Microsoft Corp. will end all support services for its XP operating system on April 9. After that, there won't be any more technical updates even if safety deficiencies are found in the operating system. So, individuals and organizations should not waste time in ensuring that their computers are protected by other means, if necessary, from the risks of virus infection and unauthorized access by hackers.
XP went on the market in 2001. In Japan, sales coincided with the spread of Internet usage. Many individuals and businesses' computers came with the XP system installed. Although newer Microsoft operating systems have come out since — Window Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 — XP remains popular.
Microsoft has been calling on its users for some time to switch over to newer operating systems. But because of cost and technical difficulties, it is feared that many individuals and businesses will continue to use XP. According to an estimate by IDC Japan, a research company, there are some 13 million XP-installed personal computers (PCs) in Japan. Microsoft Japan hopes to reduce that to fewer than 7.5 million by April 9. IDC Japan expects that the number will fall to around 7.2 million by the end of June.