It is a well-known fact that support on Windows XP has been dropped as of April 8, 2014. Many folks, including myself, are still using the OS on certain computers. So far, I 
have had no issues with my XP installations. I did have an issue with my installation of Security Essentials, however. This issue appears to be very common amongst the Windows XP users. It appears that through Microsoft update, Microsoft has made your Security Essentials look more like a threatening virus then a product that is supposed to protect you.
The wording on the product is very confusing and is not in line with the promise that the company made to keep the definitions flowing right through July of 2015. Since it turns your install from the happy green to intrusive red, most folks believe that has stopped protecting you. In reality it has not. Microsoft is just trying to get you to buy their new operating system and is going to every means to make that happen.
On some computers, we have seen the product make the OS almost unusable because of creating high CPU usage while running. It seems really strange that this would happen just 2 weeks after support for XP was announced. Is this just another way force you to migrate? It just might be but you do have other solutions. Many security companies are going to support XP as long as there is a demand for it. Some solutions are free while others are paid but they all work just fine.
Since I have a mix of operating systems I use different security solutions on different computers depending on what I use them for. On most of my main systems, I use Total Defense. The product used to be called CA until just recently. I only use the anti-virus and not the entire security suite. To me, security suites contain way too much mumble jumble and slow down your system. All you need is the virus and Spyware protection. The product supports Windows XP and does not slow down your system. Protection for 3 PC’s is only 29.99 for the year and that is a small price to pay for a great security product. If you are still using XP, I highly recommend it.
If you were looking at a free solution for anti-virus then I would recommend Avast free anti-virus. I use this on a couple of my systems including an XP machine. It does not slow the system and it has stopped many an infection. Again, I do not recommend the paid version because it tries to add way too many bells and whistles that can slow down your system. Just stick with the free basic.
It stands to reason that eventually we will all have to upgrade from Windows XP but if you still have a good running machine and Windows 7 will not work on your system, I recommend using one of the two above solutions to keep your computer as safe as possible. If you are using Security Essentials, it will still protect you till July of 2015 even though it is permanently scarred with a red X on your taskbar. The Red will not go away so if it continues to bother you or you experience performance issues, replace it!
Article by, Ross Deprey from Computer Geeks Online.net The best Online Computer Repair Service In Town!
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