will Windows XP users no longer receive security patches after April 8, as well as their installed Microsoft Security Essentials, will not receive more virus updates, leaving their machines doubly unprotected.
')
The end of Microsoft’s support for its Security Essentials product is not a very tactful way to move XP’s supporters step by step to its latest product, Windows 8.1. Millions of users still clinging to XP will have to find another free antivirus software product or run the risk of malicious attacks that are likely to follow the demise of XP.
Between 20 and 30 percent of Internet users worldwide still use Windows XP, according to recent data, including more than 50 percent of users in China. Professionals do everything to avoid the approaching “XPocalypse”, but millions of people will also need to upgrade their systems to avoid an unlimited number of malicious attacks.
If you are still using XP on your computer, Microsoft recommends upgrading to a newer version of Windows before April 8. To upgrade to the latest version of Windows with XP, you must first download and run the Microsoft Windows 8 Update Assistant to check if your computer meets the Windows 8 hardware requirements. If your computer does not meet the requirements, you should consider buying new computer with preinstalled Windows 8.
Whether or not your computer can support Windows 8, current XP users should also take care of backing up any data they want to transfer to new systems, because upgrading from XP (or Windows Vista) means losing all files, settings, or programs currently installed on the old OS.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/209262/
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