Microsoft Offers Free XP Migration Tool as Support Deadline Looms

Microsoft is treating Windows XP more as a computer bug to be eradicated than one its most successful products ever.

Over 12 years after the launch of Micrsoft’s Windows XP operating system, almost 30% of desktop users are using this venerable operating system. That speaks highly of its durability and usability, but Microsoft doesn’t see it as a positive. They want XP users to upgrade to their latest operating system Windows 8.1 ASAP, before they finally cut off support and halt security upgrades on April 8th.

Microsoft has had push back from users that upgrading to Windows 8.1 simply wasn’t possible. There is no version of the installation that will upgrade without losing all files, settings and installations in the process. You might think that Microsoft would be happy to provide an intermediate path of XP to Windows 7 but they don’t seem interested in their users going that route.

In response, Microsoft announced this week that they have partnered with Laplink to provide its PCmover Express migration tool free to XP users. The tool will migrate files, settings and up to 3 user applications from XP to Windows 8.1. Fortunately, the entire Office suite counts as 1 application! Advanced editions of PCMover Express especially for Windows XP are also available for cost.

For XP users who have the auto upgrade feature turned will soon be getting warnings about the end of security upgrades and encouragement to upgrade. Microsoft is taking a risk that this will only annoy and alienate users, but they are eager to see upgrades to Windows 8.1, which has not exactly taken the world by storm. Currently, less than 11% of desktop users are using Windows 8 or 8.1, compared to 47% for Windows 7 and 30% for XP.

While we do not recommend that you use an unsupported operating system, certain to be a huge target for hackers, we firmly believe that any decision to upgrade or not is yours and yours alone. If you choose to stick with Windows XP you can be sure that Comodo will have your back. We will continue to support Comodo Internet Security and Antivirus Software versions for XP with the latest protections against malware targeting you.

Best IT Service Management Tools