What to do if you’re still on Windows XP: should I upgrade from Windows XP?

Microsoft officially withdrew its support for Windows XP on 8 April 2014, after 13 years of loyal service. This is where were tackle the question “what should I do if I am still running Microsoft XP?”

For an OS that’s three releases behind the times, this shouldn’t be big news, but XP has proved remarkably tenacious. Net Applications measured 31.2% of the world’s PCs still running XP in October 2013.

That’s a problem: when Microsoft stops supporting an OS, it doesn’t only withdraw its technical-support services – it also stops updating the software. Among other things, this means no more monthly fixes to protect against new viruses and malware. Anybody still using XP will be stuck with the OS as it stands on that final day, and you can expect any security vulnerabilities subsequently discovered to be ruthlessly targeted.

Carrying on without support and an increased security risk is an unappealing prospect, so if you don’t have a migration plan, it’s really time you put one together. In many cases, your easiest option will be simply to buy a new PC with a more up-to-date version of Windows preinstalled – especially if your current system dates from the early years of Windows XP. But if that doesn’t suit, there are several other options for a Windows XP system that’s reaching the end of the line.

What to do if you’re still on Windows XP: Upgrading to a newer version of Windows

If your system isn’t too ancient, you can upgrade it to a more recent edition of Windows and carry on with minimal disruption. Microsoft lists the core requirements for Windows 8 as a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and a 20GB hard disk. That means all but the oldest PCs should be able to cope, perhaps with some extra system RAM or storage. If you plan to upgrade your hardware, make sure you buy the right parts for the sockets on your motherboard, which may predate modern standards.

You can check exactly how ready your PC is for Windows 8 by downloading Microsoft’s Upgrade Assistant. This free tool will scan your system and check that it meets the hardware requirements, and if you connect your peripherals it will scan those for compatibility too. Assuming everything is in order, you’ll then get the option to purchase and download Windows 8.

Be warned that when you upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 8, all settings and applications will be wiped. Your personal files will be safe, but you’ll need to track down installers for all the programs you want to keep using.

What to do if you’re still on Windows XP: Software compatibility

The good news is that most software that runs in Windows XP should also work in Windows 8. If you hit problems with a particular application, try running it in Compatibility Mode. To do this, right-click its icon and choose Troubleshoot Compatibility – or search your computer for “Run programs made for previous versions of Windows”. Follow the onscreen instructions to see if the application fares better with settings that emulate an older edition of the operating system.

Windows 8 isn’t your only upgrade option. Since its touch-focused features won’t be relevant to your old system, you may prefer to upgrade to Windows 7. Again, there’s an Upgrade Advisor tool that you can use to check that your hardware and peripherals are all compatible with Windows 7. Consumer licences are no longer sold by Microsoft, but you can still obtain them from online retailers, and the software will continue to receive security updates until 2020 at the earliest (see Support lifecycles, below).

Certain editions of Windows 7 also include a feature called XP Mode – a virtualised Windows XP environment that you can use to install and run old applications that won’t work in the newer version of Windows. This feature isn’t included in Windows 8, but you can set up something similar yourself. For more information on setting this up, see XP Mode, below.

As with Windows 8, after you upgrade from XP to Windows 7, all of your applications will have to be reinstalled in the new operating system. Your personal data may not all be safe, either: Microsoft recommends that you use the Windows Easy Transfer utility to gather together all your files onto an external storage device.

When you’ve been through the Windows 7 installation process, you can attach your external storage device and double-click the Windows Easy Transfer file to automatically move your data onto the new operating system.

What to do if you’re still on Windows XP: Switching to Linux

If you bought your PC back when Bill Gates was still running the show, a modern edition of Windows might be too much for its creaking platters. In the Linux world, hardware requirements have remained lower over the past decade. The latest release of Ubuntu (version 13.10) requires only a 700MHz Celeron processor, 512MB of RAM and 5GB of storage space, along with a video card capable of displaying a 1,024 x 768 resolution. Linux Mint 15 goes even lower, supporting 800 x 600 displays.

This means any PC that came preinstalled with XP is likely to be able to run these Linux distros – although if you upgraded to XP from Windows ME or 2000, you might want to look into something lighter, such as Lubuntu.

Even if your PC meets the minimum specifications, it isn’t guaranteed that all your hardware will work right away: you may need to hunt for Linux drivers for your ageing components. Some manufacturers are better than others when it comes to Linux support. For example, Nvidia provides drivers for graphics cards going back to 1999’s GeForce 256, while AMD’s legacy driver support stops at the Radeon HD 5000 from 2009.

If you want to try out Linux without jumping in at the deep end and blitzing your Windows XP installation, you can test drive a “live” installation that runs from a USB flash drive or a CD instead of your hard disk. You can set this up by downloading your chosen distro, then using a free tool such as the Universal USB Installer to create a live-mode boot disk. If your PC has old USB 1 ports, running an operating system from a USB drive is likely to be very slow, so consider burning the ISO to a CD instead.

If you do need extra drivers, it’s a good idea to download them to a USB stick before you begin your migration – especially network drivers, since you’ll be stuck without them. If you can’t find what you’re looking for on the manufacturer’s site, search around for open-source drivers; there are whole communities dedicated to this issue.

When it comes to applications, your XP software naturally won’t work on Linux. If there’s a particular application you can’t do without, you can in theory use the free VirtualBox host to virtualise XP in your new Linux installation – but there are native alternatives to almost every major application, and the situation is getting better with every passing year. Ubuntu comes bundled with the latest version of LibreOffice, which can open and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. If that won’t cut it, you can download the latest version of Chrome or Firefox and log into Google Drive or Microsoft Office Web Apps.

Another option is to keep your old XP installation on your hard disk, so you can boot into it occasionally when needed. A dual-boot configuration will take up much more storage space than picking one or the other, so whether or not it’s practical will depend on the size of your hard disk, but if you have the room it’s a viable way to transition – even if only for a short time while you’re working out the best Linux equivalents of your current XP tools.

The option to create a dual-OS system used to be offered by Ubuntu’s Windows-based installer, but this has recently been dropped, owing to compatibility issues with Windows 8. To set it up manually, first follow the instructions above to create a bootable USB drive or an installation CD; then choose the option to install Ubuntu when you reach the boot menu. If the installer recognises XP properly you’ll be offered the option to install Ubuntu alongside it, and to choose your own storage distribution. If not, choose “Something else” and you’ll be taken to the partition menu to handle things manually.

Select the Windows partition and choose a new, smaller size for it – you’ll want to free up at least 10GB for Ubuntu. Create a dedicated “swap partition” of at least your amount of RAM (2,000MB is a good value), and then create a partition for Ubuntu itself from the remaining free space. At this point, to be safe, it’s a good idea to reboot into Windows XP to allow the system to check everything has been reorganised correctly. If it’s working fine, boot back into the installer and complete the Ubuntu installation onto your free partition. Then each time you boot you’ll receive the choice of OSes.

If you later decide you don’t need Windows XP, just run the installer again and use the partition tool to erase XP. You can then format that free space and use it as extra Ubuntu storage.

What to do if you’re still on Windows XP: Should I stick with XP?

In some circumstances, moving away from XP may not make sense. Perhaps you have a new fleet of office hardware on the way in the summer; or maybe the PC is used by someone who won’t be able to learn another interface and a new way of doing things. Sticking with XP after support ends should really only be a last resort, but if you need to do it then there are steps you can take to make yourself as secure as possible.

First, you should already be on Service Pack 3, and make sure you get every single available update from Microsoft – important, recommended or otherwise – before they stop coming in April. Many malware and hacker attacks exploit vulnerabilities that have in fact already been patched, so staying as up to date as possible can reduce your exposure.

Next, make sure you’re protected with security software. Microsoft offers a Windows XP version of Microsoft Security Essentials, but you should consider a third-party security suite such as the A-Listed Avast 2014: it’s free and, in the PC Pro Labs, it proved more effective than Microsoft’s own tool at intercepting threats. Set it to update itself automatically and run a regular full scan, and make sure that all useful features are enabled; tools such as automatic web page and network scanning provide a valuable extra layer of defence.

If your PC is connected to the internet via a router, this will automatically provide a degree of protection against intruders. If your router has a built-in firewall, make sure it’s active, and check Windows’ software firewall is enabled: it should be turned on by default in SP3, but if it’s not, go to Network And Internet Connections in the control panel, then click “Set up or change your home or small-office network”. Follow the steps to turn on the firewall.

These measures will afford you some degree of protection, but ultimately you’ll still be at risk. If you really want to minimise the danger of running an unsupported Windows XP system, your best bet is to keep it entirely away from the dangers of the internet. Once you have everything patched, disconnect your Ethernet cable, use USB flash drives to transfer trusted files to and from newer computers, and consider your XP machine an offline-only tool. It’s a drastic step in today’s always-connected world, but it’s the only way to keep enjoying Windows XP with confidence.

What to do if you’re still on Windows XP: XP Mode

The Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Windows 7 feature XP Mode, for running troublesome applications that won’t work in the newer OS. It isn’t installed by default, however: you’ll have to download and install it manually.

To use it, you’ll need a processor that supports hardware virtualisation – you can check this using the free utility in the “Before you begin” section of the website. Then, follow the installation procedure for both XP Mode and Virtual PC in the “Installing and using Windows XP Mode” section.

Once that’s all done, you can run Windows XP Mode by selecting it from the Windows 7 Start menu (it’s in the Windows Virtual PC folder). On first use, you’ll need to accept the licence terms, choose a storage location for all of your XP files, give XP Mode a password, and decide whether to enable automatic updates – it’s a good idea to say yes to this, and to install security software within the XP Mode virtual machine. Then click Start Setup to open XP Mode in its own window. From here, you can install and run programs as if you were on an XP machine, before closing the window to return to Windows 7.

XP Mode comes with one big caveat: support ends at the same time as support for Windows XP, so security updates will stop in April 2014. After that, the virtual OS will be very nearly as vulnerable to online exploits as a real installation. That means it’s best to use XP Mode only for old offline applications that won’t run natively in Windows 7. Don’t use it for web browsing or other daily activities.

If you’re using Windows 8, or a different edition of Windows 7, XP Mode isn’t included – but it is possible to set up a virtual XP environment yourself in a virtualisation host such as the free VMware Player. Install the software, create a new virtual machine and set up XP from your original installation disc or ISO image. Once that’s up and running, click the Player menu and select Unity Mode, which allows XP applications to run directly on the Windows 8 desktop. Move your mouse to the bottom-left corner to bring up the menu and access the applications on your XP installation.

What to do if you’re still on Windows XP: Support lifecycles

Since October 2002, Microsoft has pledged to support all software products for a minimum of five years after launch, or two years after a successor product is launched – whichever period is longer. This means you’ll keep receiving free security updates and non-security hotfixes, you’ll have the option of paid support and warranty claims, and there’ll be an up-to-date Microsoft Knowledge Base with available experts.

For business and developer products, this five-year “mainstream support” period is followed by at least five further years of cut-down “extended support”. During this period, security fixes continue, but warranty claims are no longer offered. These are only minimums; the exact length of mainstream and extended support can vary.

Ten years of support for a major operating system sounds like plenty in this age of increasingly regular updates; in fact, Windows XP will have clocked up more than 12 years when official support finally ends in April.

What about more recent versions? Vista’s mainstream support phase ended in April 2012, but extended support continues until April 2017. As for Windows 7, users can still receive mainstream support until January 2015, assuming there are no further service packs; extended support runs until January 2020.

Major releases such as Office will receive the same mainstream support as Windows, so you’re covered for five years from release. When a new service pack is launched, the previous version will remain supported for two years.

Finally, Microsoft has recently updated its policy to cover hardware products released after 26 October 2012. So all Surface tablets benefit from a minimum of four years of mainstream support from the date of release – although support for Windows 8 itself will cover Surface users for most important security and performance matters.