Upgrade
paths, and alternatives
End
of Support for Windows XP, Office versions
Copyright
4ReliableComputers.Net
rev 2014-04-03
Overview:
Microsoft is ending
support for certain products as of April 8, 2014, including Windows XP, and
Office 2003. (Support for previous versions of these products has already
ended). This means there will be no more security updates or technical support
for the Windows XP operating system, but it does *not* mean it will stop
working, lock users out, or that user data will necessarily be lost.
Windows
Security: Without
critical Windows XP security updates, a PC may become vulnerable to harmful
viruses, spyware, and other malicious software (malware) which can steal or
damage data. Anti-virus (also called anti-malware) software will also not be
able to fully protect you once Windows XP itself is unsupported. This does
*not* mean that existing anti-virus-malware products installed on Windows XP
will stop working, but it may mean that the developers of those anti-virus
programs may stop providing the latest virus-malware “Most Wanted List” to
those products, so they could become less and less effective over time. For
more details, see:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/enterprise/endofsupport.aspx
Upgrading
operating system on existing hardware and programs: Windows 8 is the latest upgrade available
for Windows XP machines at present. Pricing is about $100. (Upgrade from
Windows 8 to version 8.1 is a free download). To determine which portions of
hardware and software on an existing machine are compatible with Windows 8, one
can use Microsoft Upgrade Assistant. This free Microsoft download scans your
PC, desktop apps, and connected devices to see if they'll work with a later
version of Windows, and then provides a free compatibility report. For more
details, see:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/upgrade-assistant-download-online-faq
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/what-does-end-of-support-mean
Non-Microsoft
operating systems: New
competitors to Microsoft Windows appear each year (Linux, Apple, et al).
Linux-based operating systems are far lower priced; some are open-source,
provided free by established developers. Most will run on hardware that
previously ran Windows XP. Apple operating systems and computers, while of
excellent quality, are generally priced significantly higher than Windows
machines, with a far fewer hardward choices. Many competitive operating systems
behave similarly enough to Windows, that nimble users make the transition with
satisfaction. Linux operating systems provide nearly all the features of
Microsoft Windows, but are less “automatic” when being installed, and upgraded.
Apple operating systems are quite easy to install and automatically upgrade.
Apple and Linux operating systems are generally *more* secure than Windows;
many users choose to not install anti-virus-malware software at all, due to the
small risk. Finding software drivers for non-mainstream peripherals, such as
odd printers, may be difficult. Some non-mainstream applications, including
specialized accounting and bookkeeping software, may not be available in
versions for Linux and Apple. A majority of the world’s websites are served
from Linux servers. Many large businesses run applications on Linux. Apple
Computers is a large, well-known company due to its successful iPhone business,
but the installed base of Apple computer workstations, is but a small fraction
of the worldwide base.
Upgrading
to a later operating system on new hardware and programs: Lowest total cost of ownership for
business users, is usually to upgrade hardware and operating system together.
As this may involve purchasing newer versions of some applications (such as
office productivity software - Microsoft Office or similar), the cost of
computer with operating system, may be less than half of the transition cost.
Upgrading
to later Office productivity programs: Newer versions of some applications (such as office
productivity software - Microsoft Office, which contains Word, Outlook, Excel,
etc), provides more features and security, than previous versions. However,
these new versions present some training challenges, additional visual
complexity, and purchase costs that can exceed the new hardware. Windows 8 contains a basic email app, and a
basic calendar app is available, so Office is not be required by all users.
Costs for the latest versions of Office range from $140 - $400. For more
details, see:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/buy/compare-microsoft-office-products-FX102898564.aspx
Office
365, Software as a Service: One approach to managing these costs, and maintaining the latest
versions it to lease Software as a Service (SAS) versions of these products,
such as Office365, at just a few dollars per month, per user. Office365
delivers built-in collaboration features that may be especially useful for
multi-employee businesses. These include free in-cloud storage for user data.
Since SAS applications depend on fast, highly available internet connections,
they are best considered in the context of terrestrial broadband connections
(DSP, cable, T-1 or better). Satellite or other through-the-air connections
between worker premises (office or home) and Internet Service Provider (ISP)
may provide unsatisfactory service for SAS applications. (Wi-Fi connections
between the premises and the workstation are usually fast and secure enough to
allow SAS). For more details, see:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/business/what-is-office-365-for-business-FX102997580.aspx
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/compare-microsoft-office-products-FX104165233.aspx
Non-Microsoft
Office productivity programs: New competitors to Microsoft Office appear each year. Most are far
lower priced; some are open-source, provided free by established developers;
Apache Open Office is one of these.
While these applications do not provide all the features of Microsoft
Office, their feature set, and security are adequate for many users. File
compatibility with Microsoft Office, while not perfect, is adequate for nearly
all documents and spreadsheets. For more details, see:
http://www.openoffice.org/why/index.html
Non-Microsoft
web browsers: While
continuing to use a Windows XP workstation is feasible for careful operators,
Microsoft Windows Explorer versions beyond 9 will not be available for Windows
XP. Hence, browsing the internet will become less and less secure with the obsolete
versio nof Windows Explorer. A great proportion of Windows malware exploits are
obtained by user web browsing behavior. Fortunately, several good free web
browsers exist, and continue to be updated by their developers. These include
FireFox, Safari, Mozilla, etc.
Non-Microsoft
email programs: A great
proportion of Windows malware exploits are obtained via nefarious email
attachments. Using a non-Microsoft email application greatly reduces the risk
of email, and address-book exploits, because most are designed to exploit a
Microsoft email application. For email users without complex needs, or high
expectations of privacy, another risk reduction technique is to use free email
account(s) from Google, Yahoo, and the like. These can be accessed from within
an email application, or via webmail. In these cases, the email provider
(Google, Yahoo, etc) does a good enough job of protecting users from
malware-laden email exploits, that risk is greatly reduced. A live internet connection is required to
access email using a web browser (webmail), but that does not mean that local
storage of email messages cannot be configured.
We are ready to assist
you with transitioning your operating system,
exploration of alternatives, selection of hardware, and training. For all your
computer needs, contact us:
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