Windows XP is still used by a large number of consumer and business PCs but now the operating system's creator is urging people who still have the operating system to start thinking at least about upgrading to Windows 7. In an new post on the official Windows blog site, Microsoft's Stephen L Rose stated that there are two big reasons for leaving Windows XP behind. One of them is, of course, the fact that there is a new version of the OS, Windows 7, that's a big improvement over Windows XP (no mention at all of Windows Vista).
The other big reason is the fact that there is only 1,000 more days for Microsoft to officially support Windows XP with things like patches. Rose states, "On April 8, 2014, security patches and hotfixes for all versions of Windows XP will no longer be available. So bottom line, PC’s running Windows XP will be vulnerable to security threats."
Rose also points out that third party software makers are also planning to retire support for Windows XP versions of their products which Rose says, "translates to even more complexity, security risks, and ultimately, added management costs for your IT department if you’re still managing Windows XP environments." Rose also states that a recent report from Garter says “more than 50 (percent) of organizations that do not start deploying Windows 7 by early 2012 will not complete their deployments before Windows XP support ends, and will incur increased support costs.”
Rose says that businesses have a number of ways to make the upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 easier including a 90 day trial version of Windows 7 for enterprise customers.
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