The best way to upgrade from Windows XP is to buy a new PC, says Microsoft. That’s the advice it’s giving on a Windows blog post that marked 60 days until the end of support for XP Windows OS. (See http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/windHYPERLINK “http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/windowsexperience/archive/2014/02/06/help-your-friends-and-family-get-off-windows-xp.aspx”owsexperience/archive/2014/02/06/help-your-friends-and-family-get-off-windows-xp.aspx).
Communications manager Brandon LeBlanc wrote that readers of the official Windows blog are “unlikely” still to be running XP on their PCs, but suggests that “you may know someone who is and have even served as their tech support“. So he wants us tech users to push Microsoft’s upgrade message.
Microsoft has created a web page to make it easier for knowledgeable IT users to explain the upcoming end of support to their less technically-skilled friends and family. (The page is here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/end-support-help.) One suggestion is to run the Windows Upgrade Assistant to see if their machine can run Windows 8.1. However, LeBlanc suggests the best approach is to get a new PC – a statement that the PC makers will like, in the light of falling hardware sales.
“The easiest path to Windows 8.1 is with new devices and there are offers and deals from many retailers to help people get a new device,” he said, pointing to the many discount offers available.
Unpopularity of the Recommendation
The advice hasn’t been popular among the very readers of the blog that Microsoft is asking to help their less technically-minded colleagues. They have let people comment on the blog, with negative results.
[pullquote align=’normal’]“THANK YOU MICROSOFT” said one commenter. “I have already started teaching my grandmother and her entire bridge club how to use Linux – I would not subject my worst enemy to windows 8 (or 8.1). Even death row inmates are treated better than Microsoft treated its user base with this latest version. Those of us in the IT industry, especially those of us that support large corporate user groups are having nightmares thinking about moving to 8 or 8.1. As long as I have to teach a COMPLETE new operating system to my 1500+ users, I’m going Linux — Ubuntu here we come….” [/pullquote]
Another echoed concerns over the cost of upgrading, saying she’d been hit hard by the economic situation.
[pullquote align=’normal’]“I understand your need to discontinue support for older programs. It’s an expense of time and money that could be used to develop new products,” noted Ruth Brown. “But I am nearing retirement age, and with money tight, and possibly tight for the foreseeable future, I don’t know when I’ll be able to upgrade to a new Windows product.” [/pullquote]
She requested that Microsoft extend support for XP.
At the time of writing these words, there are about 160 comments on the Microsoft blog. The majority of users do not agree with Microsoft’s decision to pull XP support. The upgrade paths people prefer are to Windows 7 (which isn’t sold by Microsoft anymore) or Linux. It certainly looks as if Microsoft is not earning itself much good will with its blog article or the decision it publicizes.
For more information and help on how the change in support for XP will effect your business contact our IT Specialists at 757-545-7675.