Antivirus programs for Windows XP. Free antivirus for Windows XP
Microsoft strongly recommends that all users upgrade to Windows 7 or Windows 8. Of course, this is good advice, but many users will continue to use Windows XP even after this date. What antivirus protection options will they have? Andreas Marx, CEO of AV-Test, found from a survey of 30 vendors that all of them plan to continue supporting Windows XP even after the project is officially closed.
Forced decision
Make no mistake, if you have the opportunity to upgrade to a modern OS, by all means do it! Once Microsoft stops working to fix vulnerabilities and security holes, Windows XP will be like a target at a shooting gallery. Of course, an antivirus can potentially block exploits that use system vulnerabilities to attack. However, there is a high probability that he will not cope with his task. In common practice, there is interaction between a fully updated OS and an antivirus. As of April, Windows XP will no longer be able to fulfill its part of this “partnership.”
End of an era
Perhaps the biggest surprise from this study is the news that Microsoft will continue to support Microsoft Security Essentials (as well as enterprise security solutions) for Windows XP until July 14, 2015. A company blog post confirms this: “ We will help organizations successfully complete migration to new operating systems».
Avira, Bitdefender and Trend Micro told AV-Test that they have planned end of support dates for their products for Windows XP. Avira will end support on April 8, 2015, Bitdefender in January 2016 (2017 for enterprise solutions), and Trend Micro on January 30, 2017. If you're running Windows XP and using one of these products, you still have time to plan your migration strategy to a modern system.
Let's wait and see
Half of the vendors surveyed said they have no specific plans to end support for their Windows XP products and will continue to support them for at least the next two years. Some companies provided deadlines but acknowledged the possibility that they could extend. VIPRE publisher ThreatTrack has promised support for Windows XP until April 2015 or later. Sophos will support the old system until September 30, 2015, while Norman and Qihoo will continue to support the OS until January 2016. Let's say again that all these vendors can extend support if there is a need.
XP enthusiasm
Some vendors have promised long-term support for Windows XP. Kaspersky Lab will continue support until 2018 (2016 for enterprise solutions). Webroot will work with the system until April 2019 or even later. Symantec hasn't made any decision at all to stop supporting XP. On the other hand, the position of Norton products also provides for premature end of support, we just don’t know the exact information.
The study contains detailed information about the vendor's positions and also includes useful recommendations for improving security after the official end of system support. Marks suggests ditching the unsupported Internet Explorer in favor of Chrome or Firefox. The same should be done with your email client; it is better not to use Outlook Express.
So how will it be? Are you really going to give up Windows XP? If circumstances force you to use Windows XP, remember that your risk level will increase. And be sure to choose an antivirus that will continue to support this OS.
The meaning of the question given in the title should be clear to anyone who is going to follow fashion trends and change operating systems like gloves. As long as the OS is supported by the manufacturer, there are usually no problems with its operation. Unless the latest versions of programs begin to swear during installation.
Most XP fans don't care much about this - they continue to use older versions of the software as if nothing had happened. After the end of support, the situation changes dramatically. This manifests itself in small things, but in significant small things. For example, in difficulties with supporting old antiviruses.
Manufacturers of antivirus programs are guided not so much by the needs of a handful of retrograde users, but by the intentions of the operating system manufacturer. And if Microsoft doesn't want to bother with XP, then why bother antivirus labs? The question arises: where can I get a free antivirus for OS XP, and one that will be updated regularly?
How things stand with the most popular paid and free antiviruses on the XP platform after MS abandoned this system is the topic of our short note.
Is it right to stay on XP?
There is one more problem that awaits users who remain loyal to XP. Since MS stops releasing security patches, the level of OS protection decreases sharply. Virus producers will continue their malicious activities, and they will not receive a worthy rebuff.
The result is that the manufacturer of the antivirus for Windows XP has an additional burden that it may either not be able to cope with, or simply refuse such fuss for the sake of a small share of consumers. On the other hand, virus writers are usually focused on older versions of the OS, since these are the ones that most organizations are running on, and attacks against them make sense from a commercial point of view. An unstable balance of interests creates uncertainty. The best way to overcome this uncertainty is to update the system to the latest or at least the penultimate version. This is a good move for anyone who is not tied to the “piggy” with a chain.
Support for Microsoft Security Essentials has been discontinued for the general public, although, for example, the US Navy persuaded Microsoft to support XP on their computers, but this pleasure is not free.
Against this background, the statements of owners of old PCs with Windows 98 installed look like a paradox: virus attacks on their systems have practically stopped.
How did the producers behave?
Let's put it bluntly - in different ways:
- Avira guaranteed normal operation of its product until April 15th.
- Bitdefender – until the 16th.
- Trend Micro will support its product until the end of this year.
Some companies have shown sensitivity to the needs of users of not the latest PCs and continue to work with the “piggy”. Among them is Kaspersky Lab - they provide guarantees until the end of 2018. Symantec ignores the issue completely and remains silent, like partisans. There are no guarantees for the functionality of Norton's antivirus utilities. What should a user of the old system do? There is a solution - the Chinese antivirus “360 Total Security” produced by the developer Qihoo.
What you need to know about this program. Firstly, it is completely free. The antivirus has quite complete functionality:
- Protects network connections from attacks, that is, works as a firewall.
- Tests incoming email for security.
- Monitors the absence of viruses on connected removable media.
- Checks all installed programs.
Any suspicious code is placed by the program in a “sandbox”, where it is blocked from accessing the hard drive and critical system resources until it is fully verified. You can download the program at:
The activation key is issued using the official key generator provided by ESET. Using official keys will allow you to legalize your version of ESET NOD32 Anti-Virus and receive the latest updates to the anti-virus databases. The number of generated keys is not limited, on the basis that 1 key is issued for 1 installation (they can be reused: to do this, download and run the generator again).
Download the ESET NOD32 Antivirus distribution with a built-in key generator
Instructions on how to get a legal key for NOD32 for 30 days
You need to download . Launch it. After the installation wizard window appears:
1. Make sure that opposite the inscription "Download and install Browser with Protect function" checked(without this checkbox you will not be given a key).
2. Press the button "Install trial version".
3. Copy the received key, which can be used to activate the antivirus.
*ESET prohibits posting activation keys for ESET NOD32 software products on the Internet. The Activation Key is issued after downloading during installation of the free version.