# Windows XP support ends Apr 8, 2014. No patches. What to do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538 "2013-11-10T01:20:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/1 "2013-11-10T01:20:38Z")
**Malwareagedon!!!** Microsoft will no longer offer software patches for Windows XP, starting in April 8, 2014. [Malware infection may jump 66%](http://bgr.com/2013/11/05/windows-xp-infection-rates-microsoft-support/). Holy smokes! As of this month [31% of all machines run Win XP](http://www.informationweek.com/security/vulnerabilities/windows-xp-security-apocalypse-prepare-t/240163607), so there will be an interesting period of adjustment. So what should be done with an old XP machine, still in use? What should Fortune 500 companies do with their existing XP base? (A: Who cares? They have IT staff.) What should small businesses do? (eg a) 1-6 PCs or b) 7-100 PCs?) What should home users do? What should grandma do? What should black hat hackers do? By way of comparison Windows 2000 support ended in July 2010. But by that point most users had moved on to something else, I’d guess. Windows 7 was initially released in July 2009. Not that long ago. Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (OEM) System Builder DVD 1 Pack costs about $90, Windows 7 Professional SP1 64bit (OEM) System Builder DVD 1 Pack costs $140 and the upgrade version costs $120. I round. Prices from [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com). Ubuntu’s linux installation can be downloaded [here](http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop). ---
**Author:** ![Silophant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Silophant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silophant)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/2 "2013-11-10T01:26:22Z")
At that point, Vista will have been out for 7 years, 7 will have been out for 4.5 years, and 8 will have been out for 1.5 years. I have no sympathy for anyone still on XP. They’ve had plenty of time to upgrade. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/3 "2013-11-10T01:32:23Z")
Make sure you have all the patches next March 2014. Use the PC for as long as possible. If it’s a business machine then it may be ok for awhile. If there’s little activity on the web. The biggest problem is reinstalling XP. SP 3 is pretty old. If Microsoft doesn’t issue another one then anyone reinstalling XP will be S.O.L. If the blood leechers at Microsoft turn off Windows validation then reinstalling XP won’t even be possible. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/4 "2013-11-10T01:42:03Z")
I’ve never had reason to have “support” for an OS, ain’t had a issue yet. Y’all bein paranoid. > [@](#): > > If the blood leechers at Microsoft turn off Windows validation then reinstalling XP won’t even be possible. LOL, yes it will. There have been ways to install without validation for almost as long as there’s been validation. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/5 "2013-11-10T01:52:57Z")
> [@Silophant](#): > > At that point, Vista will have been out for 7 years, 7 will have been out for 4.5 years, and 8 will have been out for 1.5 years. I have no sympathy for anyone still on XP. They’ve had plenty of time to upgrade. Given those dates, how old would a Windows XP system have to be anyhow? It sounds like it would be at least seven years old. So even aside from this news, it’s time to replace any systems that old. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/6 "2013-11-10T02:07:46Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > So what should be done with an old XP machine, still in use? What should Fortune 500 companies do with their existing XP base? (A: Who cares? They have IT staff.) Upgrade to 7 or 8. It’s their own damn fault for not doing it sooner. > [@](#): > > What should small businesses do? (eg a) 1-6 PCs or b) 7-100 PCs?) Upgrade. Seriously, it’s companies dragging their feet about upgrading that are the reason malware is big business in the first place. > [@](#): > > What should home users do? Buy a new computer. For real - how do you people live? Find a student or teacher somewhere to get you an academic discount. > [@](#): > > What should grandma do? Buy a Kindle tablet with the big help button direct to a live person. > [@](#): > > What should black hat hackers do? Double down on Android and iOS malware. > [@](#): > > Ubuntu’s linux installation can be downloaded [here](http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop). Right? Because non-Windows software is magic and never has _any_ support costs associated with it! ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/7 "2013-11-10T02:29:56Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I’ve never had reason to have “support” for an OS, ain’t had a issue yet. Y’all bein paranoid. “Support” includes regular security patches. Hopefully you’ve been availing yourself of those, at least; I guarantee you that the first Patch Tuesday after XP’s support gets dropped will include patches for security flaws in Vista/7/8 that also exist in XP, and will be swiftly exploited. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/8 "2013-11-10T02:36:48Z")
Must be nice enough to be able to afford a new computer everytime a new OS comes out Some of you elitists are completely out of touch with how real people live ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/9 "2013-11-10T02:45:30Z")
Come on. If you’re still running Windows XP, then it’s not a matter of affording a new computer _every_ time a new OS come out, but affording a new computer after _three_ new operating systems have come out. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/10 "2013-11-10T02:47:01Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Must be nice enough to be able to afford a new computer everytime a new OS comes out > > Some of you elitists are completely out of touch with how real people live You don’t need a new machine, and don’t need to keep on the bleeding edge of that upgrade treadmill, either. If you’re on XP and you’re worried about the sunset of official XP support, and buying a brand new PC is unfeasible, I see three alternatives: [ul] [li]Install Mint or Ubuntu. Cost: Free, but this may be unworkable if you have to use some Windows-only software.[/li][li]Find a 7 upgrade license, legit licenses are probably around $80 at the moment[/li][li]Buy a used machine with Windows 7 on it, from eBay, craigslist, or elsewhere[/li][/ul] Any one of those will keep you on a supported, patched OS. Seriously, sticking with XP past that sunset date is a bad idea. I wouldn’t recommend risking it. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/11 "2013-11-10T02:56:40Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Must be nice enough to be able to afford a new computer every time a new OS comes out Or every fourth OS, depending on how you count them. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/12 "2013-11-10T03:03:57Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Must be nice enough to be able to afford a new computer everytime a new OS comes out > > Some of you elitists are completely out of touch with how real people live New machines with Windows XP were last sold in 2007/2008. If you bought one of the last ones, your PC is now five years old, minimum. And if you’re truly hard up, paying a premium to get an XP system after Microsoft released Vista seems unlikely. Anyway, a new PC can be had for about $300. If you put away $1 a week after buying your XP system, you’d now have enough to buy a new Windows 8 machine. If that’s elitism then… I got nothing… calling that elitism is just stupid. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/13 "2013-11-10T03:07:45Z")
people will have machines that Win 7 or 8 won’t run on. a number of Linux flavors that will run OK on that hardware, though you have to select one that fits. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/14 "2013-11-10T03:08:34Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Given those dates, how old would a Windows XP system have to be anyhow? It sounds like it would be at least seven years old. So even aside from this news, it’s time to replace any systems that old. My work laptop is 3.5 years old, running Windows XP 64. We had to use XP at the time it was purchased because of some issue with Windows 7. (IT would upgrade me to Windows 7, but I’m due for a new laptop soon, and I don’t want to hassle with it for just the short time until then.) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/15 "2013-11-10T03:19:03Z")
Work systems are different. My employer still has tens of thousands of systems running Windows XP because they’re still working on the transition to Windows 7, including verifying that the hundreds of desktop applications will work under 64-bit Windows 7. For a large enterprise, it’s really complex. Edited to add, they still issue computers with Windows XP because that’s the current standard. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/16 "2013-11-10T03:20:37Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > people will have machines that Win 7 or 8 won’t run on. If the doom & gloom people upthread are correct, what they will actually have are machines that won’t run much of anything, once the malware wolves show up and rampage through the system. Whether or not they upgrade is kind of moot, like all the people who had 8-track tape players, or Betamax. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/17 "2013-11-10T03:38:10Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > New machines with Windows XP were last sold in 2007/2008. Not true. My desktop runs Windows 7, and i love it, but my netbook was purchased in late 2009, and was only available with XP. The presence of an old OS on the computer is not because i’m some sort of luddite. And despite being a very basic computer without much power, the netbook still works just fine for the limited things i need it for. I dual-booted the netbook with Ubuntu not long after i got it, and when XP support ends, i’ll probably just get rid of the Windows partition altogether. It will still be fine for what i need, and i’m quite happy working with Ubuntu, so i won’t be inconvenienced too much. Still, the “It’s your own damn fault for not having a newer computer” crowd in this thread is pretty depressing. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/18 "2013-11-10T03:38:28Z")
The people who are really SOL are those with legacy software. And yeah, I know about virtual machines, but they don’t always work. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Given those dates, how old would a Windows XP system have to be anyhow? It sounds like it would be at least seven years old. So even aside from this news, it’s time to replace any systems that old. No, because Vista was a downgrade and only early adopters buy an OS within the first year of its release. So somebody could have purchased XP 4 years ago. Besides, the fact remains _ **just under a third of all installations are XP** _. > [@Merneith](#): > > Seriously, it’s companies dragging their feet about upgrading that are the reason malware is big business in the first place. Oh, I really contest this. There’s plenty of malware that runs on Win7, and much of it is high quality stuff. Malware is big business because accessing bank accounts can be lucrative and financial institutions like to make things E-Z for their customers. Apropos nothing, this is a great website for those interested in tales of real life cybercrime: [https://krebsonsecurity.com/](https://krebsonsecurity.com/) I recommend small businesses take his advice. > [@](#): > > Must be nice enough to be able to afford a new computer everytime a new OS comes out > > Some of you elitists are completely out of touch with how real people live. Especially since XP machines work fine. No, I don’t own any and I grasp their security vulnerabilities. > [@Borghunter](#): > > “Support” includes regular security patches. Hopefully you’ve been availing yourself of those, at least; I guarantee you that the first Patch Tuesday after XP’s support gets dropped will include patches for security flaws in Vista/7/8 that also exist in XP, and will be swiftly exploited. Which explains what Black hats should do: backwards engineer the post April 8 security patches for Win7 and relaunch them at the 20%+ of users still running XP. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > New machines with Windows XP were last sold in 2007/2008. Used markets still exist. And most people don’t enjoy upgrading and retooling their habits. Seriously, how many other consumer appliance manufacturers plan their obsolescence this effectively and this fast? For most people computers are a tool, not an obsession. > [@Ethilrist](#): > > If the doom & gloom people upthread are correct, what they will actually have are machines that won’t run much of anything, once the malware wolves show up and rampage through the system. ## I suspect you will merely see a vast uptick in the number of bots on the internet, delivering spam and malware to the rest of us. Also keyloggers. I’m less worried about Bonzi-buddy’s descendents. Grumbling aside, I appreciate the responses. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/19 "2013-11-10T03:40:25Z")
There’s also the issue of people running XP Mode. Some companies have in house software that only runs on that platform. But, there’s no excuse for ever launching a browser in XP mode. That’s just dumb. Antivirus will keep XP mode pretty safe if the user avoids using his browser and email. Save that risky stuff for Win 7. Has Microsoft said Win Update stops next April? Or did they say no new patches? The difference is critical. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538/20 "2013-11-10T03:42:55Z")
My xp machine runs things just fine. I don’t need an upgrade _except_ to avoid malware due to support going out of effect. Guess I gotta try and learn a new system, to do exactly what I already can do now, but for more money. Can I turn the money I already paid Microsoft into nonlegal tender retroactively, so they can’t use it? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-support-ends-apr-8-2014-no-patches-what-to-do/673538.md?page=2)