Windows XP ends, Media, Links, Help... +more... in E-News from 2SS.Com

It's Done! Windows XP is officially ended....
Despite what may be Microsoft's scare tactics (Do you remember Y2K?) and certainly after 13+ years, your productivity, and online safety deserve an upgrade. Even if all this Windows XP - END OF SERVICE - stuff turns out to be a bit 'trumped up', we strongly recommend making the change sooner rather than later. The benefits are so great that fully 70+% of our 2SS.Com clients have long-since made the switch, in almost every case to Window 7 Professional.

Despite the logic, the warnings, the improved productivity, the above 70+% means that some have not made the switch and a few more than that have not switched other PCs used at home, by children, relatives, etc. So after one last encouragement that EVERY INVESTMENT in Window XP is a short-term one with a diminishing payoff, here's our best suggestions for what to do to keep Windows XP going after today 4-8-14.

Using a Windows PC after 4-8-14?
The most important thing you can do is to limit exposure to bad stuff. For years the rule of thumb has been a 3-legged stool of 1=Firewall, 2=AntiVirus and 3=regular updates. Now that the stool has only legs 1 & 2, beefing them up and keeping them less exposed is the best route to 'Safe Computing' (Windows 7 users see our previous article "A Safe Computing Special").
AntiVirus - Although Microsoft will update Security Essentials (MSE) through 7-14-14 (another 90+ days), other vendors will keep up longer so you may wish to remove MSE and install AVast , AVG, Avira or AdAware (See links at left and inside the Ninite installation tool).
FireWall - Similarly the Windows XP firewall will not be maintained, so free alternatives like Comodo and ZoneAlarm will offer more safety. (See links at left)
Internet Browser - And while Windows XP has been stuck with Internet Explorer 8.0 for years, using another updated browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla FireFox has been smart for a long time, and now it's a necessity! (Use the Ninite installation tool to make this easy!)

In addition to updating software the safest thing you can do as a user is to be more careful to browse only websites you know and to be much more careful with opening any E-mail that arrives in software like Outlook, Eudora, even Outlook Express on your PC. If possible shift your E-mail use to an online service that probably cleans and de-SPAMs better than E-Mail on your PC. And if you can do it, consider disconnecting from the Internet as much as, and whenever, possible to minimize the higher-than-ever risk of compromising your Windows XP PC.s

E – N E W S from 2SS.Com Int’l Standard Serial No. - ISSN: 1523-3537 2014-No. 34
Have you visited our websites lately? StdInstall.Com Every PC needs most or all of these 20 basics: (The following is extracted from just above our listing at www.StdInstall.Com) In the table that follows the first two columns indicate our recommendation for use with Windows 7, 8.1, and/or even old Windows XP. (Note that the Product icons are also links to the product websites...) In the title column when the product name is a link it takes you as closely as possible to a download. Programs that require a fee for home-based users are noted. The Ninite tool is so simple (select, get installer, and run) and smart (omits toolbars. adds, extras, and selects the correct 32-bit or 64-bit version) that you should use it even if you want just one or two of the programs it installs. EXTRA: We recommend that you use Ninite, especially to help easily install and then maintain your old Windows XP PC with new browser and new Antivirus software!	Windows XP ends?
	It's Done! Windows XP is officially ended.... Despite what may be Microsoft's scare tactics (Do you remember Y2K?) and certainly after 13+ years, your productivity, and online safety deserve an upgrade. Even if all this Windows XP - END OF SERVICE - stuff turns out to be a bit 'trumped up', we strongly recommend making the change sooner rather than later. The benefits are so great that fully 70+% of our 2SS.Com clients have long-since made the switch, in almost every case to Window 7 Professional. Despite the logic, the warnings, the improved productivity, the above 70+% means that some have not made the switch and a few more than that have not switched other PCs used at home, by children, relatives, etc. So after one last encouragement that EVERY INVESTMENT in Window XP is a short-term one with a diminishing payoff, here's our best suggestions for what to do to keep Windows XP going after today 4-8-14. Using a Windows PC after 4-8-14? The most important thing you can do is to limit exposure to bad stuff. For years the rule of thumb has been a 3-legged stool of 1=Firewall, 2=AntiVirus and 3=regular updates. Now that the stool has only legs 1 & 2, beefing them up and keeping them less exposed is the best route to 'Safe Computing' (Windows 7 users see our previous article "A Safe Computing Special"). AntiVirus - Although Microsoft will update Security Essentials (MSE) through 7-14-14 (another 90+ days), other vendors will keep up longer so you may wish to remove MSE and install AVast , AVG, Avira or AdAware (See links at left and inside the Ninite installation tool). FireWall - Similarly the Windows XP firewall will not be maintained, so free alternatives like Comodo and ZoneAlarm will offer more safety. (See links at left) Internet Browser - And while Windows XP has been stuck with Internet Explorer 8.0 for years, using another updated browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla FireFox has been smart for a long time, and now it's a necessity! (Use the Ninite installation tool to make this easy!) In addition to updating software the safest thing you can do as a user is to be more careful to browse only websites you know and to be much more careful with opening any E-mail that arrives in software like Outlook, Eudora, even Outlook Express on your PC. If possible shift your E-mail use to an online service that probably cleans and de-SPAMs better than E-Mail on your PC. And if you can do it, consider disconnecting from the Internet as much as, and whenever, possible to minimize the higher-than-ever risk of compromising your Windows XP PC.s
Windows XP Media, Links & Help The Windows XP in the Media: Where will XP stalwarts go after the end of Windows XP support? The coming XPocalypse and five things Microsoft can do to prevent it Microsoft security research paints bleak picture for XP users Your perilous future on Windows XP And Microsoft's official pages: What does it mean if my version of Windows is no longer supported? Support availability for Office 2003 and Office 2000 Links for protecting Windows XP: cNet - FREE Internet browsers (See Ninite above) cNet - FREE Anti-Virus Software (See Ninite above) cNet - FREE Firewall Software eBay Guides for Help Authored by 2SS.Com (a.k.a. 2ITGuy or ) on eBay our 50+ step-by-step Guides on popular topics and typical PC problems: (Below are guides that pertain to Windows XP and Office 2003.): 80+ SystemWorks 2006-2009, Briefcase, Copying User Profiles, Cut-Copy-&-Paste, Default Windows Printer (how to set), E-mail troubleshooting, Installing Software, Microsoft Updates-Blocking & Removing, Microsoft Word - Calculate, 'NFR' (Not For Resale), Norton System Doctor, OE to Outlook, Outlook Archive files, Outlook (E-mail) BackUp, Outlook too many messages, Quicken, SPAM (how to cope), Viruses-Spyware-&-Bots, Why use Outlook, Windows Briefcase, Windows 'Send To' command, Windows XP - Renamed, Windows XP End-of-sales, Win XP SP3, NOTE to Office 2003 users: We have a number of clients using Office 2003 on Windows 7 systems and although support is ending on the former we see little reason to be concerned since that software was already updated only rarely and continues to be very productive. In fact for many users there still is not much compelling new functionality to justify the under $200, plus services, for upgrading to Office 2010 or 2013.		It’s FREE to SUBSCRIBE / UN-SUBSCRIBE? E-News from 2SS.Com aims to provide you with timely and interesting ideas that help you identify and implement strategic systems. You can SUBSCRIBE FREE by sending a message to [email protected] with the subject ‘Subscribe’ To un-Subscribe, enter as the subject ‘Un-Subscribe’ or ‘Remove’ Our commitment to subscribers is to not waste your time. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for technologies that interest you, please send a message to [email protected]. Please advise us of any changes to our current contact data for you. It is: Contact: [[Contact:26]] Company: [[Company:25]] Title: [[Title:46]] Address: [[Address 1:27]] [[Address 2:28]] City: [[City:30]], State: [[State:31]] Zip: [[Zip:32]] Phone: [[Phone:35]] Fax: [[Fax:36]]

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