The Lone Warrior, will be Long Gone....All those who are still running Windows XP on their computers will have to upgrade and they should do it now.
However much you may love this operating system the truth is that it is over 12 years old and it is dying.
Microsoft will dump the software on April 8 next year. This means the company will no longer be responsible for any hassles you face on your computer. And those still on it may face severe trouble, from virus attacks to total system failure.
" Windows XP was launched at a time when there were very few cell phones around. There was no WiFi and no Bluetooth. The entire ecosystem of hardware and software has changed completely," says Amrish Goyal, Microsoft India's director of Windows Business Group. Goyal is spearheading the drive to get businesses and individuals to change to Windows 7 or Windows 8 immediately.
He points out Microsoft will stop issuing bug fixes, and security patches for the operating system.
As it is these have already started drying up for those on XP. Businesses, banks and individuals are particularly at risk, says Goyal. He cites a recent report by International Data Corporation ( IDC) that says an alarming 50 to 60 per cent of Windows users in organisations are still on XP. These firms, small or large, run the risk of losing their certifications, as no internal or external audit will ratify them because of stringent data security and privacy laws. IDC is a US- based market research, analysis and advisory firm specialising in information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology. It works in almost 120 countries, including India.
Microsoft commissioned them to find out how prevalent was the use of Windows XP in India.
Many of you will say that your system works fine so why should you replace it. The average life cycle of a PC is five years, after which you should change it. I know many of you bought PCs in the last two or three years and downgraded it from Windows 7 to Windows XP since you were comfortable with it, or were running software that you had become cozy with. Let’s take a look at the risks involved.
Anti- virus and anti- malware are all being reworked for Windows 7 and Windows 8. These will never be able to protect your computer if you are still running an old operating system.
Windows relies on drivers so that a piece of hardware can talk to the software. Drivers will no longer be updated for Windows XP. So if you’re to plug in a newly bought printer to your older operating system, chances are that it will not work at all. You will in all probability get an irritating message saying, " Driver not found, contact your hardware manufacturer". But the printer manufacturer will not be able to help you, and neither will Microsoft.
Plug in your new camera and imagine how frustrating it will be when you cannot transfer the pictures to your PC. Simple tasks like printing, accessing browser- based applications and the like will become difficult to accomplish from a Windows XP– based PC. Those using XP for financial transactions and Internet banking face the gravest threat. They feel that since these applications are browser based they do not need a new machine.
Little can be further from the truth. Using an old browser will increase the risk of your password or banking data being stolen manifold.
IDC feels that some large banks that have thousands of branches and computers in each of these locations are most vulnerable. Bank officers interviewed thought that since they only access the corporate database with their browser there is no need to upgrade their PCs. It warns that such organisations face major disruption in their work and are staring at huge financial losses that they will never be able to justify because of stringent RBI guidelines and amendment to the IT Act.
If you are planning to change your computer now I would recommend that you make sure that it is at least able to run Windows 8. Take a new processor such as i7 and also ensure that it has at least 4GB RAM. This way you will have technologyproofed yourself for at least three years.
