Windows XP 'Eiger' and 'Monch' To Secure Older PCs

Microsoft is developing a new version of Windows, codenamed Eiger, aimed at companies that want to better secure their older machines, the company confirmed Thursday.

Eiger is basically designed to turn older PCs into a thin client, which is a terminal that gets most of its information from a central server.

Unlike traditional thin clients, a few programs can be run locally, including Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player and antivirus software. However, it is unclear when Eiger will be available.

One of the key benefits of to Microsoft is that each machine that moves from an older operating system to Eiger is one less unpatched machine that can easily fall prey to viruses or other malicious code.

Customers, too, have complained that they have no way to make older machines safe without replacing them with new ones.

To run Eiger, Microsoft is recommending a Pentium II processor and 128MB of memory; However the software will also run on machines with an older Pentium processor and as little as 64MB of memory.

Goffe said Microsoft also has a list of other features that it won't get to with Eiger, things like support for more programs that can be run locally and the ability to connect to handhelds or other devices.

Microsoft calls that wish list "Monch," named for the mountain that sits next to Eiger.

Microsoft is pitching the software at customers who can't or don't want to buy new PCs, but are concerned that their older computers are not secure and hard to manage.

In many cases, upgrading those machines to standard Windows XP just isn't an attractive option, even if it is technically possible

"If they wanted to run Windows XP, it really doesn't run very well; it might take 20 minutes to boot," said Barry Goffe, a group product manager in Microsoft's Windows client unit.

"Eiger is a solution we are building, designed specifically for these customers."

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It is already posted on the frontpage, but good article nevertheless.

Sorry about that. When I posted, that's when I decided to look at the front page.

thank you for wanting to contribute. However, it has been posted before, so I will close this.

thread closed