Procedure To Get Free Security Updates For Windows XP Till 2019

The software giant Microsoft Corporation have been providing support for the aging operating system Windows XP for the past 12 years. Earlier this year, Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows XP, which meant that there will be no Windows support for XP. Windows XP users will not be receiving security updates, non-security hot fixes, or technical assistance any more. This means the systems powered by Windows XP are now entirely vulnerable to security threats.

Windows XP has been targeted by many hackers and malicious coders even before the end of support, mainly because of its twelve years of presence in the market. With the end of support, it would be extremely difficult to keep Windows XP systems safe from constant threats. Since company has stopped providing Windows support and security essentials for XP, many people have started migrating to newer versions of Windows.

Now, those who have already installed Microsoft Security Essentials in their system will continue receiving antimalware signature updates for a short period of time. But, it needs to be noted that these Security Essentials will have pretty limited effectiveness on personal computers, which do not have the latest updates installed. This means the computers running on Windows XP will anyway be vulnerable to malicious attacks.

Now, there is an exception for some Windows XP embedded versions, since they will be receiving these security essentials for Windows XP until 2019.

Even normal XP users will be able to avail this support when they use a workaround. Applying this work around, Windows XP users, who wish to protect their devices will be receiving security updates for another five years. How is this possible? This hack uses the updates for Windows Embedded Industry OS, also known as Windows Embedded POSReady. This works on XP because Embedded POSReady is based on the Windows XP OS. Since the updates are compliant with end user version of Windows XP, users will be able to benefit from the security fixes.

This hack requires users to follow a few steps before you can avail the security updates. Though Windows Embedded POSReady is pretty similar to Windows XP, it actually a different software. So, you cannot use it directly because if you do, you will receive an OS error.

The only requirement you need to have is that you should use at least a 32-bit edition of Windows XP SP3 for this. It is advisable for you to create a backup of all the important data before you use the hack.

A Review On Windows 8 Vs Windows 7

Ever since Microsoft released their flagship operating system with a new user interface- Windows 8, people have been debating on Windows 7 vs Windows 8 pros and cons. If you ask me, even though the operating system has been slow on sales, it has a wonderful user interface. The metro user interface from Microsoft completely changed the view that one might have about desktop operating systems. The only problem that people fear to have with Windows 8 is related to compatibility of old Windows software. Most of the users who have installed Windows 8 complain about accessibility issues, well it is true that the operating system might look little complicated when you compare it with Windows 7.

However, today’s tablet and smartphone users might feel at home with the Metro user interface as they can experience the same interface on all their devices. There is a significant change in the shutdown and startup time with Windows 8 operating system. Laptop and desktop users would be able to use their system faster if they install Windows 8, as the boot time for Windows 8 when compared with Windows 7 is lower. The program also shuts down faster than its predecessor. Another field in which Windows 8 scores in against Windows 7 vs Windows 8 feud is in multimedia performance.

But if you take into account graphic performance of the two operating systems with respect to 3D graphics rendering, Windows 7 does better than its successor. If you are into gaming, then there is nothing to worry about getting Windows 8 as both Windows 7 and Windows 8 performed similarly in the benchmark tests conducted with the same level of graphics and graphics devices. Most of the games were well rendered with Windows 8 operating system. To top all of that, you will be able to get new Metro style games for playing on your device if you install Windows 8.

It will be a relief for Microsoft to know that even though the operating system did not raise much sales and hype, it did not become a complete failure like Windows Vista. One of the greatest advantages that users have if they upgrade to Windows 8 is that they will be able to get much longer support period than that for Windows 7. The mainstream support for Windows 7 is all set to end next year, however Windows 8 will provide you with support for a few couple of years more.

What Is Hyper-V Virtualization Platform?

Nowadays, virtualization techniques are becoming a lot popular in the IT field. The benefit of using such solutions is that they offer a flexible, reliable and faster disaster recovery solution. Microsoft provides one such virtualization solution by the name of Hyper-V or Microsoft Hypervisor Based Server Virtualization Technology. This service provides a virtual platform for businesses and help in their growth.

As stated in the Microsoft support site, Hyper-V was released in 2008 and is available in a total of four versions i.e. Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008. The microkernelized hypervisor architecture of Hyper-V enables the users to virtualize their infrastructure. This enables the users to effectively manage their virtual and physical resources with only one set of tools. Moreover, the IT professionals are also able to increase the productivity of the organization by maximizing their process, management and provisioning of resources.

The 64-bit microkernelized hypervisor architecture in Hyper-V makes it support a number of devices by ensuring improved security and performance of the system. Microsoft Hyper-V is a standalone and shortened version of Windows Server where Microsoft has omitted every aspect that is irrelevant to virtualization, devices as well as Graphical user interface. This is done to make the server as small as possible. By doing so, the Windows Server would also require less maintenance time and would be less vulnerable to security issues. If you check the Microsoft Support Site, you will get to know more about the features of this virtualization program. It has been mentioned that this hybrid supervisor, although is installed from the OS, redesigns the architecture of the operating system completely and hence, works as an adjacent layer to the physical hardware.

Installing Hyper-V involves almost the same process of installing any other program. First, you need to check the type of Windows version you’re running in your system. This is because if you’re running an older version of Windows server that is prior 2008, you would need to upgrade to a newer version before you try installing Hyper-V. Once you have successfully installed the program, your computer will reboot. After rebooting, you will be able to notice the additional services in your system, including Hyper-V.

Hence, by installing Hyper-V, you can create, change and delete Virtual Machine. To know more about the features included in Microsoft Hyper-V, you may get in touch with our technical support personnel.

More Firmware Updates Released For Surface Pro 3

The much hyped laptop-replacement device from Microsoft, Surface Pro 3 has received its first update within a few months after its public release. Surface Pro 3 became an instant hit due to its tremendous capabilities and has been touted as the best tablet in the price category. The Intel powered device is available in three different variants (i3, i5 and i7) and runs Windows 8.1 operating system. To know more about the features of Surface Pro 3 and why it’s better than the rest of the tablets available in the market, head over to the official Windows support page.

If you have purchased the Surface 3 Pro tablet, you should install the updates as they come by to utilize all the features that are available for use. The new update includes tons of new stuff. Moreover, the updates are cumulative and any further updates are available only after the previous and existing ones are downloaded and installed. The latest update includes the following new fixes and upgrades:

• Surface Pro Embedded Controller Firmware (v36.5.50.0) [Firmware update
• Surface Pro System Aggregator Firmware (v3.7.50.0) [Firmware update]
• Surface Pro UEFI (v3.7.150.0) 
• Surface Pro Touch Controller Firmware (v426.27.66.0) [Firmware update]
• Wireless Network Controller (v15.68.3040.75) [enhanced WiFi service]
• Bluetooth (v15.68.3040.75) 
• Surface Integration (v2.0.739.0) 
• Surface Type Cover Firmware Update (v2.0.735.0) 
• Microsoft LifeCam Front (v2.0.733.0) [Camera update]

The latest update addresses power management issues that were reported in previous versions and includes major performance improvements that were lacking in previous versions. Apart from that, global IT giant has fixed several bugs reported by Surface 3 Pro users in this short interval. The speedy attempts to fix this issue have been lauded by all.

To manually install the updates, follow these instructions:

• Swipe from the right edge of your tablet screen and then tap on the Settings button.
• Navigate through the list of options and then tap on Change PC settings.
• Inside this menu, you will find Update and recovery.
• Click Check now. Your Windows 8.1 powered tablet will immediately search online for any available updates.
• You will be able to view the new updates when you tap on View details.
• Select the updates you want to install and then tap or click Install.

If the automatic updates options are selected, your Surface Pro 3 tablet will download every update and install them automatically. Hence, if you do not see any available updates, you can assume you are running the latest Surface updated OS. To know more about each update, head over to the official Windows support page.