Tomorrow marks final day of Windows XP support

Tomorrow marks the final day Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) will support its Windows XP operating system.

What that means for businesses still using the nearly 13-year-old operating system: no more automatic updates that help protect the system against security threats such as viruses, malware, Trojans and bots.

The Feb. 20 Springfield Business Journal story, "Windows XP 'D-Day' could hit small-business owners hard," reported some 30 percent of desktops were still running the operating system as of January, according to Web analytics firm Net Applications. The figure did not include Windows XP Embedded, which can be installed on top of other software or applications such as phone systems, network-attached storage devices and keyless entry systems.

Those machines continuing to use XP after the April 8 deadline will continue to have a functional operating system. However, a lack of official support from Microsoft leaves the systems more open to attack by online threats.

Microsoft has set up a help page with the tagline: "Honestly, it's time for a change."

The company encourages XP users to upgrade to a newer version of Windows or replace their PCs altogether, as well as transferring files from the XP machines to other devices.

Hardware upgrades necessary to support a new operating system often start at $600 to $700 per terminal, according to SBJ archives.[[In-content Ad]]