Microsoft Cancels Security Essentials for Windows XP

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
75,399
If this was a football game, Microsoft would be penalized for piling on. Poor old Windows XP, Microsoft should at least let this venerable old OS go out with some dignity instead of stripping it down to bare bones and tossing it out the back door.

"After April 8, 2014, technical assistance for Windows XP will no longer be available, including automatic updates that help protect your PC. Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP on this date."
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Doesn't bother me, 3rd party programs will take over this space.
 
Just let it die!! I will have to find a good replacement though for one of my (old school) gaming laptops.
 
So for those of us who still have some XP machines what is the least bad free antivirus nowadays?
 
farewell windowsXP, farewell. You served PCs.....ok, I suppose, despite your warts and all. You will be missed, maybe.
 
dR.Jester said:
Windows 8 sucks.
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2d1tis2.jpg
 
Nah, only useful now for running old games in a VM. It had its day.
 
now if only they would hurry up with the next windows 8 update that basically turns it into windows 7 then we can all be happy. classic shell isn't that great
 
BladeVenom said:
I agree. Old XP computers should be switched to Linux, or disconnected from the internet.
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The machines still running XP are usually business machines that are running proprietary industry software that doesn't exist otherwise. "Switched to Linux", indeed. Most companies if they had the option would've upgraded Windows however most of the time they don't with esoteric industry software.
 
I'm still rocking XP on an older Studio 1555 laptop with a C2D processor for running my astronomy gear. Never really connected to the internet as it sits in the yard (and at some point it will run my observatory) connected to the telescope, autoguider, and CCD.
XP is perfect for this use.
I can imagine many out there running applications and in certain situations where XP is perfectly suitable.

For my home office and laptops in my family? 7 all the way.
 
Microsoft is obligated to support their operating systems security as long as they are still being used. To protect others from them.
 
Wow oh Wow you think viruses and identity theft is bad now. I live in a senior citizen community and everybody uses windows xp. I can't talk them out of it it sucks.

Windows xp sucks. Windows 8.1 is heaven.
 
Skripka said:
The machines still running XP are usually business machines that are running proprietary industry software that doesn't exist otherwise. "Switched to Linux", indeed. Most companies if they had the option would've upgraded Windows however most of the time they don't with esoteric industry software.
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That, and probably most places businesses don't want to pay a premium for hiring someone who is familiar with Linux when it is already pushing it or over the limits just to have an IT guy in the building.

gl with that
 
I still run a copy of XP on virtual pc for older programs that doesn't run properly on newer OS (some wouldn't even install correctly).
 
92miata said:
Wow oh Wow you think viruses and identity theft is bad now. I live in a senior citizen community and everybody uses windows xp. I can't talk them out of it it sucks.

Windows xp sucks. Windows 8.1 is heaven.
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Replaced my 80+ year old dad's computer (that was running XP) with a new one running Windows 7 a few months ago. Only took him a few days to get used to it.

If I had used Windows 8, I'd still be getting calls :(
 
BladeVenom said:
VMware.
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I'm sorry, did I hear something?

$$$$

many companies falling into this XP category don't have the money, priority, or time for it.

Why fix what isn't broking / still working .. even if there are obvious virus infections but still can operate computer and do work?

There are sooooooo many companies out there, 'possibly the majority' of those companies running XP. no?

It's just like the topic of security. Some of the comments I have read on Slashdot and here on these forums have pointed out that nobody really cares about truly securing infrastructure and data to a high level ... few see value enough in IT security. At the end of the day it comes down to EBITDA / minimizing expenses and maximizing productivity, workflow efficiencies, and ultimately profits.
 
From a security and code perspective Windows 8 is a godsend compared to XP.
 
What I see is invincible ignorance. The true definition of it.

I am still repairing and reinstalling XP machines for customers, not many, but enough to be concerning. This is personal and business about an even split.

I tell every single one of them that in April the game is up.

If the machine is still running I scan every one of them and clean them up, and every last one has malware of some kind on it. Can't remember the last time I saw an XP machine come through my doors that didn't have at least one something nasty on it.

It doesn't help a damn thing that these are the people who desperately need to buy a new computer... ANY new computer. The $350 piece of junk HP/Dell/Toshiba is perfect, even with Windows 8. But instead of sitting down and giving people JUST 5 MINUTES to show them the 3 of 4 different mouse clicks we perpetuate the same bullshit that has happened every single time Microsoft releases a new OS. "It sucks. It's new. It sucks."

Windows 8 is NOT windows Vista. It does not have any unduly serious problems with its underlying design, performance or security. Vista was a dog both in performance and memory usage. It's startup and shutdown times were unacceptable. It had runaway background processes for no reason. Beyond that, it does the same job as Windows 7, which is the perfected vision of Vista.

What does windows 8 need to shut people up other than bringing back the classic Start menu? Nothing. Not a damn thing.

But the bitching and "he said, she said, my second cousin's dog said that 8 sucks." Is quite literally RESPONSIBLE for many of my customers thinking that they are somehow going to stretch their usage of XP until the next Windows release.

That's a #Q@$# BAD IDEA. Because those of us in IT know the rumors about MS being off-balance with the reception of Win 8... and we may not even get a traditional OS for Win 9... or then again we might. The point is, we are paving the road to go through this all over again with Windows 7... being technology locked in a 12+ old OS, while in every other industry people SOMEHOW survive having their iOS or Android device get the OS updated yearly without throwing tantrums the likes of which MS desktop users throw.

But we are causing our own worst nightmare. I have to listen to people telling me they won't replace their XP machines because someone says "8 sux" but not a one of these people have any clue why other than someone else said so.

So here we are, April barreling down upon us, and I'm having to do crazy workarounds just to get windows update working on each reinstall of XP knowing that that by May or June the security situation is going to be dire indeed and beyond that software developers are SALIVATING at the chance to finally say "No more support for XP! See, even MS doesn't support it anymore."

We're going to go into the teeth of this with 20+ percent of machines still running XP... which is uncharted territory. I don't like dealing with freaked out, upset, frustrated people. And this is going to generate a lot of them.

- Extra strength rant, off -
 
Reply to above post and I say this with honesty! Windows 8 ( SUCKS ) ! And yes I use to have it on multi boot computer for a many months. It sucks so bad I just couldn't stand to let it even use up around 100gb of storage space on my hard drive. And all this bs talk about windows xp is going to get viruses etc blah blah. Get real haha all one has to do is install a 3rd party antivirus which most people do anyways. Funny I still have on my multi boot startup 1. windows 7 2. Debian 3. windows xp
 
Its amazing how Microsoft kept Windows XP supported for so long, but yeah, its truly showing its age and it won't even run on some modern PC's properly due to lack of driver support. But I loved XP when it first came out and used it from 2009.
 
The only reason XP has been around so long is that Vista was so unappealing. My old work laptop which was replaced less than a year ago still had XP. I like Windows 7 better, but I fought them trying to upgrade the OS before they were willing to upgrade the hardware because it wasn't enough of an improvement to justify the lost time and the potential for problems.

Vista wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. So far Windows 8 seems to be similar. It's usable, but has too many quirks and really doesn't offer many improvements over Windows 7. I hope they get it right with Windows 9.
 
Skripka said:
The machines still running XP are usually business machines that are running proprietary industry software that doesn't exist otherwise. "Switched to Linux", indeed. Most companies if they had the option would've upgraded Windows however most of the time they don't with esoteric industry software.
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Most of our machines are now moved over to their own sub net. Not internet for you guys, on the bright side they dont have to have antivirus running now.
 
The majority of people are lazy and ignorant. Hence why Windows 8 sucks. They don't want to learn anything new, (even if it is better), so they stand back and say, "no, it sucks, I won't use it." Take those same people and take away their Windows 7 for two weeks and install 8 on their machines, and most of them would never go back to 7.

When you ask them why it sucks, they will usually give you 2 answers:
1. metro sucks
2. I don't know why it sucks, it just does.

The metro interface works exactly like a full screen start menu. I have no idea why people find this so intimidating, you just launch a program from there...just like the old start menu. I have 8 on all of my computers and I still work from my desktop, just like I've always done and most of my shortcuts are on my desktop so I don't have to go into the metro interface.

I find it even funnier when people try and compare Windows 8 to Vista. Vista was a bad OS, there's no doubt about it, but its not even close to the worst thing Microsoft has ever put out. Windows 98 was horrible until SE came out and Windows ME was probably the worst OS I've ever seen. I remember trying to install ME on my machine for 2 full days, (it kept crashing during the install). Not to mention every time ME didn't shut down correctly you had to reload the entire fucking OS.

I was a full blown Windows 7 convert and had 7 Ultimate installed on every machine in the house. I loved 7 and thought I would hate 8 at first, but after a week of using it, I would never go back to 7. I can tell you for a fact that Windows 8 is the fastest, most stable OS Microsoft has ever put out and I'm very happy with it.

If your too ignorant and don't want to learn something new, try installing Classic Shell over Windows 8. I've never used it, but I hear it gives you that warm fuzzy feeling like your back in Windows 7 then you don't have to learn anything new. But for the love of god, please stop showing us all how dumb you are by saying Windows 8 sucks.
 
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