All You Win XP Stragglers

[burlmart]

Well, there are still about 30% of ALL PCs on the planet still running XP despite constant warnings from MS to dump it by this April 8, after which there will no longer be OS patches or other update support.


Two days back, all the reporters said that MS would also quit providing free antivirus protection for XP thru its Microsoft Security Essentials software. Today, we read they will provide it until July, 2015.

Just wondering how many fellow XP hanger-oners like me w/ plan to keep using XP? What special extra things will you be doing after April 8. I will run a complete Malwarebytes scan every week, or so.

I tried several free AV programs like AVG, Avast, and Comodo, but just find them too intrusive compared to MSE.

[burlmart]

As of Saturday, MS eases up even more on XP Users

I've never heard of MSRT, but it sounds like something a MalwareBytes scan does???

[KA4EBU]

Any with the 8.anything attached will carry the stigma.
To save face they will need a free upgrade from win 8.? to the new os. PC's and desktops are soon to be a thing of the past, except for businesses. Several of the small businesses I know have or are switching to Linux and are happy.

[burlmart]

I suspect many who post on this forum are aware of Paul Thurrott's blog...I was not, until I finally checjed the source for so many recent W8 and XP stories.

This useful W8.1 Update 1 story explains that one thrust of the upcoming update(s) tof W8.1 is

" to get Windows back on track with its legacy roots after a disastrous spell in which Windows 8.0, in particular, removed legacy interfaces, triggering a violent pushback from Microsoft's corporate customers. But though it's unclear if this is the release that will include a vestigial Start Menu or whether we'll need to wait for Threshold (Windows 8.2 or 9) in early 2015 for that, I believe it will be earlier rather than later. "

[IND_navyvet]

burlmart
what you said makes sense.
if it ain't broke no need to fix.

[burlmart]

I have come to be a bit of a tech report junkie, as I jump from one tech site to another looking for interesting reports. MS tech writers and fans are screaming to kill XP in the comment boxes of so many report posts.


If I were an honest tech writer, I might post something like...:

Yesterday, Microsoft started cracking a much smaller whip to force XP users to 'upgrade'. While their threat to stop all patch and update support on 4/8/14 may stick, they have just reversed themselves and will continue their MSE anti-malware support. Note that in doing this abrupt reversal, MS rejoins third party AV companies who were already planning to supporting XP at least until 5/15. Perhaps MS is now hoping that with a 15 month extension of MSE support and maybe less belicose treatment of the existing base of XP users, they will be more open to staying loyal to MS after they havetime for a thoriugh look at W9, which will roll out in April 2015.

Long-time XP users will note this is the second time in 7 years that MS has reversed its policy against XP and instead supported it as a bridge over unsuccessful OS rollouts. In '07, XP was used to help many Vista haters to stay w/ MS and embrace W7, amd now we will see MS warm up to XP and nurse it in hopes that as XP users ignore W8, W9 will be a popular OS.

As a tech reporter, I apologize for my lambasting XP of late. Those of us writers and our commenting readers who like and heavily use MS W7 and W8 areeasity get bored w/ the same old stuff, and are constantly wanting something new and flashy - neverminding that it still does the same job as the old stuff.

In truth, over its 12+ year life, there was never a really good reason for XP users to switch.

Edited what was a pretty rough draft

[SRT]

I bit the bullet! The graphics card in my old desktop computer (7 years old) bit the dust. A new card wouldn't work. So got a new desktop case, motherboard, and used the new graphics card. Got the Win 7 64bit OS. Also a multi-gigabyte solid state HD and a terabyte+ regular hard drive. Jumped from XP Pro to Win 7 Ultimate. Glad for the new hardware and OS.

Then I upgraded my old smart phone (Palm Pre) to a new iPhone 5S for 4G speed and mobile hot spot. Everything runs faster. I'm happy that I spent the bucks to do the upgrades.

[SCR]

Gdetrailer wrote:

SCR wrote:

2012Coleman wrote:
Hope all you non believers have your files backed up on external media, and won't be connected to a network with your out of date OS. If it was a money making venture to supply patches and updates, then the poster who stated they would have stuck with Win 95 would still seeing it upon start up. Win 7 is not much of a learning curve. I won't defend Win 8. When you get the message asking you for money to unlock your files, just throw it in the can.

The Crytolocker Ransomeware is not just an XP problem it will infect all Windows operating systems.

Your best defense in the event of infection is to have a complete backup or image of your hard drive.

More Information:
Wikipedia - Cryptolocker

Sophos

:R

The sky is falling... again.

Really?

I hate to tell you, NONE of the MS "patches" truly make your PC totally "bullet proof".

I HAVE seen FULLY PATCHED, loaded with active A/V softawre hiding behind a very robust locked down firewall PCs FALL VICTIM to drive by malware attacks. Basically turning those PCs into quivering door stops.

Every security patch that has been released by MS basically addresses extremely minute security holes or flaws. Basically put most are to fix flaws found by MS folks. These are flaws that have several billion to one chances of ever affecting your PC.

In the big corporate world most companies DO NOT allow their PCs to ever reach out to MS update servers. Instead the IT departments REVIEW AND TEST ALL patches to ensure the patches do not break something and are truly needed. Then when the patches have been approved, the IT department sends them to their OWN CORPORATE UPDATE SERVERS.

I used W98SE for many years well past the drop dead support date and I had NEVER, EVER "patched" it with any updates.

Guess what? I NEVER, EVER was hit by any virus or malware.

My XP on the other hand has been kept up to date with patches and IT WAS INFECTED by a inline text ad!

If you this concerned about virus or malware then I would recommend that you pull the network cable or your wireless card out of your PC, then stomp on it, then take a sledge to it, then burn it and NEVER, EVER think about connecting to the Internet, that is the ONLY way you will never be exposed to attacks.

USE YOUR HEAD, instead of worrying about these small chances of attacks and use better browsers instead of IE along with some top notch browser tools.

Things like FireFox with Adblock Plus, NoScript (this completely STOPS ALL attacks via Javascripts since it does not allow them to run automatcially), Better Privacy stops and removes flash super cookies.

Most if not all malware and virus's tend to be delivered via JavaScripts. The reason for this is Javascripts are like little snippets of code which can run in the background WITHOUT YOU KNOWLEDGE. They have FULL ADMINISTRATIVE RIGHTS to DOWNLOAD, INSTALL AND RUN software... Without something like NoScript YOU HAVE NO CONTROL, the website has control of your PC...

Wow!

You sure read a lot in to my 2 sentence post that I didn't type. It was a simple statement of fact to respond to a post that seemed to imply that the lack of MS updates would put your system at greater risk for the Cryptolocker ransomware.

There is no problem with the sky in my area, perhaps it is a localized issue.

I am still running XP on one of my computers and Seven on the other 2 none of which has ever been infected. Proper settings on my router firewall, AV and software firewall along with a few other software titles provide the basic protection my choices provide the balance.

I am not overly worried about infection, I don't know where you got the idea I am. However, I am cautious hence I have never been infected. I have been using computers since the DOS days and not one time have I ever been infected.

You can do whatever you like to your Internet connection. There will be no hammer, stomping, burning or anything else to my connection equipment. I must say that your suggestion is rather extreme.

I don't use IE and haven't for many years. I have all the necessary addons to protect the browser I do use. Again, my common sense choices provide the ultimate protection.

The fact remains that MS updates and patches will not protect you from Cryptolocker ransomware. Which is all I said in the first place.

I suggest you take posts at there face value and not inject things that are not there or intended to be there.

[rk911]

Dyngbld wrote:
I don't think I have a machine that will run anything greater then XP. (My newest is 10 years old.) I run Linux on my laptop, and XP on the hamshack computer, I will keep running XP until I get a new machine.

X2 on that. I made the switch from 95 to 98, 98 to XP and XP to Win7 only when I bought new machines. the jump from XP took the longest, nearly 10-years. and I still have an XP desktop in the hamshack running an APRS digipeater and an XP laptop I plan to continue use in our RV for GPS.

[burlmart]

Wow! I think I must be channeling her thoughts

The core XP is already in Vista, 7, and 8. and it dates back even before XP.

Maybe MS should own this fact and use it to keep users onboaed as the article says.

[Dyngbld]

I don't think I have a machine that will run anything greater then XP. (My newest is 10 years old.) I run Linux on my laptop, and XP on the hamshack computer, I will keep running XP until I get a new machine.

[burlmart]

"Without something like NoScript YOU HAVE NO CONTROL, the website has control of your PC...?

Thanks. Just added it.

[time2roll]

XP at work seems fine to me. Protected by mcafee and the network so no worries. 🙂
Liked Win7 🙂 but my all-in-one died and now stuck with Win8 that is awkward at best. 😞

[Gdetrailer]

SCR wrote:

2012Coleman wrote:
Hope all you non believers have your files backed up on external media, and won't be connected to a network with your out of date OS. If it was a money making venture to supply patches and updates, then the poster who stated they would have stuck with Win 95 would still seeing it upon start up. Win 7 is not much of a learning curve. I won't defend Win 8. When you get the message asking you for money to unlock your files, just throw it in the can.

The Crytolocker Ransomeware is not just an XP problem it will infect all Windows operating systems.

Your best defense in the event of infection is to have a complete backup or image of your hard drive.

More Information:
Wikipedia - Cryptolocker

Sophos

:R

The sky is falling... again.

Really?

I hate to tell you, NONE of the MS "patches" truly make your PC totally "bullet proof".

I HAVE seen FULLY PATCHED, loaded with active A/V softawre hiding behind a very robust locked down firewall PCs FALL VICTIM to drive by malware attacks. Basically turning those PCs into quivering door stops.

Every security patch that has been released by MS basically addresses extremely minute security holes or flaws. Basically put most are to fix flaws found by MS folks. These are flaws that have several billion to one chances of ever affecting your PC.

In the big corporate world most companies DO NOT allow their PCs to ever reach out to MS update servers. Instead the IT departments REVIEW AND TEST ALL patches to ensure the patches do not break something and are truly needed. Then when the patches have been approved, the IT department sends them to their OWN CORPORATE UPDATE SERVERS.

I used W98SE for many years well past the drop dead support date and I had NEVER, EVER "patched" it with any updates.

Guess what? I NEVER, EVER was hit by any virus or malware.

My XP on the other hand has been kept up to date with patches and IT WAS INFECTED by a inline text ad!

If you this concerned about virus or malware then I would recommend that you pull the network cable or your wireless card out of your PC, then stomp on it, then take a sledge to it, then burn it and NEVER, EVER think about connecting to the Internet, that is the ONLY way you will never be exposed to attacks.

USE YOUR HEAD, instead of worrying about these small chances of attacks and use better browsers instead of IE along with some top notch browser tools.

Things like FireFox with Adblock Plus, NoScript (this completely STOPS ALL attacks via Javascripts since it does not allow them to run automatcially), Better Privacy stops and removes flash super cookies.

Most if not all malware and virus's tend to be delivered via JavaScripts. The reason for this is Javascripts are like little snippets of code which can run in the background WITHOUT YOU KNOWLEDGE. They have FULL ADMINISTRATIVE RIGHTS to DOWNLOAD, INSTALL AND RUN software... Without something like NoScript YOU HAVE NO CONTROL, the website has control of your PC...

[burlmart]

See Edited post on 1/18 at about 12:21

[SCR]

rk911 wrote:

2012Coleman wrote:

SCR wrote:

2012Coleman wrote:
Hope all you non believers have your files backed up on external media, and won't be connected to a network with your out of date OS. If it was a money making venture to supply patches and updates, then the poster who stated they would have stuck with Win 95 would still seeing it upon start up. Win 7 is not much of a learning curve. I won't defend Win 8. When you get the message asking you for money to unlock your files, just throw it in the can.

The Crytolocker Ransomeware is not just an XP problem it will infect all Windows operating systems.

Your best defense in the event of infection is to have a complete backup or image of your hard drive.

More Information:
Wikipedia - Cryptolocker

Sophos

Sure it could infect all windows Os's - but will be a lot easier on an unprotected not patched XP box. But thanks for repeating my advice and sending a link that makes my point about backing up your files as your basically screwed if you get this.

what makes you think that an XP box will become 'unprotected' when MS drops support?

Microsoft updates and patches do not protect you from cryptolocker ransomware. A fully updated Windows 8.1 machine can be infected. There is no security vulnerability in Windows that is being exploited.

Cryptolocker is a legitimate software it's just that the bad guys are using it as ransomware.

Further if you pay the ransom there is a good chance that you will not have your files unlocked.