Sticking With Windows XP

For those who haven’t heard, Microsoft has pulled the plug on its support with Windows XP on April 8, 2014. It is strongly encouraged to upgrade to another operating system or just purchase a new computer altogether if you are still using XP. There are some reasons to stick with it and in this article I’ll explain the reasons why, reasons to upgrade if you don’t necessarily need XP, and what to do to protect yourself.

Many businesses still use XP for the majority of their computers. This is probably because of the expense of upgrading, but a very valid reason could be because there is software or hardware that only works with XP that the business is still using.

The same thing could be for home users, where a specialized piece of hardware isn’t supported past Windows XP. However, many users just don’t want to change because it means learning a new operating system.

Unfortunately, financial and personal security could be at risk for those holdouts!

For most newer software and hardware, those with XP are going to have a hard time getting them working properly with their computer. Also, support for things that worked with XP will eventually evaporate, if it hasn’t already.

And although not as important, updated and sleeker-looking operating systems that look great on modern screens are something to look forward to, also!

To put it bluntly, there’s a lot on those who will stick with XP to make sure their security won’t be compromised. There are more things you’ll have to learn and do on your own rather than using the convenience that Windows Updates have brought us!

There are several steps to take to keep yourself safe. First of all, stop using Internet Explorer. Use free alternatives such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox instead.

Make sure your anti-virus is in good working order and updated. If your subscription is up or your anti-virus is acting funky, try the free alternative AVG Antivirus. By the way, for those using Microsoft Security Essentials, it was confirmed that it will still be supported after April 2014, even on XP computers. However it cannot be installed on an XP computer any longer.

If possible, only use your XP computer for tasks that cannot be done on a newer system. Consider using a different device such as a Kindle Fire, iPad, Chromebook, a computer with Ubuntu, or a cell phone to access the internet and check emails.

You can also create a limited user account (rather than an administrative) in Windows XP for safety. It won’t have all the privileges and will help keep some malware from changing or accessing system files.

If you don’t need to be online with your XP computer but still need it to be connected to a network, here are some steps you can take for this:
• Open Internet Explorer
• Go to Tools>Internet Options
• Go to Connections tab
• Click on LAN Settings… button
• Check the “Use a proxy server…” box
• Enter 127.0.0.1 into Address text box
• Check “Bypass proxy server…” box
• Click OK to save these changes

We say it every day it seems, but it always pays to backup your files. Always keep at least two copies of your important files. Once they’re gone, they are gone and sometimes they cannot be retrieved (or if they can, it could be expensive).

Consider utilizing your router’s firewall or use web filtering such as OpenDNS. OpenDNS is especially helpful if you have some in your house that aren’t as computer savvy and need that extra protection.

Something that you’ll have to do a more often is keep applications such as Adobe Flash, Reader, Java, etc. up to date. They have become security risks in themselves and it can only get worse when an OS has vulnerabilities.

Also consider upgrading the hardware to give new life to your computer. You can add in memory or even upgrade your hard drive to a much quicker (and more reliable) solid-state drive.

Of course, you can avoid doing a lot of this with upgrading to a new operating system but we understand that sometimes this is going to be unavoidable for the time being. Hopefully you’ll be able to follow most if not all of these tips. There’s a lot on the end user keeping themselves safe. With a little bit of practice, your XP computer will be a lot more secure against the bad guys.