Not so long ago, there was a debate among users around the world over the discontinuation of Microsoft's release of updates for Windows XP, which was announced in 2009. And now the company officially announced that support for Windows XP will be resumed. The decision is inherently completely unprecedented. But is it all cloudless?
Microsoft has renewed support for the Windows XP operating system: what was the reason?
The operating system itself was released back in 2001 and today has celebrated its 16th anniversary. For a software product, the term is considerable.
Since its release, Windows XP has immediately gained unprecedented popularity not only among ordinary users, but also among corporations that have used (and are using) it for their own needs. The decision to extend the support was mainly made under pressure from the public (as considered). Many enterprises and ordinary users are so fond of the system for its design, ease of use and the so-called “indestructibility” that they were in no hurry to abandon it in favor of new developments.
However, this is only one side of the issue. As it turned out, Microsoft has renewed support for Windows XP, not only for this reason. Everything is much more serious. The point here is that many POS-terminals and ATMs (if not the absolute majority) around the world use the XP version as the operating system serving their work. The conclusion suggests itself: if the security system does not receive timely updates for patching holes, hacker or virus attacks can result in billions of dollars in losses.
Almost the same situation is observed in the corporate sector, since on a global scale, many companies use these modifications to organize their own information and network structures. In other words, they need the support of the Windows XP operating system like air. If it doesn’t exist, then again all this will result in unforeseen expenses on the part of the companies (and good luck, and legal costs if they go to court, disputing the legality of stopping the release of updates).
What are the terms for extending support and system requirements?
As for the period during which the decision made by Microsoft to renew the release of updates will be valid, it was first called 2019, but in April 2017 it was announced that support would be valid until 2022.
In terms of requirements for the system of any modification, there is nothing special. As usual, it is enough to have an installed main system and a mandatory update in the form of a third service pack (SP3). Actually, almost everyone who still uses this operating system, and so long ago, this update was installed. So, in this regard, it seems that no problems are foreseen.
What will the updates be: unanswered questions
However, despite the official statement that support for Windows XP has been extended, many questions remain unanswered, and Microsoft specialists are in no hurry to disclose their plans.
So, for example, it is completely unclear exactly how the updates will be downloaded and installed (automatically, directly from the official site or in the form of additional service packs). Many are not justifiably perplexed as to whether support for Windows XP will be full or extended, which segments the updates will affect (only security tools or the whole system). No less urgent for many is the question of whether it will be possible to install the system from scratch without using keys, as was provided for modifications 8 and 10. In general, there is no complete clarity here.
What about software developers?
No less interesting is the way software developers react to such a decision, because many of them have long been reoriented to newer systems, including the successfully promoted Windows 10, which is fundamentally different from XP.
First of all, one of the main issues is not related to application programs (in systems of a rank higher than them, and so you can run it in compatibility mode with Windows XP), but with drivers. It is clear, after all, that the XP version is simply not adapted for working with modern equipment (large amounts of RAM, sizes of hard drives, etc.). Unfortunately, this question still remains unanswered.
However, according to many experts, it is not difficult to predict that support will be completely discontinued in 2022, therefore, it is likely that there will be only a few software products with an orientation on the period of its use within only five years. And it is far from a fact that among them there will be large software developers or the main players in the hardware market (motherboards, processors, RAM strips, hard drives, or graphics accelerators).
Microsoft Windows XP support: how to get the system to install updates if they are not installed directly?
Finally, a few words about what to do if installation of updates will not be directly provided. In principle, as they say, you can “hack” a system in its current form.
To do this, just use the standard test editor “Notepad” and enter only three lines (without punctuation marks):
- Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00;
- [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ WPA \ PosReady];
- "Installed" = dword: 00000001.
After that, you need to save the file with the REG extension by selecting “All Files” from the list of types and entering the extension manually. Then it remains only to run the registry file, after which the ban on the direct installation of updates, for example, for ordinary users of home PCs, will be lifted.
Instead of an afterword
It remains to add that it is still completely unclear how useful the extended support of Windows XP will be. By and large, it is generally not targeted at home users. It only seems that the decision was really dictated by the requirements of the public. In fact, everything is much more complicated, especially when you consider the use of this OS in POS-terminals and ATMs. It is clear that replacing the operating system in ATMs around the world will cost a fairly round amount. But in any case, someday it will still have to be done. Therefore, the solution looks like a kind of intermediate link, which will allow you to simply gain the time needed to completely re-equip the terminals with new software or a similar replacement for large corporations.