Microsoft again urges XP, Office 2003 users to switch

Microsoft has reportedly again reminded its customers, who are still not ready to part with Windows XP operating system and Office 2003 suite, about the security consequences once the company ends support in April.

The software giant has reiterated that customers and businesses using the products would face severe security risks and be unable to take advantage of technical advances.

According to PC World, the company would officially end support to the old OS and suite on April 9, which doesn't mean that the products would stop working, but over time performance and security would be affected.

Windows XP PCs won't be able to run many 'newer' applications or work with new hardware due to unsupported drivers and without Microsoft's support, the system would become more vulnerable to bugs.

Meanwhile, the Office 2003 suite can't provide modern mobility and cloud capabilities.

The answer lies in the obvious shift to Windows 8.1 and Office 365, which Microsoft has acknowledged, might also require a hardware shift as most PCs running the old OS lack the specs required for the latest one.

The report said that Windows XP remains quite popular despite being almost 13 years old, and statistics point that it has 30 percent share of the desktop OS market.

Since Windows 8 has not impressed the traditional desktop users much for its tablet-friendly interface, Microsoft is constantly tweaking the OS to make it friendlier for mouse-and-keyboard users.