XP and Vista users
Support for Old Windows Versions Ends Soon
I have received this information from a service I subscribe to, it is very important, please contact me if you need help.
One of the most important features of Windows is its Automatic Updates system. As I'm sure you know, this system regularly uses your Internet connection to check whether there are any updates available for Windows that you don't yet have. If new updates are available, they're downloaded and installed automatically, keeping your PC up-to-date.
Some of these updates make little improvements to Windows, and those are certainly nice to have. The majority, though, are security updates, and it's vital to be receiving those. Obviously you want your system to be as secure as possible, but there's another reason why these updates are important: as soon as Microsoft releases a security update, the hackers of the world swarm over it to see what aspect of security it's tightening up, and then write malicious software that targets that loophole.
Every year or so, Microsoft bundles all the past updates into one big package (often including some larger-scale changes to Windows as well) and releases this collection as a ‘Service Pack’. Installing the latest Service Pack ensures that your system is as up-to-date and secure as it can possibly be. Over the course of Windows XP's long lifespan there were three Service Packs, imaginatively named SP1, SP2 and SP3. Windows Vista's much shorter life saw two Service Packs delivered, SP1 and SP2.
That brings me to the point of this item. If you haven't been keeping up with these Service Packs, Microsoft is soon going to stop sending you any more updates. (More precisely, no more updates will be released for those old versions, so although your PC will continue checking for updates, it won't find any to download.) If that happens, although your PC will still be usable, you'll be at the mercy of the world's hackers as they launch attacks on unprotected systems.
Let's get to the specifics. If you're using Windows Vista and you haven't installed either of the Vista Service Packs, you won't receive any updates after 13th April 2010. If you're using Windows XP and you haven't yet installed Service Pack 3, you'll stop receiving updates on 13th July 2010.
If you're not sure which Service Pack you've got (and it's not a terribly memorable thing), you can find out by right-clicking the Computer or My Computer item on your Start menu or desktop and choosing Properties. In the window that appears, you'll see various details about your system, and among them will be a note of the latest Service Pack installed.
If you're using Vista and there's no mention of any Service Pack being installed, or you're using XP with Service Pack 1 or 2, you'll need to grab the latest Service Pack. To do that, go to http://tinyurl.com/ybgs8lo and scroll a little way down the page. You'll see two tabs, one labelled Windows XP SP3 (for XP users), and the other Windows Vista SP2 (for Vista users). Click the appropriate tab and then click the blue Get the service pack button a little lower down. You'll find some instructions to follow which explain how to install the Service Pack you need.
I have received this information from a service I subscribe to, it is very important, please contact me if you need help.
One of the most important features of Windows is its Automatic Updates system. As I'm sure you know, this system regularly uses your Internet connection to check whether there are any updates available for Windows that you don't yet have. If new updates are available, they're downloaded and installed automatically, keeping your PC up-to-date.
Some of these updates make little improvements to Windows, and those are certainly nice to have. The majority, though, are security updates, and it's vital to be receiving those. Obviously you want your system to be as secure as possible, but there's another reason why these updates are important: as soon as Microsoft releases a security update, the hackers of the world swarm over it to see what aspect of security it's tightening up, and then write malicious software that targets that loophole.
Every year or so, Microsoft bundles all the past updates into one big package (often including some larger-scale changes to Windows as well) and releases this collection as a ‘Service Pack’. Installing the latest Service Pack ensures that your system is as up-to-date and secure as it can possibly be. Over the course of Windows XP's long lifespan there were three Service Packs, imaginatively named SP1, SP2 and SP3. Windows Vista's much shorter life saw two Service Packs delivered, SP1 and SP2.
That brings me to the point of this item. If you haven't been keeping up with these Service Packs, Microsoft is soon going to stop sending you any more updates. (More precisely, no more updates will be released for those old versions, so although your PC will continue checking for updates, it won't find any to download.) If that happens, although your PC will still be usable, you'll be at the mercy of the world's hackers as they launch attacks on unprotected systems.
Let's get to the specifics. If you're using Windows Vista and you haven't installed either of the Vista Service Packs, you won't receive any updates after 13th April 2010. If you're using Windows XP and you haven't yet installed Service Pack 3, you'll stop receiving updates on 13th July 2010.
If you're not sure which Service Pack you've got (and it's not a terribly memorable thing), you can find out by right-clicking the Computer or My Computer item on your Start menu or desktop and choosing Properties. In the window that appears, you'll see various details about your system, and among them will be a note of the latest Service Pack installed.
If you're using Vista and there's no mention of any Service Pack being installed, or you're using XP with Service Pack 1 or 2, you'll need to grab the latest Service Pack. To do that, go to http://tinyurl.com/ybgs8lo and scroll a little way down the page. You'll see two tabs, one labelled Windows XP SP3 (for XP users), and the other Windows Vista SP2 (for Vista users). Click the appropriate tab and then click the blue Get the service pack button a little lower down. You'll find some instructions to follow which explain how to install the Service Pack you need.
