Microsoft rolls out free Windows XP migration tools ahead of end of support on April 8

Microsoft has launched more help for Windows XP migration, targeting the Windows XP diehards, including the 446,296* PCs in Singapore still running Windows XP.

Source: Microsoft

The company is ending its support for the 12-year-old Windows XP operating system (OS) and 10-year-old Office 2003 on 8 April 2014, in less than 30 days. When support ends, Microsoft will no longer provide customer technical service assistance, nor security and software updates for both the OS and the software.  

Joy Quek, Windows Business Group Lead, Microsoft Singapore, said: “Windows XP and Office 2003 were widely used and have helped hundreds of millions of people to get productive for both work and play. But 12 years later, times and technology have evolved. Just like you cannot imagine yourself using a mobile phone which is 12 years old, Windows XP and Office 2003 are not adequate for the new, always-on world that we live in.”

 

Windows XP was launched in October 2001, when just 8% of the world was using the Internet, compared to 39% today**. 

“Always-on, mobile access has become the norm in all our lives. While internet access brings lots of goodness, it’s also a hotbed for cyber criminals who go where the people go. So it’s really critical that consumers who still own Windows XP devices recognise that it’s not just about upgrading to something new. 

"This is about protecting your PC from security threats, especially if you are using the Internet. Windows XP wasn’t designed for today’s mobile, always-connected lives, or for protecting businesses and individuals from the millions of new online security threats that have emerged,” Quek added.

 

According to Microsoft’s latest Security Intelligence Report (Vol. 15) Windows XP SP3 to be 5.68 times more vulnerable than Windows 8 RTM, and has a 82.4% higher malware infection rate. The math is simple: the odds of one getting compromised and losing valuable personal information on a Windows XP machine is far higher than on modern, Windows 8 devices.

Two new free tools will help users migrate from Windows XP:

Windows XP migration tool: PCmover Express for Windows XP Microsoft has partnered with Laplink to provide PCmover Express for Windows XP, which copies a user’s files and settings from a Windows XP PC to a new device running Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. PCmover Express will be available for download www.windowsxp.com; and 

Windows OS automatic detection website: AmIrunningXP.com. This site is designed to automatically detect the Windows version being used. If Windows XP is detected, the site provides links to more information on Windows XP end of support and guidance on how to upgrade to a modern OS.

*Based on an estimation using data from StatCounter, a free public tracker, and IDC’s Worldwide PC Tracker

**ITU Statistics on Internet usage at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Internet_usage