Bye Bye Windows Xp!

Unless you’re in the IT business, you might not place much significance on the date of April 8th. However, for those in the know, this date has been marked on our calendars for quite a while.

On April 8th, Microsoft will cease supporting Windows XP—the operating system that many of us have relied upon for years. It’s also worth noting that on the same day, support also ends for Microsoft Office 2003. This is newsworthy because after April 8th we’ll no longer be able to receive updates to Windows XP and Office 2003 to correct problems.

From a security perspective it’s even more critical, because it means the end of security fixes for these products. This means that if hackers discover weaknesses in XP or Office 2003, they aren’t going to get fixed. Unfortunately, there are still a significant number of computers running XP, so they represent a huge target when hackers find a way to attack.

So what should we do if we’re still running Windows XP? Microsoft’s recommendation is to upgrade to a more recent version, such as Windows 7 or 8. This is certainly the wisest option since you’ll then continue to receive fixes for several years to come, as well as enjoy some new features. There is cost involved here… upgrading isn’t free, and it might not just be the cost of the new operating system we’re talking about. Older computers might not run the newer versions, meaning you have to shell out for a new system and spend time migrating your files and applications. On that latter point, some older applications may not work correctly on the newer system either. Likewise, old hardware (particularly old printers and scanners) may no longer work.

The other option we might have is to isolate our Windows XP computer from the Internet. Don’t use it for browsing the web, for downloading files, etc. It’s safer this way, but far less practical. However, it’s not a bad choice if you have to keep using older software or hardware that’s incompatible with Windows 7 or 8. Maybe keep the old XP system around for a few tasks, and invest in a new, modern, system for day-to-day tasks.

Another option is to consider a free operating system called Linux. You can best think of Linux as a family of operating systems, each slightly different but sharing a common core. There are names such as Ubuntu, SUSE, Red Hat and more – each is a particular ‘flavour’ of a standard Linux base. For most desktop and laptop computer users, I usually recommend looking at Ubuntu as some effort has gone in to making it relatively easy to use from some of it’s more technical cousins.

Linux isn’t an easy choice, however. It’s completely free, but doesn’t run Windows applications (actually it can run some, but let’s keep this simple!) You might find yourself needing to use alternate applications to achieve tasks you’re familiar with. For example, there is no Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) on Linux, but there is LibreOffice – a free alternative that is similar. On the positive side, there is a massive catalogue of free software available for Linux which means you may well find a free application to do just about anything you want to do from graphic design, audio and video editing, email, etc.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to what you should do, but in order to maintain a good level of security, we must do something. If you’re still running Windows XP and would like some suggestions on what options might work best for you, don’t hesitate to get in touch!