xp

An unprotected Windows XP machine lasted just 10 minutes online before being infected. It was an extreme and arguably unrealistic experiment, but does show just how prevalent online threats are. YouTuber Eric Parker carried out the test with a ... virtual machine running Windows XP. A virtual machine is a machine that lives inside of another machine, which makes it appear as if the virtual machine is a separate, physical computer. It's often used by people running two operating systems on the same computer. In fact, this website runs as a virtual machine. At any rate: it's no secret that running ... (view more)

More than one in four computers are running an unsupported version of Windows according to the latest monthly estimates. Around one in 80 machines are still running Windows XP, which was first released 19 years ago. The stats, spotted by TechRadar, ... come from Net Market Share. That's a company which provides statistics and analysis to websites. As part of this work, it's able to track the operating systems of sites that visit its clients sites. (Source: techradar.com ) Net Market Share believes it has data from enough sites to make reliable estimates for the Internet as a whole. If anything, ... (view more)

Russian leader Vladmir Putin still uses Windows XP if official photographs are to be believed. Ironically it might actually be a security measure. The photos released by the Russian state news agency show Putin's computers in his Kremlin office and ... his official residence. In both cases the screens are displaying the toolbar and icons from XP, though the default desktop background image is replaced with a picture of the Kremlin. (Source: themoscowtimes.com ) It would certainly be frowned upon (if not entirely shocking) for senior government officials in the West to still be running XP due to ... (view more)

Windows XP and Vista users won't be able to buy music or movies from Apple after May, 2018. That's because Apple is ditching support for the operating systems on iTunes, as they are no longer supported by Microsoft and do not receive patches for ... vulnerabilities. The move also affects the original Apple TV device, which has already lost hardware support from the company. In both cases, Apple says it's withdrawing the support for security reasons. Once the change takes effect on May 25, 2018, PCs running Windows XP and Vista will no longer be able to update to the latest edition of ... (view more)

Microsoft has issued three updates to fix flaws in older, unsupported versions of Windows. It's an unusual move that follows the discovery that both the National Security Agency (NSA) and outside hackers are exploiting the flaws , similar to the one ... that allowed the WannaCry Ransomware worm to spread just a few weeks ago. The updates cover both Windows and Windows Server editions going right back to XP . They'll be issued through the usual automated updates, which means people on Windows 8.1 and later shouldn't need to do anything. Those on earlier systems may need to manually ... (view more)

The US Navy has paid $9.1 million for ongoing support for Microsoft Windows. What makes it really amazing is that the ongoing support is for Windows XP. The payment comes from the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. It covers support for ... XP, Office 2003 and Exchange 2003. It only covers a temporary extension and there's an option for the Navy to extend the support coverage until 2017 with a total price of $30.8 million. The Navy isn't completely clueless about how outdated the software is. It's running a program to upgrade to more recent software and previously ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sam G. writes: " Dear Dennis, My Windows Update won't update. It happened when I upgraded to Windows 8.1; I had over 100 updates to download. I managed to download most of them but there were a few that failed. Windows Update says ... the error code is 8007045B on the failed updates . I did a search for 8007045B in Google but the information is conflicting, confusing, and for the most part all the articles I've read go around in a loop. I also came across an article on PC World which says to do revert my restore point - but that didn't work, either. Apparently ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'controlbob' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have an HP laptop running Windows Vista and I plan to upgrade to Windows 7 using an OEM install disc. Do you know if the OEM Windows 7 will be approved for the free Windows 10 upgrade when it ... becomes available? Are the hardware requirements for the Windows 10 similar to Windows 7? Can I upgrade / migrate to Windows 10, or do I need to do a clean install? " My Response: The short answer is that yes, you can get the free upgrade to Windows 10 if you currently have Windows 7 or 8.1 installed -- providing you claim the ... (view more)

Unconfirmed rumors suggest Windows 10 may be free of charge for people already on Windows 8.1. An announcement may be coming later this month to clarify the pricing structure. Meanwhile, Microsoft has confirmed that only people on Windows 7 or later ... will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 directly, while those users running Windows XP or Vista will need to carry out a fresh install. The pricing rumors stem from a report by the Softpedia website. It's generally considered credible, but is only citing its source on the pricing structure as "some people close to the matter." ... (view more)

Earlier this year, a hack was discovered that would allow Windows XP users to continue receiving security updates , despite Microsoft no longer officially supporting the system . However, experts are now warning users that the hack guarantees ... neither security, nor stable computing. Windows XP: No More Security Updates Microsoft finally pulled the plug on Windows XP in April this year , including all future security updates. The problem is that many people still continue to use the operating system, despite significant security risks . The Windows Embedded hack essentially tricks Windows XP ... (view more)