尽管Windows XP早在 2001 年就发布了，但它仍然是一个非常棒的操作系统(operating system)。它很稳定，有一个开始按钮(Start button)，可以完成工作。这就是为什么仍有数亿台计算机仍在安装它的原因。事实上，它是如此受欢迎，以至于它是世界上安装量第二多的操作系统，仅落后于(operating system)Windows 7一点点。
不幸的是，这真的不是一件好事。原因是微软(Microsoft)。到目前为止，微软(Microsoft)一直在延长停止对Windows XP支持的最后期限，但现在看来他们真的要取消支持了。2014 年4 月 8(April 8th)日，微软(Microsoft)将完全停止对Windows XP的支持。这是个大新闻，因为这意味着在大约 4 个月内，将有数百万台计算机容易受到黑客攻击。
支持终止意味着Microsoft将不再为企业或消费者提供任何有关Windows XP故障排除的技术帮助。此外，更重要的是，微软(Microsoft)将不再为操作系统(operating system)提供任何安全补丁或更新。最重要的是，在此日期之后，您甚至无法下载免费的防病毒软件(antivirus software)Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows XP 。
对于在此日期之后安装Windows XP(Windows XP)的任何人来说，这确实是个坏消息，因为每年在Windows XP中检测到数百个安全漏洞，一旦支持结束，所有这些安全漏洞都将被黑客利用，而且实际上不会可以阻止他们。
几位微软(Microsoft)高管也公开表示，不更新操作系统(operating system)或购买新 PC 的企业和用户将面临许多新的攻击。如果您出于某种原因仍然必须使用 XP，一种可能的解决方案是断开计算机与Internet的连接。显然，PC 仍然可以通过LAN 网络(LAN network)被感染，但您将比直接连接到Internet的机会更大。
对于在2014 年 4 月(April 2014)截止日期之后需要Windows XP支持的任何企业，另一种选择是安装Windows Server 2003。Windows Server 2003使用与(Windows Server 2003)Windows XP相同的内核，因此可以运行所有相同的应用程序而不会出现任何兼容性问题。对Windows Server 2003的支持直到 2015 年(Windows Server 2003)7 月 15(July 15th)日才结束，因此您可以获得额外的一年时间来将您的应用程序升级到更新的操作系统(operating system)。
至于消费者，根据微软官方的说法，他们希望你升级到Windows 8.1。
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-support-help
从Windows XP(Windows XP)升级到 Windows 7 或Windows 8的另一个原因是，您可以在计算机上使用最新的软件和设备(software and devices)。XP 太老了，很多新软件根本无法在它上面运行。此外，系统可能无法正确识别某些较新的设备和小工具。
将旧 PC 升级到Windows 8实际上不是一个坏主意。不久前，我写了一篇关于通过在旧电脑上安装Windows 8来振兴旧电脑的文章。系统要求非常低，这意味着您可以将其安装在一些相当旧的硬件上。当然，您必须购买Windows 8 升级版(Upgrade)，目前售价约为 119 美元，但这可能是比完全购买新电脑更好的选择。
如果您确实安装了Windows 8并且收到任何关于CPU 不兼容(CPU not being compatible)的错误，请查看链接。我已经亲自在家里的几台旧台式机上安装了Windows 8.1 ，它们非常适合浏览、发送电子邮件、观看视频、阅读新闻等。使用(Windows 8.1)Windows 8.1，您还可以恢复“开始”按钮(Start button)，所以如果您有由于缺少开始按钮(Start button)而一直犹豫不决，在 8.1 中它不再那么糟糕了。
无论您最终做什么，如果您不升级Windows XP 计算机(Windows XP computer)，请确保您没有任何重要数据，因为一切都将处于危险之中。但是，如果它连接到您的本地网络，黑客仍然可以控制XP 机器(XP machine)，然后对网络上的其他计算机造成严重破坏，所以最好的办法是完全摆脱Windows XP。如果你不能，请在评论中告诉我们原因！
Why You Should No Longer Be Using Windows XP
Even though Windows XP was released way back in 2001, it’s still a pretty great operating system. Іt’s stable, has a Ѕtart button and gets the job done. That’s why there are literally hundreds of millіons of computers that still hаve it installed. It’s so popular, in fact, that it’s the seсond moѕt instаlled operating syѕtem in the world, only a little bit behind Windows 7.
Unfortunately, this isn’t really a good thing. The reason being Microsoft. Up till now, Microsoft has been extending the deadline for when it would drop support for Windows XP, but now it seems they are really going to kill it off. On April 8th, 2014, Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP completely. This is big news because it means in about 4 months, there will be millions of computers that are going to be vulnerable to hackers.
End of support means Microsoft will no longer provide any technical assistance to businesses or consumers for Windows XP troubleshooting. In addition and more importantly, Microsoft will no longer provide any security patches or updates for the operating system. On top of that, you won’t even be able to download Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows XP, the free antivirus software, after this date.
This is really bad news for anyone who has Windows XP installed after this date because there are literally hundreds of security vulnerabilities detected in Windows XP every year and once support ends, all of those security holes will be exploited by hackers and there literally won’t be anything to stop them.
Several Microsoft executives have also stated openly that businesses and users who do not update the operating system or buy a new PC will be open to many new attacks. One possible solution if you still have to use XP for whatever reason is to disconnect the computer from the Internet. Obviously, the PC can still be infected over the LAN network, but you’ll have a better chance than if it’s connected directly to the Internet.
For any business that needs support for Windows XP past the April 2014 deadline, another option is to install Windows Server 2003. Windows Server 2003 uses the same kernel as Windows XP and therefore can run all the same apps without any compatibility issues. Support for Windows Server 2003 does not end until July 15th 2015, so you can get an extra year to upgrade your apps to a newer operating system.
As for consumers, according to Microsoft’s official statement, they would love for you to upgrade to Windows 8.1.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-support-help
The other reason to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 or Windows 8 is so that you can use the latest software and devices with your computer. XP is so old that a lot of new software simply will not run on it. In addition, some newer devices and gadgets may not be recognized by the system properly.
Upgrading an old PC to Windows 8 is actually not a bad idea. I wrote a post a while back on revitalizing an old PC by installing Windows 8 on it. The system requirements are pretty low, meaning you can install it on some fairly old hardware. Of course, you’ll have to buy Windows 8 Upgrade, which currently costs around $119, but that might be a better option than buying a new computer altogether.
If you do install Windows 8 and you get any kind of error about the CPU not being compatible, check out the link. I’ve personally installed Windows 8.1 on a couple of old desktops at home and they work great for browsing, email, watching videos, reading news, etc. With Windows 8.1, you also kind of get the Start button back, so if you have been holding back because of the lack of a Start button, it’s not that bad anymore in 8.1.
Whatever you end up doing, if you don’t upgrade a Windows XP computer, make sure you don’t have any important data on it because everything will be at risk. However, if it’s connected to your local network, a hacker could still take control of the XP machine and then wreak havoc on other computers on the network, so really the best thing is to get rid of Windows XP altogether. If you can’t, tell us why in the comments!
