Computer Support Network

Last week Microsoft officially canceled support for the Windows XP operating system. This announcement goes hand in hand with the soon to launch Windows 7 and is an obvious attempt to encourage an upgrade. There is still the option for businesses to request support but now the request will come at a price.

Tuesday April 14th closed the door on mainstream support for the most popular operating system in circulation and has the potential to affect millions of PC users around the world. Microsoft has been phasing out the 8 year old OS for more than a year but this is a big step and it is important to understand what it means. While mainstream support is now gone there is still an option for businesses that experience complications. Users of Windows XP retain the option to contact Microsoft but will now have to pay for support on a per-incident basis. For personal users and businesses with a limited IT staff or budget this will constitute a large stumbling block.

Because of the negative reception that Windows Vista received most businesses have no plans to upgrade to Windows 7 on release. Vista was highly criticized for its high resource requirements and general sluggishness when compared to Windows XP. Since many critics expect the new OS to have similar complications it’s not surprising that so many businesses have reservations about the upgrade.

What makes the issue more troublesome is that with the termination of support and the hesitation to upgrade many small businesses are likely to be left out in the cold for technical assistance. If they do rely on Microsoft they will incur hefty fees that will continue until they finally decide to migrate. Making matters worse even those companies that do intend to upgrade will be left without support until Windows 7 is released later this year at an undisclosed time.

While it’s reasonable for Microsoft to encourage people to move beyond the 8 year old operating system the support cancelation notice seems to come at an odd time. With Windows 7 on the horizon no one will seriously consider and upgrade to Vista but that leaves most people without an outlet for support. What this means for the millions of users around the world who still depend on windows XP will soon be seen.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

After the relative flop of Windows Vista, Microsoft has decided to take a much more proactive approach to the launch of Windows 7. In an effort to encourage trial and upgrade Microsoft has decided to allow purchases of the new OS to downgrade to Windows XP if the new operating system doesn’t suit their needs.

Windows XP is still the default operating system for the majority of businesses and home users around the world but at nearly nine years old the OS has started to show its age. While Windows XP is still a very strong OS in forms of stability and runs on a limited resource set, there are many areas in which it has been surpassed. For all its short comings Widows Vista is the most secure Microsoft operating system to date. Vista also has advanced the virtual memory handling of its 64 bit operating system which allows faster response time and enhanced capabilities of graphics and video editing software. While this particular feature isn’t a necessity for the majority of users today eventually basic productivity software will benefit from this as well.

In a rather brilliant design decision, Microsoft has devised a plan to get these features to the masses with the release of its new operating system this fall. Businesses that wish to test Windows 7 will have the opportunity of experience all of the new features. However, if they decide that the new OS doesn’t suit their needs Widows 7 ships with a hassle free rollback feature which will allow users to downgrade to Windows XP. This versatility allows for a much greater audience to experience the new OS features without the problem of feeling trapped by the purchase. As an added benefit to consumers, the Windows XP operating system, which is now hard to come by, will once again be available IF you don’t mind going through Windows 7.

Since Widows 7 promotes a strong emphasis on usability enhancement it is nice to see that Microsoft has applied the same concept to acquiring the OS as well. If the operating systems features work as intended and enough people are allowed to test them out for themselves this could finally be the OS to replace Windows XP as the industry standard. It will be interesting to see how things pan out later this year when Windows 7 is released.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department

The Conficker computer worm planned for release on April 1st passed uneventfully. While many news sources predicted a huge disaster, which didn’t happen, the worm will still have repercussions for those infected. The fact that there was no major system crash or data loss means that many people will have their guard down. This false sense of security could potentially lead to further complications or even disaster down the road.

Altogether it has been reported that the Conficker Worm has propagated onto 1.1 million computers worldwide. So far the infection has been mostly benign in nature but it is expected that the greater purpose of the worm is data farming. What this means is that when a system operator types in credit card numbers, bank information or any other personal identifier the worm will log the information and send it back to the author. The worm remains a silent threat because if it doesn’t cause computer malfunction it means that it can remain in operation and continue to work.

While there are now numerous patches for the exploit many people still have not bothered to apply them. The worm in its current state poses a serious problem to personal information but there is still the possibility of further mutation. So long as a system remains un-patched the worm’s author has the ability to upload further changes. These changes could make it harder for current deletion techniques to work or even deliver a more volatile payload.

What makes the possibility of a mutated worm strain more dangerous is the amount of publicity the infection has already received. The worm’s author knows he is working with a limited timeframe before a complete fix is achieved. This fact alone might force him to release a more dangerous attack in the near future. Those computers already protected are unlikely to be affected but that still leaves over a million compromised PCs.

One of the easiest ways to tell if you have been infected is if you experience delayed internet connectivity or through a failure of the windows update service. If you experience either of these you should check for possible infection immediately or contact your IT staff. The Conficker worm may not have created a large scale disaster but the danger is still very real.

- Richard Keene
IT Computer Support of New York
Design and Optimization Department