Another Option for an Upgrade From Windows XP

The Q&A below come from the NY Times.

I would like to preface this by saying there is no real rush to run out and spend money just because Microsoft will cease delivering security updates to XP on April 8. BUT, and this is a BIG BUT: as long as you have all of your data (pictures, music, videos, documents) backed up on some external medium. This could be a flash drive, an external hard drive, a backup service in the cloud (like SOS, which I use), etc.

Q. I’m still running Windows XP on my computer; can I upgrade to Windows 7 instead of Windows 8?

A. Microsoft stopped selling retail copies of the Windows 7 operating system last fall, but with a little searching, you should be able to buy discs from a third-party store or vendor. Just make sure that the seller is reliable, as using a counterfeit copy of the system can cause problems with some Microsoft services. If you plan to upgrade your current computer from Windows XP, make sure that it meets the Windows 7 system requirements and that you know how to proceed with the installation.

If you plan to buy a new computer, things are a bit easier, as several PC makers are still selling new machines with Windows 7 installed. Best Buy and Dell, among others, sell new Windows 7 computers, as does Hewlett-Packard, which was recently running a “back by popular demand” sale — even though Windows 7 machines have yet to be officially discontinued.

As for how long Windows 7 (and computers that have it installed) will be around, Microsoft’s Windows life cycle fact page says only that the date is “to be determined.” The company’s mainstream technical support for Windows 7 is scheduled to end on Jan. 13, 2015, but extended support goes through Jan. 14, 2020.

Microsoft’s current version of the operating system is Windows 8.1, which includes some improvements over its original Windows 8 release. No official announcements have been made yet for updates and enhancements to Windows 8.1 or future versions of the system, but new information may become available in early April when Microsoft holds its annual Build conference for developers.