Seven More Years of Windows Xp

According to Computer World, it is possible for Windows XP to remain active for another seven (7) years without having to upgrade to Windows Vista. I, being an Afro-Latin male in today’s society, found this information proves helpful since Windows XP is one of the best operating systems Bill Gates has ever created. In this paper, I will explain the length of support that is being offered for XP operating systems, security improvements available for XP, and the steps to performing weekly maintenance.

Windows XP is one of the most used operating systems in the world. With over 538 million copies sold, and with exceptional function ability, many consumers are finding it hard to justify the purchase of Windows Vista or a Vista-based computer. In reality, Microsoft Corporation’s standard life-cycle policy provides bug fixes and security patches, known as mainstream support, for up to five (5) years after the initial release of its product. Extended support, which covers only security patches for an additional 5 years, is also available. Knowing this information, it is safe to say until the year of 2014, any systems containing Windows XP will be covered for all updates. The catch is the consumer must have their system updated to the latest Windows Service Pack, XP Service Pack 2. Therefore, any systems that are not updated to the latest service pack within one (1) year of its release will not be eligible for continuous support to their operating system. There is one other way that XP’s life can be extended beyond 7 years, and it is only if Microsoft Corporation releases another Service pack, XP Service Pack 3, prior to the end of 2013. However, even with this update, the end of support year 2014 will not be altered or affected.

Next, there are a number of Vista improvements that are readily available for Windows XP, but some would not benefit to have. There are anti-spywares, hardware-based encryptions, firewalls, and parental controls.

The anti-spyware, Microsoft Windows Defender, is the same program included in Vista as in XP, so there are really no changes in that department. However, even though the operating system includes a spyware, it is a good idea to have an alternate spyware program on your operating system. An example of an alternate spyware would be Spybot Search and Destroy. BitLocker encryption is being used in laptops that offer Vista. It is a hardware-based encryption that uses a USB key and password protection, so in the event the computer is lost or stolen, no one can access your hard drive. There is a program that XP users can acquire, and it serves the same purpose and functionality as BitLocker, is Kensington Computer Product’s, PC Key. Firewalls are another essential part to a computers computer security. However, there is a discrepancy between Vista and XP’s firewalls. XP has a built in firewall as does Vista, but Vista has an outgoing firewall when XP does not. The debate has been raised asking, if Vista really has outgoing firewall protection. It is suggested to be safe; XP users install a free Firewall titled, Comodo Firewall Pro. This program ensures true incoming and outgoing firewall protection. The parental controls are the last part of the security improvements. Within Vista, they have added the parental controls to allow parents to filter websites, and otherwise limit