Recently Microsoft announced that they will no longer be supporting Windows XP as of September 2014. This means they will no longer be releasing security updates through the Windows update service. You will still be able to use your computer after this date but will be unable to patch any security flaws that are found. If you are using a newer computer with Windows Vista/7/8 you are not affected by this notice. Microsoft will support each operating system for a minimum of ten years. Here are the release dates of the various Microsoft products so you can estimate when support might end:
- Windows XP – released in 2001
- Windows Vista – released in 2006
- Windows 7 – released in 2009
- Windows 8 – released in 2012
If you are a current user of Windows XP I would be happy to speak with you about the various options. The first option is keeping your existing hardware and installing a newer operating system (currently recommending Windows 7). I will first have to make sure your existing hardware is fast enough to handle the increased load of Windows 7/8. The second option is to purchase new hardware that contains a newer operating system. In both cases I will check over all the software/printers you use and make sure they will run on Windows 7/8.