XP is a long way from ‘gone’

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It looks like XP is going to hang around for some; just not for us.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

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Bruce,

Maybe so but MS is now resorting to scare tactics. I was working on my cousins machine last week and every time I rebooted (this is XP) MSE came up with an Orange bordered box in the bottom right corner warning that support stopped on 4/8 even though there have been several articles in the computer press that MSE on XP would continue to get updates, at least for signatures. Is anyone else seeing these popups? :cheers:

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
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Bruce,

Maybe so but MS is now resorting to scare tactics. I was working on my cousins machine last week and every time I rebooted (this is XP) MSE came up with an Orange bordered box in the bottom right corner warning that support stopped on 4/8 even though there have been several articles in the computer press that MSE on XP would continue to get updates, at least for signatures. Is anyone else seeing these popups? :cheers:

I saw the MSE popup on a friend’s XP machine. I too was puzzled by it.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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RG, yes those popups are appearing on myfriends computers who have XP
The message is “Support for this operating system is ending. When this occurs Microsoft Security Essentials will no longer be supported and your PC might be unprotected. To make sure your PC stays protected, click the link below to see our end-of-support guidance for operating systems”

I went to http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/end-support-help and part of the message is
“Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP on this date. (If you already have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, you will continue to receive antimalware signature updates for a limited time, but this does not mean that your PC will be secure because Microsoft will no longer be providing security updates to help protect your PC”

I would llike to mention I have a Win7 & Vista computer with MSE and everything is normal

In Windows 8, I found Windows Defender replaces Microsoft Security Essentials
http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/windows8.aspx

So I’m wondering
Will Microsoft Security Essentials support continue with Vista and Win7?
Will Windows Defender be a reliable security protection program in Win8?

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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I’ve seen the warning popups, as well. But evidently government agencies in The Netherlands, UK and USA still have a few XP machines running, and are paying Million$ to Microsoft for Extended Support. They’ll keep getting security updates/patches, but the rest of us (taxpayers, footing the bill) won’t.

My Dell D800 is still on XP (dual boot with Windows 7) for a couple of programs that won’t run on Windows 7, but they don’t need net access, so I’ll just stay offline with that machine when I’m booting XP.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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The warning popup was included in the last XP windows update.
I choose not to install it.

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I chose not to install this one too. lolol

🙂

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The warning popup was included in the last XP windows update.
I choose not to install it.

I chose not to install this one too. lolol

🙂

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Yeah, I’m hearing the same XP corporate/government support thing; 200 dollars a pop per machine, doubled every year thereafter.

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I just checked for the last updates, and at this point they are not available yet, but I got a pop-up for Microsoft Security Essentials that says,

“Support for this operating system has ended, which means Microsoft Security Essentials is no longer supported and your PC is at Risk, blah, blah, blah”

Which is not true. I wonder if there will be a special patch to tell Microsoft Security Essentials to stop popping up this message, or if this is deliberate harassment from Microsoft.

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“…deliberate harassment from Microsoft.” = YES ~ It’s all about the money.

I’m retired, and I can’t afford the “M$ tax” on a new PC (plus software-compatible upgrades & hardware replacements) every few years. I have 2 well-worn Win XP Dell Optiplex 755s in the attic for spare parts.

I have *never* patched my production machine (except to upgrade to SP-3.) I disabled the Automatic Updates (now known as ‘Windows Update’) service years ago. I don’t drink the M$ “Kool-aid” and I’ve never been hacked.

As long as I can keep a Win XP ESET NOD32 anti-virus signatures updated and in-license, I’m not going to “upgrade” ANYTHING. If, for any reason, I have to abandon Windows XP, then I’ll install a Linux distro.

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I didn’t say above that I’m doing this on Windows XP Mode virtual machine running on Windows 7.

When I start the machine I get a pop-up that says:

Microsoft Security Essentials (in a blue title bar)
Requires Your attention (in a red title bar)
“Support for this operating system has ended, (in the body of the message)
which means Microsoft Security Essentials is no
longer supported and your PC is at Risk. To make
sure your PC stays protected, click the link below
to see our end-of-support guidance for operating
systems.”
End-of-support guidance for operating systems (link to http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-support-help)

the “guidance” is to upgrade to Windows 8.1, or buy a new computer, although they fill an entire page with bafflegab to say that.

At the bottom of the page, they ask if it was useful. I said no, and when they asked what they could do to make it useful, I said

provide some guidance for Windows XP users to protect their computers

*****************

I just checked again for the last updates, and now they are available

1) Security Update for Windows XP (KB2922229)

2) Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool – April 2014 (KB890830)

3) Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 9 for Windows XP (KB2936068)

They seemed to install Okay

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When I start the machine I get a pop-up that says:

Microsoft Security Essentials (in a blue title bar)
Requires Your attention (in a red title bar)
“Support for this operating system has ended, (in the body of the message)
which means Microsoft Security Essentials is no
longer supported and your PC is at Risk. To make
sure your PC stays protected, click the link below
to see our end-of-support guidance for operating
systems.”
End-of-support guidance for operating systems (link to http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-support-help)

the “guidance” is to upgrade to Windows 8.1, or buy a new computer, although they fill an entire page with bafflegab to say that.

At the bottom of the page, they ask if it was useful. I said no, and when they asked what they could do to make it useful, I said

“provide some guidance for Windows XP users to protect their computers “

On another page, which explains what you see from Microsoft Security Essentials, they do provide some extra guidance for XP users:

If you must continue to use Windows XP, please make sure that your logged in User Account does not have administrative rights.

If it does, go to Control Panel/User Accounts and create a new User Account with Administrative rights. Log off of your current account and log in with the new account. Go to Control Panel/User Accounts to modify your primary account(s) to have Limited User rights. Log off of the new account and back into your preferred account for day to day use.

Make sure that all installed programs are updated to the latest available and patched versions from the vendor, especially Java (http://www.java.com), Flash and Adobe Reader (http://www.adobe.com).

Microsoft Security Essentials 4.5.216.0 Potentially Unprotected on Windows XP

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The last available updates for XP OS will remain available for a while (MS doesn’t specify how long), so XP won’t stop updating as of April 8, there just won’t be any new OS updates after April 8. So, if you’ve updated XP on April 8, you’re as updated with the OS as you’re going to get. If you haven’t updated XP yet, the updates you might be missing are still available (for a while, anyway).

Also, MS will continue signature updates for XP MSE for a while, but again, they don’t specify how long. There will be no further updates for the MSE engine for XP.

So you can continue to update signatures for MSE after April 8, but at some point in the future (they don’t say when), those also are likely to stop.

Similarly, updates for IE will likely remain available for a while. I haven’t read anything specific on that issue, however.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Also, MS will continue signature updates for XP MSE for a while, but again, they don’t specify how long. There will be no further updates for the MSE engine for XP.

So you can continue to update signatures for MSE after April 8, but at some point in the future (they don’t say when), those also are likely to stop.

Microsoft have specified how long, for both MSE signature and engine updates:

Microsoft will continue to provide updates to our antimalware signatures and engine for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015.

Microsoft antimalware support for Windows XP

Similarly, updates for IE will likely remain available for a while. I haven’t read anything specific on that issue, however.

Not if you mean for Internet Explorer 8 on Windows XP:

Will Internet Explorer 8 still be supported on Windows XP?
As a component of Windows, Internet Explorer follows the support lifecycle of the Windows operating system on which it is installed.

Windows XP End of Support FAQs

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Microsoft will continue to provide updates to our antimalware signatures and engine for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015.

Not if you mean for Internet Explorer 8 on Windows XP:

Thanks for the info, Bruce. As for IE, I was considering IE 9 as an update for IE 8, but thanks for pointing that out, also.

Sometimes my fingers are in gear before my mind is.:^_^:

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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:o:As a Microsoft Certified Engineer for more that 30 years this is what I do.
What is the main software that you are using, also most of the reasons Microsoft stops supporting Operating systems is for guess what $$$$$$$$$$$$$. The most security issue with Microsoft is Internet Explorer and old office.
I still use XP Pro with OPENDNS DNSCrypt also for Browser Comodo Dragon, also a free VPN like VPNReactor and SecurityKISS Tunnel. The Office can be replaced with free Kingsoft Office, for Email Mozilla Thunderbird it looks for spam and other junk. Make sure all of your Virus and software like Advanced Systemcare is looked at daily.
Any questions let me know.

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I was wondering in the case that I want to do a from new install of XP if/after MS removes updates, is there an iso with all the updates needed to bring XP uptodate? I know each month one used to be available.

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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I was wondering in the case that I want to do a from new install of XP if/after MS removes updates, is there an iso with all the updates needed to bring XP uptodate? I know each month one used to be available.

Not from Microsoft. You may be able to search around and find something. But be careful.

Joe

--Joe

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:o:As a Microsoft Certified Engineer for more that 30 years this is what I do.
What is the main software that you are using, also most of the reasons Microsoft stops supporting Operating systems is for guess what $$$$$$$$$$$$$. The most security issue with Microsoft is Internet Explorer and old office.
I still use XP Pro with OPENDNS DNSCrypt also for Browser Comodo Dragon, also a free VPN like VPNReactor and SecurityKISS Tunnel. The Office can be replaced with free Kingsoft Office, for Email Mozilla Thunderbird it looks for spam and other junk. Make sure all of your Virus and software like Advanced Systemcare is looked at daily.
Any questions let me know.

You do realize that Thunderbird is no longer supported?
Thunderbird does have unpatched security issues which may never be fixed. Efforts to get Open Source Thunderbird development going have not to my knnowledge gone anywhere.

-- rc primak

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Thinking one can keep using XP and remain secure is living in a fool’s paradise. There are no new critical updates being provided by Microsoft to individual users. No malware detector will prevent infection via the multiple security holes which will be discovered shortly (think media and picfile exploits of the past, for instance). So no XP system should be connected to the internet.

Asus N53SM & N53SN 64-bit laptops (Win7 Pro & Win10 Pro 64-bit multiboots), venerable HP Pavilion t760 32-bit desktop (XP & Win7 Pro multiboot), Oracle VirtualBox VM's: XP & Win7 32-bit, XP Mode, aged Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2019s (8" & 10.1"), Blu-ray burners, digital cameras, ext. HDDs (latest 5TB!), AnyDVD, Easeus ToDo Backup Home, Waterfox, more. Me: Aussie card-carrying Windows geek.

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I was under the impression that there’s no longer any development of Tbird but that support continues with security updates, with v24.4 being the latest version issued on 18th March. Is this wrong then?

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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I’m running a 2003 Toshiba Satellite P25 with XP Home. I doubt very much that I can upgrade this to Win7, and I know it won’t work on Vista or 8. So until I have money to buy a new computer–not in the near future–I’m staying with XP.

Thanks for the headsup on Kingsoft Office. I’d never heard of it before and since I have Office XP, I’m going to check it out.

A couple of questions:
1. Is there a good replacement for Windows Live Mail that will allow me to set the font size in HTML emails? Many of the ones I receive (not Windows Secrets, thank goodness!) come in mousetype with a minuscule “Can’t read this? Read on the web!” link that’s very difficult to find and not in every email. There was a setting in Outlook Express that allowed me to do use ctrl-scroll wheel to change font size in the preview and message panes,, but it’s not in WLMail. I prefer not to use webmail as my main email client.
2. What about installing Java 8 on XP? I’m getting the same error I see mentioned in other forums, but the workaround is too technical for my non-tech mind.

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. Is there a good replacement for Windows Live Mail that will allow me to set the font size in HTML emails? Many of the ones I receive (not Windows Secrets, thank goodness!) come in mousetype with a minuscule “Can’t read this? Read on the web!” link that’s very difficult to find and not in every email. There was a setting in Outlook Express that allowed me to do use ctrl-scroll wheel to change font size in the preview and message panes,, but it’s not in WLMail. I prefer not to use webmail as my main email client.

You can change the font size in WLM 2012 by clicking on the dropdown in the upper left corner > Options > Mail > Read tab > and click on the Fonts button at the bottom.

Also,Hold down the Ctrl key and roll the mouse wheel to change zoom. Works in WLM, all versions of Office and all browsers.

Jerry

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