Making plans to continue using XP after April 8

[PartingShot]

Perhaps it would be informative to start a thread for those who are going to continue using Windows XP after Microsoft terminates support on April 8.

Of course, the immediate and correct response is that using Windows XP after this time should not be done, period. With that point acknowledged, however, it would still be good to have this discussion anyway, mainly for the benefit of those who are unable to move away from XP even after support ends.

If I were to continue using XP (after April 8), the best provisions and practices IMHO would be (ranked by importance):

(1) Have all the latest MS patches and hotfixes for XP installed.

(2) Back up the system partition (or the entire HDD or SSD), on the order of several times a week. Even daily might be preferable if the XP machine is to remain connected to the internet. Backing up the system is good practice for any PC user, but it will be especially vital for XP users after April 8.

(3) Have a good current, up-to-date AV tool installed and running. Use that tool to do frequent full-system scans or boot scans to make sure the system stays clean. Note: when AV vendors stop supporting XP, then I'd say it's time to run XP machines offline (not accessible to the internet) -- or better yet standalone (as in not connected to any network) -- if upgrading is still not an option for you.

(4) Extra layers of security should be provided for XP, for example EMET, which is designed to mitigate zero-day exploits. (Are there any other mitigation tools out there that future XP users should be made aware of?)

(5) Even now, I should think that XP users have stopped using Internet Explorer 8 (the last version of IE that is compatible with XP), and migrated to Firefox, Chrome, Opera, etc. And like stated in item (3), once the developers for 3rd-party browsers stop supporting XP, you know it's time to stop surfing the 'net in XP. I gave it up earlier (I now use Windows 7 for browsing) since I make frequent online purchases.


Okay then all you XP holdouts (or sympathizers for unrelenting XP users everywhere)... you only have a couple months to devise your best strategy to continue using this ancient, soon-to-be-abandoned OS (albiet a pretty decent one). So feel free to discuss your own plan, or to critique the ideas listed above. Thanks for reading.

*EDIT*
Added item (5) to the list.

[deadmeow]

Hardware issues have forced me from XP to Windows 7 as my primary OS, but XP still works better for some things, so I am keeping it around to use occasionally. I have installed XP without current updates for long periods of time and had no problems. I guess the major issues will be the new zero day exploits.

XP will users will decline as they move onto new hardware, and new software will lack support. But for lots of older computers, XP will remain the best or only option for Windows usage.

The most important thing is to have data backed up, so you can just reinstall and move along quickly, if any issues occur.

[PartingShot]

Hardware issues have forced me from XP to Windows 7 as my primary OS, but XP still works better for some things, so I am keeping it around to use occasionally. I have installed XP without current updates for long periods of time and had no problems. I guess the major issues will be the new zero day exploits.

XP will users will decline as they move onto new hardware, and new software will lack support. But for lots of older computers, XP will remain the best or only option for Windows usage.

The most important thing is to have data backed up, so you can just reinstall and move along quickly, if any issues occur.

I upgraded too (WinXP -> Win7), but once in a while I need XP to access older stuff (programs and hardware related to video capture and processing). I guess one could use XP indefinitely for whatever, but it'd probably be best for XP users to take their XP machines offline after April 8. Anyone who needs internet access from a desktop or laptop/netbook should just move to a newer OS anyway.

But I'm very interested in learning about what die-hard veteran XP users are going to do to maintain XP -- with online access -- after April 8. (Hence, this thread.)

[enim]

Nice thread start.

If I were to continue using XP (after April 8), the best provisions and practices IMHO would be (ranked by importance):

(1) Have all the latest MS patches and hotfixes for XP installed.

I know lots of corporation locally and abroad, who strongly decided to continue on XP simply by pulling internet plug out. Some of BiG Corporations are awaiting Last Windows XP cumulative update ISO from Microsoft before April 8 for off-line updates. The main issue for BiG Corporations is not migrating to Win7 or Winn8, but porting their legacy softwares and massive database.

(2) Back up the system partition (or the entire HDD or SSD), on the order of several times a week. Even daily might be preferable if the XP machine is to remain connected to the internet. Backing up the system is good practice for any PC user, but it will be especially vital for XP users after April 8.

Good Suggestion, buying a cheap spare HDD and cloning active HDD, or saving images would definitely help recovery if something goes wrong.

(3) Have a good current, up-to-date AV tool installed and running. Use that tool to do frequent full-system scans or boot scans to make sure the system stays clean. Note: when AV vendors stop supporting XP, then I'd say it's time to run XP machines offline (not accessible to the internet) -- or better yet standalone (as in not connected to any network) -- if upgrading is still not an option for you.

->Have a good current, up-to-date AV tool which offers a feature of off-line updates.

(4) Extra layers of security should be provided for XP, for example EMET, which is designed to mitigate zero-day exploits. (Are there any other mitigation tools out there that future XP users should be made aware of?)

I can not say anything, as I jumped-off windows, I just used XP for surfing in long buried past.
If someone can explain EMET or similar tools, it would be beneficiary to those who prefer to stay with XP.

Okay then all you XP holdouts (or sympathizers for unrelenting XP users everywhere)... you only have a couple months to devise your best strategy to continue using this ancient, soon-to-be-abandoned OS (albiet a pretty decent one). So feel free to discuss your own plan, or to critique the ideas listed above. Thanks for reading.

I would recommend XP users to buy cheap HDD, un-plug updated XP HDD as alexir of dier's need, and go with Windows 7 SP1 on new HDD.

Hardware issues have forced me from XP to Windows 7 as my primary OS, but XP still works better for some things, so I am keeping it around to use occasionally. I have installed XP without current updates for long periods of time and had no problems. I guess the major issues will be the new zero day exploits.

XP will users will decline as they move onto new hardware, and new software will lack support. But for lots of older computers, XP will remain the best or only option for Windows usage.

- a point to consider.

I prefer TuX for most common use which offers me more that 1000+ flavors like Mint, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Mageia, Mandriva, PC Linux OS... to try. Even if I try 3 different flavor in a day, can not finish within a year or so. Hybrid, Handbrake and other similar tools are also available in TuX. It is just matter of time to get used to.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft Lover when he visited MS-HQ @ Redmond Campus, and he asked Bill & Paul's Team I am migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7, Can I use my Windows XP COA to activate Windows 7?

[Mr_khyron]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP_n7V5AtKM

[themaster1]

Ideally you'd use Xp virtualised (for security reasons) but i haven't found a software that supports pci devices yet (for my capture device)

[NJRoadfan]

Ideally you'd use Xp virtualised (for security reasons) but i haven't found a software that supports pci devices yet (for my capture device)

I just use a separate machine at this point. I wouldn't want to use a VM for timing critical functions like video capture anyway.

[hello_hello]

Anyone remember the fuss over "Y2k" or "the millennium bug"? The "end of XP support" issue seems like a similar storm in a teacup.

My plan is to keep doing what I've been doing. Surf with Firefox running on XP. I only ever ran Windows update once or twice a year anyway.... I got sick of updates causing problems.... so until I can no longer run a current browser on XP, for me the only difference between surfing before April and surfing after April will be the date. And maybe the temperature.... because it'll be autumn where I am.

[NJRoadfan]

Anyone remember the fuss over "Y2k" or "the millennium bug"? The "end of XP support" issue seems like a similar storm in a teacup.

My plan is to keep doing what I've been doing. Surf with Firefox running on XP. I only ever ran Windows update once or twice a year anyway.... I got sick of updates causing problems.... so until I can no longer run a current browser on XP, for me the only difference between surfing before April and surfing after April will be the date. And maybe the temperature.... because it'll be autumn where I am.

Out of curiosity, what are the specs of this computer?

[jman98]

I've said this before and I think it bears repeating. Who knows if this warning will be overblown or not, but some IT security experts believe that the bad guys are holding on to never before seen software exploits in XP and they're going to start using them after support stops. If this is true, there is the potential for compromised systems, depending on a variety of factors.

[Nelson37]

I agree, this is Y2K all over again. BFD.

Backups, good antivirus, better browser, these should already be done.

MS not fixing problems? WTF Cares? Many of their "bugfixes" either didn't work or caused other problems.

XP will gradually die off as the PC's running it age out. Software will get upgraded.

This is just not a major, or even significant, problem.

[sanlyn]

I have PC customers and video hobbyists who are still using Windows 98 and W2K machines. I have three XP machines and will continue to use them. When it comes to HD I have Win7 installed in a dual-boot machine on a separate drive and will soon do that with another XP unit. If for no other reason, I'm keeping at least one XP around because there's no way I'm spending good money to pay for the way Adobe has screwed new After Effects buyers. The internet is something else: obviously websites will stop supporting XP browsers. It's unlikely that I'll need to browse the internet to process videos. And in the long run, apps like Avisynth and VirtualDub and other utilities will be revised and won't work with XP. This doesn't mean that you're forced to install new versions on your old XP machine. You can leave the XP versions installed as-is and they will still work on the old machines. Install newer stuff on the new machine.

Any attempt to demonstrate that newer versions of Windows are "secure" is futile. Malware designers already have new bad guys sitting and waiting before new Windows machines ever hit the shelves. I make some pretty good extra income removing viruses from Windows 8 computers.

[jagabo]

My prediction: People who have been prone to getting malware will continue getting malware after XP support ends. Those who haven't had problems with malware (because of their "safe" practices) will continue not having problems.

[sanlyn]

Ditto.

[enim]

XP will gradually die off as the PC's running it age out. Software will get upgraded.

Definitely Yes, for Tech-Crazy people. XP will fail to recognize new technology.

My prediction: People who have been prone to getting malware will continue getting malware after XP support ends. Those who haven't had problems with malware (because of their "safe" practices) will continue not having problems.

- agreed,
I know an old guy still using P-II, with Windows98 SE with some older version of Office.
He is happy with what he has & what he knows, He stopped running with techno advancements.
When I offered Dual Core with Win7 and Office 2003, all licenced for FREE few months ago, He refused.

Everything is up to you!

[usually_quiet]

You don't have to be tech crazy to be affected when support for an OS ends, since all hardware eventually fails and has to be replaced.

It may take 5-7 years, but those who want to keep using XP will begin to encounter difficulty finding replacement components and peripherals that can be physically connected with their existing hardware and has XP-compatible drivers available. XP support is already fading for new hardware and the existing supply of used hardware will dry up.

[zoobie]

If I didn't need XP to run programs, I'd probably still be on Windows 98.

[usually_quiet]

If I didn't need XP to run programs, I'd probably still be on Windows 98.

Maybe not. What I said above regarding hardware would still apply. Windows 98 support ended in 2006. By 2009 when I built my current system, a lot of the hardware I saw didn't have Windows 98 drivers, new drives were mostly SATA, and AGP video cards were few.

[Richard_G]

I run XP SP3 on my laptop, XP SP2 on a pair of desktops and Win2k on another laptop. All are used for different purposes and all work perfectly well for what I want to do with them. Why should I have to buy a replacement operating system when the one I bought originally still works perfectly? As has been said by others, what have Windows updates ever done for us? The fact that the SP2 machines are still working fine without any updates would seem to prove that.

[Cornucopia]

For one's EXISTING machine configs, assuming one is prudent with Internet usage and has thorough Anti-Malware preparations, as well as complete OS+SP+Driver backups, there is no imminent need to change at all. Down the road, when exploits could build up, sure. Exactly as of April 8? No. In fact, I'd say you are just spreading FUD.

Scott

[mikel]

Anyone seen this?
Microsoft extends updates for Windows XP security products until July 14, 2015

http://www.infoworld.com/t/microsoft-windows/microsoft-extends-xp-anti-malware-support...ly-2015-234374

[usually_quiet]

Anyone seen this?
Microsoft extends updates for Windows XP security products until July 14, 2015

http://www.infoworld.com/t/microsoft-windows/microsoft-extends-xp-anti-malware-support...ly-2015-234374

Yes. It doesn't mean much. Microsoft's own security software now provides only the most basic level of protection. It is not really enough for anyone at this point. Those still running XP really need more protection, especially after XP security patches end.

[hello_hello]

Anyone remember the fuss over "Y2k" or "the millennium bug"? The "end of XP support" issue seems like a similar storm in a teacup.

My plan is to keep doing what I've been doing. Surf with Firefox running on XP. I only ever ran Windows update once or twice a year anyway.... I got sick of updates causing problems.... so until I can no longer run a current browser on XP, for me the only difference between surfing before April and surfing after April will be the date. And maybe the temperature.... because it'll be autumn where I am.

Out of curiosity, what are the specs of this computer?

The one I'm using to post this? It's an E6750 dual core. Why's that?

[deadmeow]

MS operating systems work best after they are a few years old anyway, haha.

[bevills1]

Actually I continued using Win2k until 2010 when software support for it in other programs forced switch to WinXP, and I never had any malware problems running Win2k past Microsoft support termination date. I do use a router, anti-virus and firewall which I'd recommend to all. I've no doubt lack of software support will eventually force switch to later Windows versions whether they are needed or not. It's probably a conspiracy between Microsoft and software companies to ensure Microsoft continues to profit by selling their product. I know there are some improvements in later Windows versions which is fine for those that need or want certain improvements, but I hate everyone being forced to upgrade just for the sake of upgrading.