Microsoft has discontinued support for the Windows XP operating system as of April 30, 2014. Microsoft will no longer release security and other critical support patches for this operating system. It is expected that unpatched security vulnerabilities will be actively exploited and this operating system should not be considered ‘safe to use’ while connected to the Internet.

Continuing to use Windows XP after April 2014 could lead to loss of data, identity theft, and/or theft of financial information. It is also becoming common for security vulnerabilities to lead to loss of personal passwords to financial institutions and subsequent financial loss. IIT Office of Technology Services strongly recommends that you take the steps necessary to upgrade or replace any personal computers running Windows XP before April 2014, or as soon as possible. Please note that in order to provide a safe computing environment for the community, IIT actively monitors the campus network and will restrict network access for computers detected to be infected with a virus or other malware. If you are running Windows XP after Microsoft discontinues support, you may well become a target for those looking to exploit software vulnerabilities.

Students may purchase software upgrades from the IIT Bookstore, or online educational discount sources such as http://journeyed.com or http://academicsuperstore.com.
Faculty/Staff may contact the OTS Support Desk for advice on the best options for upgrade (Windows 7 or 8 is available for purchase for IIT owned equipment) or computer purchase.
For computers that cannot be upgraded to a newer operating system, IIT students may be eligible for discount offers on new computers from Apple, and Dell by visiting https://www.iit.edu/ots/computer_vendor_info.shtml.

Take the steps necessary to protect yourself and the rest of the university community by moving away from Windows XP before the end of this month.