Support for Windows XP is ending soon

Microsoft isn't saying you can't use XP anymore, simply that they're no longer supporting it anymore. Your license is still valid, and the system will still work. But MS will no longer be making security updates for it, so you're taking your chances. That's what all the warnings are about.

Windows XP is 13 years old. How many tech or electronics-related products get over a decade of support? Most devices have a 6 month warranty or at most a year or two. Apple and Google only support their OSs for a couple years. (Try buying an iPhone with iOS 5.)

If your expensive hardware isn't supported in newer OSes, then that's the fault of the hardware maker, not Microsoft. If you paid $2000 for the scanner, the manufacturer ought to be willing to develop Win 7 or 8 drivers for it. But it isn't Microsoft's responsibility to test every possible device and combination in existence.

And I'm an IT professional, and I think Windows 8 is the best version to date.

Hi Shadow 1429,

Microsoft forgets what Windows XP can do over 7 & 8:

You can define an icon to any extension without assigning a program to it. This allows you to identify the extension ahead of time before you install the program so you do not delete it as an unknown undefined extension. When you usually install the program for it, you can also assign a different icon to it... The WAR between by brother and myself is WHAT program is associated to JPG and BMP images? That is up to the user to decide. If you know what program uses an extension, and you do not have the program for it is not too difficult to define its icon and its descripton. Like POSER4 has PZ3 renderings as  one of its extensions. Since I keep a grand master file of icons on all of my partitions, it is rather easy to define it.

Antother thing Windows XP can do  and Vista, 7 & 8 cannot do, if you have the file from Windows 2000 or 98 is how to define each and every folder with a background image as shown like the normal desktop.The file is "DESKTOP.ini", it holds the definition to the folder's icon and its address WHERE it from and the same with its background image and the icon's text color. THIS helps me to overcome my cyan colorblindness. ONCE defined correctly, you can copy the paragraphs to define the icon and baxkground image into the next "Desktop.ini" file and define the same or different image or icon when the customize tab IS NOT availible in some system folders. THE grand whoopee do, is define Stonehenge.JPG a the Windows Folder's background image. Also define "Program Files" folder with both an icon from "SHELL32" index 24 and its background image. It is a matter of "CUT, COPY, or PASTE" from one folder to the next. To completely explain this takes a 32 page essay to understand this. IF you want to a step further, You can use Windows Vista's version of "Imageres.dil" in both Windows 7 and with Windows XP, and later manually set its index to show the right icon. In windows 7. YOU must RENAME Vista's version of the dll and NOT replace 7's version, they are NOT the same. Windows will not allow two different files named the same in the same folder. SO I remame Vista's version as: "Imageres-v.dll" and also put it inside "C:\Windows\system 32"

You can define the Partition's icon or drive's icon so you know it there in MY Computer, other than what Windows gives you as index 8 in Shell32.

You can trace back where an icon comes from as to a 'DLL', Program (EXE), or a controp panel Applet. (CPL)

I work with customizations as to icons and background images because "A picture is worth a thousand words". With my excellent photographic memory, I can scan a thousand pictures in an instant and tell myself what is there or not there rather reading text in a thouand blank manilla folders or supposed icons all looking the same. In actuality, when reading text, it is the same in reconizing the alphabet as words that slows your mind down! I took a course in speed reading as that is how I know.

Contrary to what Microsoft is telling us all, is that you can ADD more cursors from Windows 98, from "PLUS!", media, (sounds fro all versions of Windows), and themes from PLUS! to XP, Vista, and 7, and you can mix and match them. You can add more Fonts about 1800 of them or more, More DLLs from other versions that have icons and use them. EXCEPT when Vista or 7's other DLLs.

You sometimes get an error using Windows 7 trying to run your old programs just because Windows 7 is a 64-bit OS and Windows XP is 32-bit OS. THAT is my biggest complaint against upgrades. MY theory is simple: Programming is an exact science. What works when you started twenty years ago will work NOW! Sometimes the update do mor harm than good. Microsoft wants you to think otherwise as newer is better when it is not when they cut out a lot of stuff like this, in which people rely upon. I do not want to see a thousand blank manila folders trying to select what I want. I want to spot the one I want by a picture as an icon even that is what my wife did in organizing the housold accounts.  Oh yeah, Windows XP has its limitations, and so does 7 and 8, Yeah, I also have Windows 7 on three of my nine PCs and it is much harder to use to get some of my copy work done because it does not show how the disk or partition is being defragmented the way Windows XP shows it. It is limited to one partition at a time while it has beed done with 7 doing six partitions at once. (If you have enough page file). A lot of people fail using Windows XP because they are too lazy to add more internal drive space as more partitions to get the really speedy version of Windows XP; With max memery about 4 GB DDR2 memory YOU need about 20 or more GB of page file. Each partition is limited to 4 GB or 4096 MB per partition. I got as high as 70 GB internally and it ties with Windows 7 with an I3 quad core processor with 8 GB of memory... Maybe you have to upgrade what is inside your PC as I am doing to my six PC Towers, It isn't all stashed on drive letter C that works for me, and having one drive inside like a notebook is really lame in all ways. As so having 2 GB DDR memory and expect it to peform like a bullet! Skip the AMD processors, they are not fast enough, Intel is! Spend some serious money to add the extra drive or three or five inside. It is well worth the investment, then tack on 4 GB extra page file. The CD or DVD can be external as the SATA Port is used for adding a Hard disk drive or maybe an serious SSD to it! THEN you will have a serious PC and not an empty shell as a PC case!!! DO NOT be like my older brother as a dumb user, BE a TECHIE yourself and know what to do when it needs fixing. Even if you have to go to school to learn it as I have in electronics. How many rabbits can you pull out of the hat? Meaning,recovered from a dead blank PC? That is everone's test to PASS using any PC! Like I have stated in the last comment, I have a small fortune invested in my nine PCs to let Microsoft tell me what to do by not supporting Windows XP.  If you are insterested, Ican send you the article"Folder Icons" and my "ESG's HDD Theory" just ask for them.

From Edmond the Software and hardware engineer,

You can use XP for as long as you like, at least as long as you have hardware that supports it.

The "scare tactics" are just warnings that once the security updates stop, you're taking a chance running XP. Nothing is stopping you, as long as your hardware supports XP. Of course, hardware that supports XP is difficult to find these days.

XP was quite good for its time, at least once SP1 came out. Few people liked it when it first came out - hmm, that sounds familiar! SP1 fixed a lot of the problems.

But technology has moved on, and XP isn't designed to use the new technology effectively. In fact, some modern computers won't even load it. Should all the computer hardware and software companies just close up shop because people don't want to buy anything new? You can't stay in business by just supporting the old products indefinitely - at some point you need people to buy new.

And yes, Microsoft does want your money. They're a software company - they need to sell software to stay in business.