Those "Download Latest XP Drivers" Alerts....

[KoKo]

I keep getting these when I go to look for a You Tube. No problem playing You Tube but the big alert keeps popping up. Says that the download is "Microsoft Certified."

Is this legit? I use XP and know support ends in April and have been concerned that some of my drivers might be out of date but I have Service Pack 3 for XP and thought that meant I was okay.

Anyone know if the download is necessary or if it's just an advertisement I should ignore.

[Purveyor]

1. I've always assumed those ads are just $pam. If your system is operating correctly it is best

to just leave it alone.

I'm running XP also and the machine it is running on probably wouldn't handle an upgrade to 7 let alone 8.

I'm watching for a good used Win 7 machine and hope to replace this one by April.

[KoKo]

2. Thanks!

My PC is 6 years old and I dread even having to think about losing XP. I don't like 7 which is on my notebook so I'd probably have to download 8 and I don't think my HP Drivers could handle it.

[Mnpaul]

5. You can run virtual XP in Win 7

It works better if your PC is capable of hardware-assisted virtualization. You need Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/install-and-use-windows-xp-mode-in-windows-7

I'm looking for a deal on Win 7 myself so that I can give it a try. It is reported to be immune from hacker/virus attacks. They can't access real memory addresses in the virtual PC which prevents them from doing any damage.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

3. Krebs’s on Security 3 Basic Rules for Online Safety...

Rule #1: If you didn’t go looking for it, don’t install it!

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/05/krebss-3-basic-rules-for-online-safety/

[hobbit709]

4. BS at best, malware at worst.

Hardware drivers come from the manufacturer of the hardware.
Those driver update things that people want you to download are scams for the most part, or worse.
A Windows update will come through Windows Update and not from wherever you are on the web.
And don't fret XP. It will not magically stop working just because they will no longer support it. In some ways it will be better because there won't be an update to screw it up.

[KoKo]

6. Thanks....! I get too many "Windows Updates" and I can't believe they are all

about "Security" given what we've seen revealed. OR....THEY ARE ABOUT SECURITY...instilling more "Doors to be Surveilled by NSA!"

Thanks for the heads up that "XP" might live longer than I thought. I have enough memory and such...even though it's a HP PC...I bought top of the line at that time...But, then...(at that time) in Internet Age is outdated shortly after it comes out.