Time's running out for users of Windows XP

StatCounter figures for September 2013 show that Thailand has one of the highest Windows XP installed bases in Asia Pacific. Windows XP still accounts for approximately 28 per cent of PCs in Thailand. That’s equivalent to an alarming figure of 5.7 million PCs, which is higher than the population of Singapore. On the bright side, as of September 2013, consumers and businesses have been slowly upgrading to newer versions of the operating system, and at least 57 per cent of PCs are now on Windows 7 and 8. 

After April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, non-security related fixes, there won’t be a number to call for technical assistance, or online technical content updates for Windows XP. This means that users will no longer receive the updates that help protect PCs from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. This may result in downtime and software compatibility issues. 

Rachod Isarankura na Ayuthaya, Windows Client Business Group Lead, Microsoft (Thailand) said: “While no one likes change, consumers and businesses need to consider newer operating systems like Windows 7 or 8 in order to modernise their computing devices and stay safe from cyber-attacks and data loss. With the typical deployment times for upgrades spanning from three to six months for small businesses, and more than six months for mid-sized businesses, we are really worried that companies in Thailand are cutting it too close to the end of service date. We’re committed to helping Thailand upgrade.” 

An additional benefit of migrating PCs to the latest Microsoft operating system is that Windows 8 comes with Windows Defender. This free lifetime anti-virus and Internet security suite avoids the need to buy additional anti-virus software, saving them purchasing costs as well as time to handle virus issues.

Moreover, Microsoft urges all business and consumers still using PCs running on Windows XP to upgrade to either Windows 7 or Windows 8.