You can still get free Windows XP support until 2019!

A lot of people run older computers that don't do so well with Windows 7 or 8 because they are too slow or are lacking drivers. Many who have run Windows XP are scared about the end of Microsoft support for XP. Some governments and large companies have pestered Microsoft about it and are paying millions of dollars for Microsoft to continue giving out security updates. Well, you can have those security updates for free.

This is all because there is a version of Windows XP that has continued security support until 2019. From Wikipedia:

You need to modify a registry value in order to make your operating system take these updates. It sounds scary, but it is very simple and only requires copying and pasting into notepad.

I can't take any credit for this. I just found it on another forum I frequent:
Windows XP Security Updates - registry hack for a five year extension until 2019 | Overclockers Forums

 

There is also a new fan based unofficial "SP4" being worked on.

'Unofficial' Windows XP SP4 Launched. Microsoft OS Lives On - Forbes

 

WOW!
now i wonder if this can be used for hospitals as our IT department are in the process of upgrading every computer from xp to windows 7 due to the end of support.

+rep for a great find.

 

much discussion at neowin.net and reddit

 

Maybe some of those updates, at best. I activated the setting in the registry now 6 months after support ended and all I got was 8 updates (7 of them published after april 2014).
Sure, it's better than nothing, but still, it's not much. I'm not complaining, just giving a heads up to others trying this. Thanks to the OP for the tip!

 

I'm not sure what other security updates there could be. If Microsoft has any security update, they have a responsibility to put it out there. This applies to the base operating system and any components shared between POS and XP SP3. This doesn't apply to things like Internet Explorer or Windows Media Player, but who uses those anyway?

 

oh...my...god....yes....thank you!

And yeah, no IE updates but theres always better browsers out there...

 

Well, if you get about one update per month for XP, and 5 - 15 for W7 and W8, why do you think that is? Is it XP that doesn't have to be updated anymore, because it has reached perfection?
I'm not saying MS keeps updates away from those who are eligible, I'm just saying that MS simply doesn't put that much effort into XP anymore.