Over the last couple months we’ve all heard it was going to happen, and it has! On April 8th, after 12 years, Windows XP was sunset, retired, no longer supported. In the business world, your IT Department should have been on top of this and handled any necessary upgrades for your office. On a home computer, the responsibility is all yours.
You choices are quite simple:
- Stay a diehard Windows XP user and get ready for the hacker frenzy that analysts are predicting.
- Upgrade your current operating system to Windows 7 (which is similar to XP in looks) or Windows 8 (which will come with a learning curve). If you opt for this, it is suggested you go to Microsoft’s website first to run the Microsoft Upgrade Assistant in order to gauge whether your hardware will operate with the new software.
- Upgrade your PC. There are so many reasonable priced options out there these days between desktops, laptops and tablets.
In this day and age when we keep all our personal information stored in technology, and hackers are circling like sharks, we need to do our best to protect ourselves.
It’s also noteworthy to mention that support has also ended for Office 2003 and Internet Explorer 8.
References:
- http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-support-help
- http://www.pcworld.com/article/2140212/windows-xp-survival-guide-how-to-upgrade-or-not.html
Author: Kristi E. Cauvin
Sr. Business Systems Analyst