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    End of Windows XP: Switch to Windows 7/8 or Linux

    End of Windows XP: Switch to Windows 7/8 or LinuxSince April 8, 2014, Windows XP is no longer updated.
    There will therefore no longer be any corrections to the security vulnerabilities it may still contain and which could be exploited by malware authors.

    He moves strongly recommended Windows XP owners not to continue using an operating system that has run out of updates.

    Note that the risk of infection does not appear overnight either, the risk being weighted by the degree of vulnerabilities on Windows and on Microsoft software (Internet Explorer, etc.), which will be published subsequently.
    Also note that support for dedicated Windows XP protection tools, such as Microsoft Security Essentials, will continue until July 14, 2015.
    Windows XP will nevertheless remain functional, your documents will be accessible, your software will remain usable. However, the loopholes discovered will no longer be filled and their exploitation by pirates is very likely. Keeping Windows XP can therefore be dangerous.



    The solutions

    Change material

    If you can, take a new computer that will have an operating system still maintained: Windows, Mac OS, Linux ...
    Your old PC will not necessarily have to be thrown away and we will suggest that you give it a second life in the rest of this article.



    Upgrade to Windows 7 or Windows 8

    You can consider buying back a Windows license and installing this new operating system on your machine.
    However, you will need to check beforehand if your hardware configuration supports it and whether pilots exist. Note that Microsoft offers wizards that test the hardware configuration to assess whether they can upgrade to newer Windows.

    • Windows 8.1 System Requirements
    • Windows 8 / 8.1 Upgrade Assistant
    • Windows 7 System Requirements
    • Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

    Remember to make a backup of your documents before any operation of this type. Your programs will also need to be reinstalled.

    Switch to another operating system

    Other than Windows or MacOS, there is Linux which is free, open source and accessible to everyone as soon as you agree to change your habits somewhat.

    Choosing and Understanding Linux

    First of all, it should be understood that Linux is not Windows. The article that this link points to is very long, comprehensive and answers a lot of questions that have been asked on the web for several years. You can come back to it later if for now you just want to get a feel for it by going through the following.

    The advantage, besides being free, is that the majority of GNU / Linux distributions can be tested without being installed on the machine.
    Testing Linux without an installation is less efficient than a real installation, so the reaction speed should not be taken into account, but this allows you to get an idea, both from an aesthetic and practical point of view.
    All you have to do is download the chosen distribution (s), burn them or put them on a bootable USB key and boot from it: this is called a Live-CD (for a disc) or a Live- USB for a key.



    To read :
    Getting started with Linux
    Linux - Installer Fedora 21

    Choosing a Linux distribution

    This may depend on the hardware configuration of your PC running Windows XP but a wide choice is available to you.
    A file to read: Choose a distribution
    Some examples :
    Emmabuntus
    Mageia
    Xubuntu
    Ubuntu
    Fedora

    Differences, advantages and disadvantages

    Software installation

    To get an idea, you can read this article

    Under Windows, the software is installed as follows:
    1 - Search the site with a search engine for downloading.
    2 - Go to the download site.
    3 - Click on the link.
    4 - Check (or have checked) the download by the antivirus.
    5 - Start the executable.
    6 - Respond to installation requests.
    7 -Restart the system if necessary.

    On Linux (Ubuntu):
    1 - Launch of the software library.
    2 - Search for the software (by name, by topic).
    3 - Click on installation.
    4 - The software is installed, its shortcut stored in the menu.


    Updating drivers / pilots

    Under Windows, you will browse the web in search of the drivers related to your hardware, this can be tedious and you will have to do it for each device of your equipment. Then download and install them.

    In Ubuntu (for example), when new drivers appear, a kernel update is automatically offered to you and you will only have to accept this update.

    Using an antivirus

    Even if it is advisable to install an antivirus on a Linux system in order to prevent possible transfers of corrupted files to Windows machines, it is not essential (e-mail, attachment, image, etc.)
    Indeed, few viruses exist in Linux, the risks of catching them are low and all Windows viruses do not work on this operating system.


    Drawbacks

    A lot of games don't run on Linux (although there are solutions like Wine), but if your computer is running XP, a lot of recent games may also not run on your configuration.
    Some "proprietary" software like Photoshop, Illustrator does not work, but there are free alternatives.
    Again, if you are a professional, you might go for a machine change.

    If you want to switch to a GNU / Linux system, we advise you to seek advice in the Linux forum before you start; this will give you personalized answers if questions persist.

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