What XP EOL Means for You

Last year, Microsoft announced that it would be ending support for Windows XP effective April 8, 2014. With that date now in the rear view mirror and Windows XP still holding a grip on nearly 29% share of the total desktop market, the question looms – What does Microsoft ending support for Windows XP mean to you, and what should you do about it?

Now, to be absolutely clear, end of support does not mean that your Windows XP system stopped working on April 8^th in some catastrophic Y2K-esque fashion. But here’s what it does mean:

• No further security updates, patches, hotfixes, or service packs will be issued
• Neither paid support nor free support will be offered by Microsoft after this date
• Microsoft’s online XP knowledgebase will not be updated
• Microsoft Security Essentials will no longer be available for download and install on the OS. For those that already have Security Essentials installed however, it will continue to function, although on a more limited basis due to a lack of OS security updates.

So yes, your PC will continue to operate, albeit at a much higher security risk as hackers exploit the unattended flaws, and without the potential for assistance from Microsoft should something go awry. To avoid getting in trouble by this end of support, you have a few options:

Buy a new PC. Hardware has made enormous leaps since Windows XP was the dominant Operating System. Velocity Micro still offers Windows 7 as well as Windows 8.1 on all of our award winning custom desktops to make the transition easier. Click Here to start shopping or call our sales team at 888-300-4450.

Upgrade your current PC yourself. If you’re not quite ready to let go your current system, you can always simply upgrade the OS with a retail version of either Windows 7 or Windows 8 [affiliate links], but check the minimum system requirements against your hardware before doing so.

Let Velocity Micro upgrade your PC. For $149 plus the cost of any parts or software, we can do an upgrade of your existing Velocity Micro PC for you. Once on our test benches, our engineers can even offer further suggestions for hardware improvements to keep you up and running for years to come. Shipping is even included! For more information on the program, email upgrades [at] velocitymicro.com.

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Josh Covington

Josh has been with Velocity Micro since 2007 in various Marketing, PR, and Sales related roles. As the Director of Sales & Marketing, he is responsible for all Direct and Retail sales as well as Marketing activities. He enjoys Seinfeld reruns, the Atlanta Braves, and Beatles songs written by John, Paul, or George. Sorry, Ringo.

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