After April 8, 2014, technical support for Windows XP will no longer be available, including automatic security updates that help protect your computer. Shortly thereafter, developers will stop updating their software to support Windows XP. In addition, Microsoft will stop providing Microsoft Security essentials for download on Windows XP.

Windows XP will still function after April 8th however it will become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. In the event your operating system needs to be reloaded; it would be difficult to find drivers. Software and hardware manufacturers will only continue to optimize for recent versions because support for older versions is not economical.

 

When the Operating system is reloaded it will require to be activated. It’s not clear if Microsoft’s activation servers for Windows XP will still be operational after April 8, 2014. One thing for sure, additional patches and upgrade will not be available. Because of this, you might not be able to install software requiring a special update such as Net Framework.

 

Windows Server 2003 R2 is essentially Windows XP Server. Since they are roughly the same operating system (kernel), this might be an alternative temporary solution but eventually Microsoft will also end support for Windows 2003. Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition retails for $800 with 5 CALs (P/N T72-00632).

 

Depending on your computer make and model, you might be able to upgrade your Window XP to Windows 7 for $100 plus labor. But we recommend that you also upgrade your computer. Most Windows XP computers are running at 32bit with 1GB or 2GB or memory. In addition, the average hard drive failed between the 4th and 5’th year. It would be cost-effective to perform both upgrade otherwise you might end up paying twice. You might also want to consider rebuild system for less than $300 that is already loaded with Windows 7.  For more information, contact SNC at (916) 222-3794