Support for XP ends in April, 2014

Mods, you are more than welcome to move this if it doesn't belong here.

I know many gamers love XP and don't want to switch to Win 7 or 8 but here's an excellent explanation of the risks you face by not upgrading from Ask Leo.

I've found Leo Notenboom to be a reliable and trustworthy source of information on computers and the Internet whenever I've needed it and his advice on what to do when your email is hacked goes out regularly from me to people who aren't even aware they're sending me phishing emails.

This is really worth a read for those of you who have XP.

Gil.

I like Leo too - I get his newsletter.

I liked what he had to say about Steve Ballmer's departure from Microsoft in his latest newsletter, too.
There are more than enough people out there ready to rip into Ballmer and it's nice to see someone talking about him as a decent and generous person and giving him credit for what he did right even if he wasn't "the answer".

Gil.

I agree - I liked what he said about Ballmer too. It made a lot of sense.

You can continue using XP for playing games as long as your computer holds up -- just don't use the computer online. All it takes is one visit to a website with an infected ad and you're done for. Also, when Microsoft stops supporting an OS, other companies will often use that as an excuse to stop supporting the OS too.

Thanks for the info. Bill's computer is an XP. I signed up for Leo's newsletter.

Thanks Traveler for this info.

Bets

Thank you for this post. I visited the web site and signed up for his newsletter and downloaded the free book. It contains some very good information.

I signed up for his newsletter too, thanks.

So, when are you going to take the plunge, Winfrey?

LOL...let see... I have until April.... soooooo... probably February or the beginning of March.. You'll be the FIRST to know

Winfrey,

If you upgrade to 7, you're going to find it's not all that hard to get used to and I think you'll really like it.
If you can get 7, that is.
By April, though, they may have turned 8 into a winner.
Let's hope.

Gil.

I have played around with 7 as my partner got a new computer with 7 on it and I am the one that figures things out if there are questions and issues.. so I know a little... I am not as concerned as I once was.. now yes 8 scares me :-)
I am waiting cause I will be having a new one built and I don't want to spend the money right now. Would be nice if they made 8 user friendly.
I also want to buy a horse) :-)

Windows 8 is nothing to be afraid of - I've walked at least 8 people through it now and every one of them loves it. However, if you want to get Windows 7, you will have to keep in contact with whoever is going to build this for you. They may or may not continue to offer Windows 7. The other option would be to grab a copy of Windows 7 the next time Newegg puts it on sale just to be sure you have it. I just got a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium for $80 a few weeks ago.