[Virtualacorn-list] End of Microsoft support for Windows XP

[T.O.M.S.]

Hello Folks

        **Calling all Windows XP users**

Just a reminder that Microsoft's support for Window XP is due to cease
on Tuesday 8 April 2014.

The official announcement is on
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/end-support-help but
RISCOScode also points us to a very useful page on
http://phys.org/news/2014-03-windows-xp-apocalypse-options.html

Although the popular Windows XP will still keep running, as of yore,
it looks like the most important *potential* problem is that there
will be no more automatic updates for it, including those covering
security vulnerabilities. Hopefully your anti-virus programme will
help to keep things safe, but whether the malware brigade (a.k.a. the
blithering idiots) will now concentrate on XP remains to be seen.

For those of you using Microsoft's Security Essentials (MSE), the
programme will no longer be available as from 8 April but the
anti-malware *signature* files will still be available "for a limited
time". A couple of you recently remarked that MSE has become
something of a resource hog and have replaced it with Avast!
(http://www.filehippo.com/download_avast_antivirus/) which seems to be
working fine. We're continuing to use the last-available *2012*
version of  AVG Free (v2012.0.2197 on
http://www.filehippo.com/download_avg_antivirus_32/12831/) as the
signature files are still fully valid but the programme itself does
not seem to have the problems associated with the 2013-14 versions.

Beware of hiccups coming in from unexpected sources. For example, our
preferred browser Internet Explorer is limited to v8 under Windows XP,
and it's become increasingly evident that some sites (especially
financial organisations) are no longer accessible by v8, while others
are noticeably slowed down. But running an alternative browser such
as Google Chrome, in parallel with IE, is a convenient compromise.

It's unlikely that your present computer running XP can be updated to
Windows 7 or 8 but there are some cracking value-for-money deals on
the latest W7/8 machines. However, don't forget that Windows 7/8
drivers may not be available for your aging peripherals.

If anyone spots any particular problems running Windows XP after
support ends, please would you email details to us on admin at
toms12.plus.com and we'll collate them into some sort of announcement.
TIA.

Jim Nottingham
pp T.O.M.S.