This week Microsoft said that support for Windows XP, the operating system they have supported since 01, will end on April 8, 2014. recall came in the form of a warning; XP computers have an infection rate that is six times higher than Windows 8. When support ends, Windows XP users will no longer receive security updates, making them more vulnerable to hackers.
Wow, talk about a Halloween alert! I still have an XP home machine and, before starting to laugh, I find I'm not alone. According Netmarketshare, 31 percent of computers that have accessed the Internet in September used the Windows XP operating system.
Ok, so now what do I do?
There are three versions of Windows you might miss: Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Windows 8.1 is the only version that you can buy on the Microsoft Web site, but Windows 7 and 8 are available for purchase at many online retailers.
Which version you choose may depend on the hardware of your computer. Microsoft recommends these minimum system requirements:
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64)
- Windows 8 and 8.1 require a processor with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2 (more info)
- RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
- disk space: 16GB of free space on the hard disk (32-bit) or 20 GB ( 64- bit)
- graphics card: DirectX 9 graphics with WDDM 1.0 or higher
If you're not sure what it all means , Microsoft Upgrade Advisor free download for each version, which will help you determine if your PC is able to run a newer version of Windows.
Microsoft's website has several tutorials and suggestions for upgrading to each version (here's the tutorial for XP to 7). The basic steps are:
- download and run the Free Windows Upgrade Advisor to see if your PC meets the minimum system requirements
- Move files to an external source using Windows Easy connection. transfer program.
- Install the new version of Windows.
- Recover files with Windows Easy Transfer.
- reinstall programs and drivers.
and if you are a small business is still using Windows XP, Microsoft has support for the small business website with several useful resources to improve your PC from Windows XP to a newer version Windows.
If you have other computers that are already home Windows 7 or more and do not want to mess with upgrading your XP machine, check out our post on what to do when your PC is past its peak disposing well.
If you have a Windows XP machine, what you plan to do?
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