Internet Explorer 8 is also no longer supported, so if your Windows XP PC is connected to the Internet and you use Internet Explorer 8 to surf the web, you might be exposing your PC to additional threats. If you continue to use Windows XP now that support has ended, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. What happens if I continue to use Windows XP? This means that PCs running Windows XP will not be secure and will still be at risk for infection. However, please note that Microsoft Security Essentials (or any other antivirus software) will have limited effectiveness on PCs that do not have the latest security updates. If you already have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, you'll continue to receive antimalware signature updates for a limited time. Microsoft has also stopped providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP.

As a result, technical assistance for Windows XP is no longer available, including automatic updates that help protect your PC. But the time came for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources toward supporting more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences. Microsoft provided support for Windows XP for the past 12 years.

Microsoft security essentials xp