Mr. Modem: Windows XP was great, but it’s time to move on

I will not be bullied into giving up XP. For those of us who refuse to yield to the whims of Microsoft, what can we do to stay safe online?

“Bullied”? “Refuse to yield”? “Whims of Microsoft”? My best suggestion is to take a deep breath and calm down. You are not being “bullied” and Microsoft’s termination of extended support for XP back in April of last year was hardly a whim.

Microsoft released Windows XP in August 2001, almost 14 years ago. Last April’s termination of extended support was announced at that time. There should never be any surprise when support is terminated because it is announced so long in advance. Microsoft’s extended support will end for Windows 7 on January 14, 2020; it will end for Windows 8 on January 20, 2023. Mark your calendar.

XP was an excellent operating system, but is Microsoft supposed to support it forever? I think not. As long as you continue to use XP, you aren’t going to be completely safe online. While XP is a stable operating system, it is not a particularly secure one. Time and technology have moved on and Windows 7 and Windows 8 are far more secure than XP. I don’t like it either, but that’s just the way it is.

According to Microsoft, XP machines were six times more likely to be infected with malware as Windows 7, and that was back when Microsoft was still offering security support. Yikes.

Asking for advice about keeping XP secure at this juncture is a bit like asking how to keep your house safe, but refusing to lock the door. The best computer-security advice in this situation is not to use XP. But having said that, there are a few things you can do — as long as you understand that XP is simply not going to be a secure operating system and it will become increasingly less secure with the passage of time.

First, keep third-party security software, anti-virus, anti-malware protection in place. Run system scans and updates every day. While companies providing that software won’t be receiving new information from Microsoft, your security programs can still protect against many known threats.

Also, make sure you have your firewall enabled. If you’re not sure how, it varies by version of Windows, so go to your Windows Help (F1) and search for “Firewall.”

Switch to Firefox or Google Chrome for your browser. I would steer clear of Internet Explorer. Google says its Chrome browser will do its best to keep XP safe for an additional year, but that year has now passed. Please note that the operative words are “do its best.”

Be very careful what types of email you open and what sites you visit. Also, protect your friends and family by not forwarding email or files from your computer. Your XP computer could turn into Typhoid Mary without your knowledge. It may not look or feel sick, but it could pass bugs along to others, very easily.

These tips may keep your XP system somewhat safer, but that’s about it. Every time Microsoft issues security patches for Vista and Windows 7, hackers can use that update to try to find similar flaws in Windows XP that will not be patched, and then exploit those vulnerabilities.

This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Mr. Modem: Windows XP was great, but it’s time to move on."