Microsoft to remind Windows XP users of pending end-of-support date, offers free data migration tool

Despite the fact that a sizable number of people still run Windows XP, Microsoft is preparing to discontinue general support for the aging operating system on April 8, 2014. And starting March 8, the Redmond-based company will remind XP Home and Professional users (that have been getting regular updates) of the pending date via a pop-up notification.

The notification will pop up on the 8th of every month until the user disables it (or upgrades to a newer OS). Said notification will also include a link to the XP End of Support website so users can learn more about what it means for them. Ticking a check mark box will ensure it isn’t shown again.

A recent survey from NetMarketShare found that XP commanded 29 percent of the Windows market share. That’s still a lot for an OS that was released more than 12 years ago, but why are people still clinging to a dated OS when better alternatives like Windows 7 exist?

Microsoft thinks they know why and have come up with a solution to encourage XP users to switch to something newer. Perhaps people simply don’t want to deal with the hassle of losing data and settings when they move to anew system. That seems like a plausible enough reason to me.

To alleviate these concerns, Microsoft is partnering with Laplink, a company that specializes in data migration software. Together, they are offering a data migration tool called PCmover Express for Windows XP free of charge. The software will transfer files, settings and profiles from XP to a newer operating system. It’ll be available later this week from windowsxp.com.

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