Windows XP support

[bbbluz]

Hi there,

I know that this question has been asked oodles of times here on the forum. I have searched the forum for the answer to no avail and read the blog post which states that Avast will continue to support XP for 3 more years but I am unable to find a definite month in 2017 that support will cease.  Can I assume that this will be April of 2017?

Thank you kindly and I do apologize if the answer was under my nose the whole time and I just didn't see it.

Donna

[Pondus]

I don't think a time have been set yet  >>  https://blog.avast.com/2014/04/21/so-youre-sticking-to-windows-xp-heres-how-to-protect-yourself/

AVAST is devoted to protecting the PC ecosystem by not only supporting Windows XP for at least the next three years, but also by creating protection modules and detections specifically designed to cover Windows XP vulnerabilities and other security problems.

[Eddy]

I don't think a definite date is known (yet).

Depending on how you look at it, you could say they already did stopped support for XP.
The latest versions only work on systems that support the SSE-2 instruction set.

Depending on the statistic gatherer, XP is used by 2 - 12% on systems that run Windows.
According to Microsoft there are 1 billion systems running Windows.
Even if it is 2%, that means avast is loosing about 20 million (potential) customers if they stop the support for XP entirely.

Many old(er) systems are shipped to e.g. African, South-American and other "poor" countries.
Which means there will be million of users that will still run XP in the next years.
While other av vendors already have stopped (or soon will do so) support for XP, I believe this is a good opportunity for avast to make a difference.

[Pondus]

Avast: Windows XP users already attacked 6 times more often than Windows 7 users
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2109144/avast-windows-xp-users-already-attacked-6-times-more-often-than-windows-7-users.html


Time to upgrade your OS

[Eddy]

A over 2 year old article doesn't say anything about the current situation.

Are you gonna give all those people a new system ? 

[bbbluz]

Thank you Pondus and Eddy. 

There are a few inner city community centers in my area that their only source for computers are those that are donated and the majority are Windows XP. I am trying to get local tech shops to offer up as donations computers with newer OS's that are left behind by the owners. Most times those tech shops just reformat and resell as used.  In my eyes it's a win win situation that supports a better future for those inner city kids whose parents can not afford home computers.

I also know several senior citizens at a local high-rise for low income who refuse (creatures of habit), or cannot afford to migrate to a newer OS.  Having the utmost faith in Avast, that is what I recommend for those who run XP, so I like to keep up with end of support dates.

Thank you Gentlemen for your time!

Donna

[Pondus]

A over 2 year old article doesn't say anything about the current situation.

Are you gonna give all those people a new system ? 

No but i guess the situation now has not improved

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/atm-cash-machines-risk-cyber-attacks-microsoft-xp-support-ends-1441655
http://phys.org/news/2016-01-hack-hospital-highlights-windows-xp.html

[Eddy]

We got about the same here.
Companies dump their old systems and people on welfare can get them "in loan" without any costs.
Downside is that those systems barely can run XP

I don't know how many systems you are talking about, so it can take "some" time to check but here are a few tips/thing to check/keep in mind if you are looking to upgrade the OS on them.

Windows 7 can run on systems that don't support the SSE-2 (and higher) instruction set.
Windows 8 and up need a system that can handle SSE-2 instructions.
You can ofcourse find out and lookup the specifications of the cpu's in the systems, but there is a easier way.
http://www.ache.nl/cgi-bin/download.pl?file=everesthome220.exe
That is a old and free tool that you can use to get information about a system.

Since they are old(er) systems, updating the OS to Windows 7 seems the way to go.
The cpu (=main processor) is not (likely) gonna be a problem.
Even a 15-20 year old one is capable of handling Windows 7.
The problem is mainly to get it all software running at a acceptable speed.
Although Windows 7 will run with as little as 1Gb ram, I advise to use at least 2Gb in a system.
Often on those old systems 2Gb is the maximum that the motherboard (chipset) can handle.
If it supports more and you can get your hands on it...
Go for it !
1Gb and 2Gb memory stick (DDR SDram which almost all those systems are using) can be bought for as low as 2 USD (new price) per stick.

Second thing to look at is the video/graphics.
If a system has onboard graphics, put a graphics card in the system and disable the onboard graphics.
Onboard graphics are using part of the normal memory and that is slowing down things a lot.
Best is to use AGP cards as they are faster than PCI cards.
It is easy to see if a system supports AGP.
Everest (the tool I mentioned earlier) can tell you.
Or you can look in the bios or open the system and physically look
To see how they look (desktop card slots) > http://media.techtarget.com/whatismedia/images/hardware-chart-large.png
The more memory a graphic card has the better/faster it will work.
A card with 512Mb memory is about 40 USD (new price)

I would say :
1]
ask local computer stores if they have some "old stuff" laying around (memory & video cards). Perhaps they are willing to donate them.

2]
Put up a add at local supermarkets (or where it is possible) and ask if people have something laying around that they don't use.

3]
Perhaps it is possible to get a free add in a local newspaper or get some attention for it on a local radio station

[=Snake=]

Hi!

Well, look around here in this forum and you'll find some members still using XP.

On the other side, you will find a lot of XP machines in smaller companies and docs offices, still working with the internet!

=Snake=

[bbbluz]

I am not looking to upgrade the OS's themselves, I am trying to get the tech shops to donate the computers themselves. A buddy of mine who owns and operates a reputable tech shop will take in a laptop to fix. If the owner does not return after 3 months to pick it up and pay for the cost of fixing he will reformat the HDD and sell it for the cost it took to fix plus $50-$100 depending on value of the PC/laptop. Being a business, he could write this donation off on his taxes.

And, yes. Many home users and businesses alike still use XP. I am amazed sometimes at how many businesses still do. Mostly because of software they use and don't want to take the time or spend the money to upgrade to software that is compatible with W8 or above.