How long can Microsoft support XP? Windows XP is quite successful. According to market research firm IDC, 538 million Windows XP systems (including Home and Pro) were installed worldwide by the end of 2006. As long as these computers are useful, it is difficult for users to prove that it is right to buy Vista or buy a computer with Vista installed. Microsoft's technical support strategy also reflects this reality. The company's standard life-cycle policy provides bug fixes and security patches (basic technical support) within five years of the initial release of the operating system and security patch support (extended support) within five years of five years. Even though Microsoft often does not provide extended support for consumer products, the company says XP Home and XP Pro will receive the same technical service period. Microsoft's technology road map currently indicates that extended support for Windows XP will end in April 2014. In order to continue the technical service within one year after release, you need to have the latest service pack, which means you must install XP Service Pack 2. The earliest end date for XP SP2's technical services was in 2014, but history shows that when these dates are approaching, Microsoft often delays users. For example, technical support for Windows 98 was terminated in January 2004, but Microsoft extended it for two and a half years until July 2006. If Microsoft releases XP service packs in 2013 or 2013, XP's life will be extended. Microsoft is tentatively scheduled to release XP Service Pack 3 in the first half of 2008. If SP3 is released before and after this schedule and becomes the last service pack for XP, it will not affect the date of termination of XP technology services in 2014. Get Vista's enhanced security in XP In Windows Vista, Microsoft finally took the issue of security seriously and added many important security measures to the operating system. But that doesn't mean you should be reluctant to accept XP's poor security. Some free and low-cost tools will provide the same security as Vista. Anti-Spyware Windows Defender protects Windows Vista from spyware attacks, and Windows XP users can download the same program for free. Windows Defender in Vista is almost identical to XP, so you don't lose anything without upgrading to Vista. (Windows Defender in XP and Vista is almost the same.) Whether you use Vista or XP, it's a good idea to install multiple anti-spyware software on your computer. So give your computer double security and install Lavasoft AB's Ad-Aware or Spybot Search & Detroy—— even both. Hardware-based encryption Vista provides a hardware-based encryption technology for laptops, BitLocker encryption. It uses hardware-based key and password protection, so if your laptop is stolen, no one can browse any data in the notebook. You can get similar functionality from Kensington Computer Products Group's PC Key ($70). It uses a special USB key and password combination to encrypt the hard drive. Even if someone gets your laptop, they can't see anything. Firewall As for the firewall, XP's built-in firewall has a major limitation compared to Vista's firewall — — no outbound protection. There is a lot of debate about whether the Vista firewall includes true send protection, but if you want XP's firewall to have real, configurable send protection, then get the free Comodo Firewall Pro. (Getting Receive and Send Protection from Comodo.) As pointed out by Scot Finnie, Senior Editor-in-Chief of Computerworld Online, Comodo Group ranks first in firewall security on the independent test site Matousec and maintains security and convenience. A good balance. Parental Controls Windows Vista has built-in parental controls that restrict your child's use of the computer by filtering web pages. Your XP can also have this feature, but it costs money. There are many such programs on the market, but the best two are Safe Eyes of SafeBrowse.com ($50 for three computers) and Child Safe for Webroot Software Inc. ($40 for three computers) . Vista security features not available in XP Some Vista security features you can't copy on Windows XP, such as IE's Protected Mode, which protects your system from malware that enters your computer through a browser. (GreenBorder Technologies has launched a protected-mode add-on for IE and Firefox, but the software is no longer available for download. Since the company has been acquired by Google, it is likely that this software will be re-created in Google products in the future. Appears.) Another Vista feature that XP doesn't have, but you can't ignore, is User Account Control. This blamed security measure will ask the user for permission when you do anything. Many Vista users simply turned off this feature to avoid interruptions.