;-)
Posted on 03/12/2013 2:55:18 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
A large number of Microsoft customers are in for a rude awakening on 8 April 2014.
With less than 400 days to go, 15 per cent of those running Windows XP are still unaware that that’s the date Microsoft finally turns off all support for its legacy PC operating system, according to a recent survey.
After 8 April next year, Microsoft will no longer make bug fixes or security updates for Windows XP, meaning customers will be naked and vulnerable to hackers and viruses and on their own in terms of code updates and fixes. Support for Office 2003 also finishes on the same date, with the same implications.
The findings come from a survey of 250 strategic IT types by application migration specialist Camwood, which polled chief information officers, technology officers and IT directors at organisations that run more than 2,000 PCs.
Fifteen per cent is a decent chunk of the Microsoft customer base. Windows XP is still used on 39 per cent of desktops – just behind Windows 7 on 44 per per cent.
XP was first released in 2001. Since its release, Redmond has pushed out Vista (2006/7), Windows 7 (2009) and its most recent OS, Windows 8 (2012).
Where there is awareness of the end of support, Camwood found 32 per cent of XPers still have not started migrating to newer versions of Windows.
That means this group will almost certainly end up running Windows XP past Microsoft’s April 2014 cut-off, and be in exactly the same predicament in terms of vulnerability to hackers and malware - and of course won't be receiving any code fixes.
Kevin van Heerden, Camwood’s head of software, told The Reg there’s no chance that those who have yet to begin the process will be able to migrate in time. Even a basic migration of just 1,000 PCs would take more than a year, depending on application and data complexity.
“Windows XP is the hackers port of call in terms of trying to get a foot hold and establish botnets,” Van Heerden told The Reg. “They are opening themselves up to risk. It’s like letting your car insurance expire – the car won’t stop working, but you are exposed to a lot of risk.”
The application migration specialist blamed the launch of Windows 8 and Microsoft’s frenetic push for consumer adoption of the new kit for the fact so many customers still don’t know about the end of support. The same was not true for previous versions of Windows, said Van Heerden.
Some customers are confused about whether to go with Windows 8 or Windows 7. This, of course, has implications from the perspective of the PC hardware that they will buy – whether it’s touch-enabled or not – and application migrations. This is adding another layer of decision-taking to the Windows XP migration debate.
“One customer said if you are going to push a new UI on employees, you might as well go all in and go Windows 8 rather than Windows 7,” Van Heerden said.
The software migration specialist says that in other organisations, there has been a grass-roots rejection of anything that takes end users away from their beloved Windows XP. “In a large percentage, they have had staff resistance – a grass roots saying they want to stay on Windows XP because they are familiar with it,” he said.
Van Heerden also said that there had been an absence of leadership from Microsoft on migrations, which he believed was caused by Redmond’s focus on consumers instead of businesses with Windows 8 - adding that the emphasis on product launches during 2012 had diluted messaging.
“There was a lot more buzz around the turn of the century because people were rolling Windows NT 4 and Year 2000 projects together, and there was an immense amount of IT experience. The move to Windows XP was a huge exercise on Microsoft’s part but last year was largest year in Microsoft’s history.
"With new versions of Windows Server 2012, operating system (Windows 8) and mobile, [Window XP migrations] are getting lost in the confusion,” he said. ®
Moved to Mac long ago.
Sounds like the security controls are set too high. Try adjusting them down and making other adjustments via the Internet Options selection.
As for searches, that is the search engine and its controls/adjustments. Reset those at the search engine website.
I’m going to buy a copy of XP and get rid of Windows 7, I hate it!!!
BTW, I have 3 desktops that run Win98, WinXP and Win7 (formerly Win Vista). Win98 continues to be the most robust and trouble-free, though too dated for newer applications. Win7 crashes fairly often on my labtop PC and occasionally on my desktop PC. So far, Win7 has proven to be the least robust, least reliable OpSys I’ve used (and the Win7 Windows Explorer is inferior to the WinXP version...has trouble finding things). XP has been the all-around best OpSys I’ve used.
Win8? Used it the least. Would be great on the iPad or iPod. Sucks on a desktop.
p.s. I’m typing on my laptop...these little flat keys slow my typing speed way down from the larger, more usable desktop keyboards.
Also, Firefox is both free and eminently more functional than the execrable IE, imho.
“It shoud be illegal for Microsoft to withdraw support.”
Why? Should Ford have to continue supporting the Pinto, too?
“If I only ran XP in a VM and didn’t use it while online, would I be fairly safe?”
If the computer your VM is hosted on is online then your VM is, too.
Sounds weird, but we run Win98 as a VM for a few things we do because there are no extant threats to it anymore. I would not be so comfortable with XP.
“After 8 April next year, Microsoft will no longer make bug fixes or security updates for Windows XP, meaning customers will be naked and vulnerable to hackers and viruses and on their own in terms of code updates and fixes.”
Microsoft bug fixes or security updates?
Is that the crap my computer used to download and then immediately afterwards things wouldn’t work correctly until the next download, and almost immediately I’d have some sort of virus problem?
I turned junk off in 2004, and haven’t had a problem since. We used to have 12 XP computers and after I turned Off ALL Microscam’s updates our problems dropped to nothing.
I recommend Apple, and Parallels, then load your Windows XP under Parallels and filtered thru Apple.
;-)
Windows 8 is a dog.
But for newbies who are buying their first PC and have had no experience with 98/XP/7, they will probably have no Win8 complaints as they will lack anything to compare to.
They will be like someone who was raised on nothing but mush. “Oh, boy! Mush again! Yum!”
Not knowing there is anything better.
In general, you (newfreep) are right. But Microsoft really is a special case; it has a near-monopoly on computer operating systems. They should not be legally forced to support older systems, but ethically they should do so.
It's almost as if Ford had a monopoly on car and parts production in the USA, and Ford decided not to make spare parts for any car built before 2008.
Gee whiz. Does this mean I won't be bothered by Automatic Updates anymore? No annoying, "You must restart your computer for recent changes to take effect" pop ups?
Bring it. I think I'll survive.
And isn't it odd that a company has to issue weekly security updates for a product starting on day one all the way until the EOSL date?
Good idea.
I was shopping for a new PC but the Make I wanted only comes with Win8. So, I plan to get a custom PC built and have already bought a new copy of XP Professional to be the OpSys.
Support for xp embeded will continue for years. I think I heard 8 years. It’s found on tons of pos machines. Had ms dropped support for it it would have forced tons of retailers to replace already out dated pos equipment to remain PCI compliant.
Sorry, but MSFT chooses the products it supports - not some BIG GOVT SOCIALIST.
If you or any socialist have a problem with that, simply choose other competing products.
That’s called free market capitalism - sound familiar?
Have you ever heard of Apple, etc....?
Your Ford example was not appropriate - a car vs software technology - different life cycles.
But bottom line, ONLY MSFT chooses what products it supports.
Yes, I adjusted the security settings. It helped, but no fix.
I hate IE. Have not installed Firefox on her machine. If I mess with the knobs she will fuss. If I leave it alone and it breaks she will have me fix it.
If she simply understood that if I intalled Xubuntu on it, none of that crap would be necessary. It is very stable and fast.
My conclusion is that MS is self inducing frustration to encourage upgrades to newer platforms. That is why that Windows installs seldom last more than about 3 years. Planned obsolescence and induced malfunction. It is the way of the money machine.
Right!
Nobody seems to virus attack Win98 PC’s.
As WinXP gets less used, fewer virus/trojan designers will target it. Just as with game consoles...who now designs games for the PlayStation 1, or Atari or Nintendo GameCube?
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