Doomsday Windows XP End Support Essay - 1465 Words

Doomsday: Windows XP End of Support Doomsday, the beginning of the end, there are many words which can describe what is to come from the end of support for one of the most widely used Computer Operating Systems in the world; windows XP. The software was introduced almost twelve years ago, and it still remains relevant, and regarded highly by many today (â€Å"A History of Windows†). With the announcement of software giant Microsoft’s end of support date, those using the operating system Windows XP will no longer receive security patches, support, or helpful assistance (Support for Windows XP for Enterprise Business Is Ending). Should Microsoft be obligated to continue support the more than decade old software, or are they making the†¦show more content†¦Now twelve years after the October release of Windows XP, there is a crisis in the computer world. The operating system was very popular, and so widely adapted over the years that most companies are still using it to this very day (Wolpe, Window s XP: One Year to Go but Is It Already Too Late to Move?†). For example a survey on what percentage of computers still run Windows XP was conducted on information technology departments across the United Kingdom (Wolpe, End of XP Support: Why so Many CIOs Are Still Not Ready). The results yielded a staggering 40 percent of desktop computers are still running XP, which is almost half of all of the corporate computer systems in the United Kingdom (Wolpe, End of XP Support: Why so Many CIOs Are Still Not Ready)! Why is it so devastating if Windows XP goes out of support? Spyware, malware, computer viruses will all likely infect machines running the operating system without any hesitation (â€Å"What does it mean if Windows isn’t supported?†). This is due in part to Microsoft no longer sending out security patches, which are basically updates that protect the computer from new threats being produced (â€Å"What does it mean if Windows isn’t supported?†) . For consumers that are using XP at home on personal machines, this means that the computer can become susceptible to an infection, and personal