Expert Advice on Windows XP EOL
With the end of support date for Windows XP fast approaching, we asked our network of TechTalk contributors & PC experts for their advice for XP users:
1. If a relative or friend of yours is still running Windows XP on April 9th, what advice would you give them?
Upgrade if at all possible. (to 8.1)
— Leo Notenboom
Think of XP like an old car that’s slowly rusting. Users may think they can get by with XP even after support ends, as long as they have an anti-virus or firewall program. That’s as dangerous as thinking that you can drive on bald tires or squealing brakes.
Remember, the bad guys have had their sights set on April 9th, 2014 for a long time. As soon as Microsoft drops support, they’ll start releasing their own “updates” by using vulnerabilities they have discovered, but have not yet exploited. From the cyber-criminal’s perspective, it would be stupid to make public an exploit now, when there’s a chance that Microsoft might still release a fix or patch for it. Many of these exploits, such as security holes in browsers, or buffer overrun issues in Windows components, can’t be mitigated by your anti-virus or firewall protection. So it’s a matter of WHEN you will have a serious problem, not if.
There’s only one exception. Let’s say you have an XP system that’s NOT connected to the Internet — perhaps it sits it a corner and is only used for word processing, or video games, or a legacy database program. If you have a really good reason for not wanting to upgrade, there’s not so much urgency to do so, because almost all of the dangers involved come from the online world. But you’ll still have to deal with the possiblity of a virus infection that enters via an infected flash drive or CDROM.
— Bob Rankin
I would reply that anyone still using a PC that came with Windows XP installed is very, very old, and while it may serve their needs, an OS upgrade on such old hardware would not beneficial, if it even works at all. Given the price of a new PC (especially compared to what one would have cost back in XP’s heyday) and all the added features and apps available, it is time for a new PC in my opinion.
—James Fisher | WindowsTalk.org
Explain what is happening with Windows XP and what End of Support means. Quite a few folks I encounter each day think it means that Windows XP will suddenly cease to work on 8 April 2014. I explain about the update process and then encourage them to upgrade to a more modern device and operating system. Some believe that if they keep security software installed and up to date that it will continue to be safe even if a vulnerability is found. Unfortunately, Microsoft and other providers of security software have fed this misconception by offering software that will run on the expiring OS into the foreseeable future.
—Richard Hay | Windows Observer
I would advise them to upgrade to Windows 8 as soon as possible. If they are uncomfortable with the Windows 8 presentation, then they should move to Windows 7 (though Windows 8 can be set to operate in much the same way as Windows 7, if that is desired: http://www.techlicious.com/how-to/how-to-stay-in-desktop-on-windows-8-pc/). If they insist on staying with XP, a robust antimalware suite is a must have.
—Josh Kirschner|Techlicious
2. People who are running Windows XP might not be able to upgrade their Operating System to Windows 7 or 8 due to hardware incompatibility. What advice would you give them?
If the issue with upgrading is hardware, I would strongly encouraging making the investment in a new PC. You can find plenty of options for under $500 that will offer far more performance and storage than their current device (for example: http://www.techlicious.com/review/best-laptop-under-500-november-2013/). And, if their computer is that dated, it may only be a matter of time before they experience a hard drive failure or other serious issue, so an upgrade is certainly a good idea.
—Josh Kirschner|Techlicious
If new hardware is in the budget now might be the time, other wise consider a Linux distribution.
— Leo Notenboom
Since Windows XP first came out 13 years ago the landscape of computing devices has changed significantly and there is a lot of new form factors and hardware to replace that aged Windows XP machine. The hardware that is found in today’s machines and devices are much more advanced and capable than they were in those days. I imagine some of our smartphones of today have higher specs than the PC’s did 13 years ago. I think Windows XP users would find the speed of their system to be profoundly faster.
—Richard Hay | Windows Observer
This would be extremely rare. Maybe a really old printer, scanner or some other peripheral would cause this. My advice is to upgrade the hardware components that are holding you back. The cost of doing so will almost certainly be less than the damage caused by a virus infection or identity theft.
— Bob Rankin
3. If someone digs their heels in and simply refuse to upgrade their Operating System, what advice can you provide to make them more secure?
unplug that PC from the Internet!
—James Fisher | WindowsTalk.org
Make sure that the anti-malware tools are current and up to date,
turn on the XP firewall, and use common sense above all to avoid
malware. And if you haven’t beem, start backing up regularly. When
(not if) you get malware reverting to a backup images is the quickest
and most reliable way to recover.
— Leo Notenboom
The only piece of advice I can give is to disconnect that machine from the Internet and use it locally. If a vulnerability comes up on that OS and it is exposed to the Internet it will get exploited at some point.
—Richard Hay | Windows Observer
If you’re staying on XP, make sure you install the final updates/patches and invest in a robust anti-malware suite.
—Josh Kirschner|Techlicious
I’ve seen advice such as “Use Firefox or Chrome instead of Internet Explorer,” and “be careful where you click.” But I don’t think that’s really a good solution. My best advice would be to disconnect from the Internet. If that’s not possible, do frequent full system backups, make sure your anti-malware protection is top notch, and run an on-demand anti-malware scanner such as MBAM as a second layer of defense. But don’t expect that you’ll be safe.
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4. What is the best way to backup your data when moving to XP?
I’ll assume you mean “from”. I remain a huge fan of making a backup
image. Run a tool like Macrium on the old system to image the entire
machine and then you’ll be able to access that image for anything at
all that might be needed on the new.
— Leo Notenboom
Assuming you’re going to move to a new machine, or do a reformat and install Win7/Win8 on current hardware, I’d recommend the free Laplink PCmover Express (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/xp/transfer-your-data.aspx) to move your files, settings and user profiles. It won’t move your user-installed software, though. PCmover Pro ($24) will do that, or you can re-install them yourself. Cloning your hard drive to an external drive will give you the most convenient access to any files you might have missed when making the transfer to a new system.
—Bob Rankin
Microsoft’s own Windows Easy Transfer is one way to go (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/windows-easy-transfer). However, there may still be other data, such as contacts, that you need to do manually. We have a guide to migrating from an old to new PC here: http://www.techlicious.com/tip/how-to-migrate-to-a-new-pc/.
—Josh Kirschner|Techlicious
To insure I had every single possible file from that system I would make an image backup of the drive and make sure that the backup software allowed me to browse that image backup like a directory and recover individual files as necessary in the future.
—Richard Hay | Windows Observer
