IS THERE LIFE AFTER WINDOWS XP?

Duda Owner IONOS • April 9, 2014

Yesterday, Tuesday April 8, 2014, we bid farewell to an old OS, Windows XP. Microsoft has abandoned all support of the aged Windows XP OS. People who continue to use Windows XP will place themselves and their organizations at increasingly grave risk, not to mention the ongoing efficiency lags.

If you want to walk through an excellent Microsoft OS options tour on your Windows XP computer, just go to http://amirunningxp.com. Microsoft will confirm your OS status and then review your various options.

As I mentioned yesterday, the smart approach is to make the changes you need to make to ensure your IT systems will be safe, secure, and efficient. That means upgrading your PC technology and software to something that takes you out of the Stone Age . . . uhm, I mean the XP age.

Nowadays, most brand new PCs will be preloaded with Windows 8. You might still be able to negotiate offers for Windows 7 with or without an option to upgrade to 8 later for free. Either way, you will be immensely better off by having moved to the newer hardware and software.

I have been thrilled and astounded with Windows 7. In terms of efficiency, speed, stability, and ease of use, the OS has consistently exceeded my expectations. Having lived through a quarter-century of Windows OS iterations, I can definitely affirm that Windows 7 has produced a user experience that is clearly the very best.

Granted, most new purchasers will be going with preloaded Windows 8, with which I was never too thrilled. Upon its release, Windows 8 presented too many user-interface oddities and numerous software compatibility concerns (see “Lots to Berate on Windows 8” Blog.reliableinsights.com, January 30, 2013). The good news is that Microsoft has since listened to its customers by building in some OS tweaks and user controls that smooth the entire user experience. Therefore, I am feeling much more comfortable about the Windows 8 situation.

Is there life after Windows XP? You had better believe it. Moreover, it is better than we could have imagined.

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