Everyday Tips from the ComputerMom - Goodbye Windows XP

Microsoft is no longer going to support Windows XP as of April 8th, 2014 -  what difference does that really make?  Well, suppose you owned a house, and for all the years you have lived there you've carefully maintained it, patching every hole and fixing every leak.  And then suppose one day you just stopped the maintenance, no more patches, no more painting, no more fixing the leaks. How long would it take for problems to start and the mice to get in? 

Now, suppose the mice knew in advance the exact date that you were no longer going to be maintaining the house, and were waiting outside for the very day you stopped fixing things, with a few weak spots already picked out for them to enter? That's basically what the story is with the end of support for Windows XP. There are an estimated 500 million systems worldwide still running XP, and there are international gangs of criminal hackers actively looking for ways to infiltrate those systems and steal whatever they can get.  Even though you might not be the main target of these hackers, your system is just as vulnerable as any other.

So what does that mean for you?  If you are still running Windows XP it's time for a change.  I personally would not trust a Windows XP system on the internet after April 8th.  Nobody knows how long a system will be safe, just like nobody knows how long it will take after you stop maintaining the house until the roof starts to leak - we just know it will happen sooner or later, and that's not a risk I would want to take!

I still have a Windows XP system - What should I do? 

It really depends on your individual situation.  Here's how I see it:

You have Windows XP on an old computer you keep around for backup or guests or the grandkids - As long as the computer is no longer used online you can keep using it.  If the system is currently connected to the internet, disconnect it from the internet and disable the network adapter.  Your grandkids can play offline games, or you can continue to run your old cookbook software, but you don't want anybody using it to check email or to access any other online log-in type sites.

If you want to retire the system entirely, you should remove the hard drive, making the system safe for disposal.  The Medfield Transfer Station accepts old computer hardware for recycling on the first Saturday of each month.

You have Windows  XP on a system that has a Vista license - I know of a few of you in this boat.  Vista was not a hit when it first came out, so Dell and HP used something called downgrade rights to sell Vista systems with XP installed.  If you think this might apply to you, look at the Microsoft label on your computer and check what operating system it references.  If it's Vista, all you need is the right Vista disk to upgrade it, leaving all of your software and settings intact.

You are using a Windows XP system as your main computer - Unfortunately, it's just plain old time to make a change, and you need to decide what to do sooner rather than later.  If your system is powerful enough you might be able to get away with buying a copy of Windows 7 or 8 and installing it.  Unlike going from XP to Vista, there is no automatic way to upgrade.  You will have to back up all your data, install the new version of Windows, re-install all your software and drivers, and then restore your data.

If you choose to buy a new system system rather than upgrade your old computer, I would suggest you buy a Windows 8 system even though you may have heard bad things about it. There are ways to make Windows 8 look more like Windows 7, and there really are advantages to going with the latest operating system, not least of which is that it will be a longer time before you have to go through this process again!

Special Bonus Expert DIY Approach - Linux

Your old hardware still works fine, you are concerned about the security issues around XP end of life, you don't want to put any money into the old system but . . . you just can't quite bring yourself to toss it. Well, maybe you should consider Linux, a free and open source operating system popular with the geeky set. Most Windows XP systems will run Linux very well, and Linux doesn't have any of the security issues that Windows systems have. So - do it yourself with support from the web, or hand your old system off to a 13 year old kid to tinker with!  Here's a great article about which flavor of Linux is best for beginners!

Julie Marto, the ComputerMom, has been providing friendly and personal technical support and training in Medfield and neighboring communities for over 16 years. For more information visit  http://www.thecomputermom.com/ or like her on Facebook 

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