For 13 years Windows XP has been the king of operating systems but is now laying firmly on it’s death bed. Microsoft is ending support for this iconic OS on April 8th 2014. From Windows Support site.

What is Windows XP end of support?

Microsoft has provided support for Windows XP for the past 12 years. But now the time has come for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources toward supporting more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences.

As a result, after April 8, 2014, technical assistance for Windows XP will no longer be available, including automatic updates that help protect your PC. Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP on this date. (If you already have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, you will continue to receive antimalware signature updates for a limited time, but this does not mean that your PC will be secure because Microsoft will no longer be providing security updates to help protect your PC.)

If you continue to use Windows XP after support ends, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Also, as more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimize for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter greater numbers of apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP.

Microsoft suggests of course upgrading to 8.1 but I suspect many machines still running XP will probably be better off going for Windows 7. If you’re running a really old computer and aren’t in a financial position to upgrade, perhaps Ubuntu would be a nice fit. Instructions for Ubuntu installation here. What do you think about Microsoft’s decision to end XP support? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter and Facebook.