Microsoft ended support for Windows XP this week, but the company will still provide updates for Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) for a limited time. This will give XP users a bit more time to keep their computer secure until they can decide their options for moving on.
Security Essential Updates for XP
If you don’t already have MSE installed, the company has stop providing it as a download. If you do have it installed already, then you’re in luck – at least for a little while. According to an article on the MSDN blog:
If you already have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, you will continue to receive antimalware signature updates for a limited time, but this does not mean that your PC will be secure because Microsoft will no longer provide security updates to help protect your PC.
Microsoft was vague on exactly how long antimalware updates will be provided to MSE. But you shouldn’t expect them to keep coming for very long.
Also keep in mind that April 8th was Patch Tuesday. This is your chance to get your final security patches for the 12 year old operating system. Microsoft is also ending support for Office 2003, so make sure you grab those updates as well.
Of course you can still download Security Essentials for Windows 7 and it’s rolled into one antimalware and antivirus utility in Windows 8.1 under the familiar name Windows Defender. In fact, MSE has been together with Windows Defender as a single unit since Windows 8 first hit the market.
If you still need to move on from XP, make sure to check out these other articles that will give you a helping hand through the process:
- Windows XP is About to Die, Now What?
- How to Transfer Your Bookmarks from XP to Chromebook
- Moving on From XP? Collect Your Software Product Keys First
- Microsoft is Giving Away PCmover Express to XP Users
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