It seems there is a way to “trick” Microsoft XP into receiving security updates still. Obviously XP is now “end of life” – which means not even security updates are being released any more.
However – there are Windows XP *based* operating systems, which are still receiving updates – one of those is the Point of Sale version of XP – or WEPOS – and the server version, POSReady 2009. Those two XP based operating systems are going to get security updates until 2019!
So – how do you trick your XP installation into believing that it is the WEPOS version of windows? It is surprisingly simple…
You simply have to add ONE registry entry – just ONE!
The information on how to do this can be found here:
ZDNet article on registry hack enabling continued XP updates
Basically – you have to create a text file ending in .reg and enter this content:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\PosReady] "Installed"=dword:00000001
Nothing more – and nothing less. You then double-click the .reg file – and the registry editor will add the single registry key. After that is done – run windows update, and you’ll find windows updates available!
If you want a copy of that registry file – here it is – XP Updates via WEPOS – save the file somewhere easy to find (the Desktop) – then double-click the file.
Next – say, Yes, we’re sure we want to add the .reg file:
Now, run Windows Updates:
Voila – we find updates release since XP was technically “end of life”:
That’s as far as we have tested this on a virtual machine – and as mentioned in the ZDNet article – this is 32-bit windows XP ONLY – there are 64-bit instructions linked in the article from ZDNet – but USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. We strongly recommend a more up-to-date operating system, but this might help if you want to use XP once in a while for some legacy software.