Windows XP has an update.  Take a minute to ponder that one.
Apparently, there is a vulnerability so dreadful that Microsoft decided to make a patch for it. You might think, well, who's still using XP? It turns out, there are quite a few users. Hospitals, Businesses, Utilities, the Military. Yikes, you say? And with good reason.
A link to that interesting article is HERE.

It's important to keep up. 

I was reading an article about the May update that will be trying to install soon. If you are like me, these Windows updates are about as annoying as when Windows 10 first came out and relentlessly tried to force itself down your throat. That said, I really like Win 10, and think it’s the best OS that Windows has had so far. The one thing I hate is the inability to not update if I don’t want to.

Not that it’s going to change in the next update, but apparently Windows will be allowing some flexibility in its update. I’ll post a very good article on the subject HERE. 

I’m a believer that you should be keeping up with your operating system and app/program updates. Not just for security, but also for performance. That goes for Apple’s MacOS as well as the PC’s Windows OS. I also recommend putting MalwareBytes and CCleaner on both these platforms. Each has a free version, which is more manual. I buy MalwareBytes so it automatically runs in the background. Again, they are both available for Macs and PCs.

Finally, both the Mac and PC have built-in backup programs. Use them, or another program of your choice. You can do various cloud based backups as well.
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If you are on Windows 7 still, or Vista, or Windows 8.1, then you are definitely behind in the Windows lifecycle. However, they aren’t going to stop working on any particular date, just because Windows doesn’t support it. As I’ve said in the past, if you use an old OS that runs some important programs or hardware, then keep using it. Just don’t go on the internet with that computer.

I've written about getting off of Windows 7. It's not required, but highly recommended. Whether you go to a Windows 10 PC or an Apple PC, it's definitely time to move. Generally, folks stick with one or the other, so let's assume you will be going to Windows 10.

You may be able to buy Windows 10 and UPGRADE your current PC to Windows 10. That is an option in the Win 10 software. If you can do this, then pretty much everything is right there on your computer. If you are buying a new computer, then it's all done for you, except for everything on the old computer.

There are several ways to transfer data, although a really good way, Windows Easy Transfer, was not included with Win 10. So there you go. I suggest using a backup of the old data and just copying it to Windows 10. It's straightforward, simple, and it works pretty well. There's an option I haven't tried in decades, using a transfer cable. That's what has replaced the Windows Easy Transfer. 

​There are other ways which Windows advises you on HERE. And of course, you can hire someone to do it for you. If you buy a computer at Best Buy, for instance, I'm sure their Geek Squad would be able to transfer your data.

Whatever you do, it's likely time to start thinking about this, if you are on Windows 7.

note: Walter pointed out an issue when removing Internet Explorer from your computer. He had an issue with Quickbooks no longer working. He ended up reinstalling IE. If you plan on removing IE instead of disabling it, make sure you don't have any programs that still use it. If you have any problems, you'll need to reactivate it.

I loved Windows 7. But everything grows, and evolves, and Windows has grown and evolved too. However, you can keep using it if you want. 
​While Windows 7 may not continue to be supported by Microsoft, it's not going to stop working on your computer. That doesn't mean your other programs will keep working, but the operating system will continue running. I know there are people still using Windows XP. 

The same issues are with older versions of Apple's OS. Eventually there are programs, like Chrome, that just won't be updated anymore, and then, they may not work on websites anymore. By default, Chrome stops being useful when it can't keep up. In the case of Internet Explorer, it was dropped on Windows 10, for Edge.

I highly recommend upgrading your programs, including the operating system. You don't necessarily want to be an early adopter, but you probably shouldn't fall too far behind either. That brings us back to Internet Explorer. Microsoft has been saying for years not to use it anymore, as it is not secure. Recently it was discovered that IE was able to be used as a crack into a system even when it wasn't running. You shouldn't use it and you should remove it from Windows 10. There's an article for it HERE.

I'm surprised at how often I get credit for knowing the answer to a tech question, when the answer for me is usually a few clicks away.  Learn out to use google and you can be an expert too!

Millions of people use Google search every day for a variety of reasons. Students use it for school, business people use it for research, and millions more use it for entertainment. But most people may not be using Google search to its full potential.
Want to use Google search more efficiently and get the search results you want quickly? Here are 20 Google search tips and tricks to maximize your search efficiency:
1. Use the tabs. The first tip is to use the tabs in Google search. On the top of every search are a number of tabs. Usually you’ll see Web, Image, News, and More. Using these tabs, you can help define what kind of search you need to do.
If you need images, use the Image tab. If you are looking for a recent news article, use the News tab.
It’s rudimentary and most people use the tabs already. If you are not, then it’s highly recommended to get associated with them. They can cut search times dramatically if utilized properly.
2. Use quotes. When searching for something specific, try using quotes to minimize the guesswork for Google search. When you put your search parameters in quotes, it tells the search engine to search for the whole phrase.
For instance, if you search for Puppy Dog Sweaters, the engine will search for content that contains those three words in any order.
However, if you search “Puppy Dog Sweaters”, it will search for that phrase exactly as you typed it. This can help locate specific information that may be buried under other content if not sorted out correctly.

Read all the tips from Life Hack