--- title: "It’s Come to This: Microsoft Nags Windows XP Holdouts To Upgrade" id: "21995" type: "post" slug: "its-come-to-this-microsoft-nags-windows-xp-holdouts-to-upgrade" published_at: "2014-03-06T22:19:20+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T03:44:02+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/03/06/its-come-to-this-microsoft-nags-windows-xp-holdouts-to-upgrade/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/03/06/its-come-to-this-microsoft-nags-windows-xp-holdouts-to-upgrade.md" excerpt: "In case you're still on Windows XP and have been otherwise living under a rock, Microsoft is about to tell you to upgrade via occasional \"nag screens.\" It also is working on making it slightly easier to upgrade." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Microsoft" - "Technology" - "upgrade cycle" - "Windows XP" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » It’s Come to This: Microsoft Nags Windows XP Holdouts To Upgrade We’re just about a month away from the end-of-support date for Windows XP, and Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to get folks to upgrade. The latest move? A literal “nag screen.” That’s right, starting Saturday, Microsoft will put up occasional on-screen messages on still-operating Windows XP computers asking users to upgrade—and warning them that, if they don’t, they could be putting themselves in danger of being hit by viruses. Here’s a sample of the message you’re likely to see: “The notification will reoccur on the 8th of every month unless disabled by the user,” [Brandon LeBlanc (opens in a new tab)](http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/windowsexperience/archive/2014/03/03/new-windows-xp-data-transfer-tool-and-end-of-support-notifications.aspx) , a Microsoft marketing communications manager, wrote on the *Windows Experience Blog*. The company won’t be nagging XP users through the OS alone, either—the Microsoft Security Essentials anti-malware app also may receive the alerts, [according to ZDNet’s Larry Seltzer (opens in a new tab)](http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-security-essentials-to-nag-windows-xp-users-7000026995/) . A sample of *that* message is here: It’s just the latest effort to get users to upgrade ahead of the extended support deadline—an effort that has taken the form of [pleading blog posts (opens in a new tab)](http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/windowsexperience/archive/2014/02/06/help-your-friends-and-family-get-off-windows-xp.aspx) , [elaborate websites (opens in a new tab)](http://amirunningxp.com/) , [price cuts for manufacturer versions of Windows 8.1 (opens in a new tab)](http://www.pcworld.com/article/2100423/microsoft-to-drop-price-of-windows-8-licenses-70-for-low-end-devices-report-says.html) , [and even the rumored release (opens in a new tab)](http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/28/5456374/windows-8-1-with-bing-experiment) of a free version of Windows 8.1. ### A Last-Ditch Deal But one of the biggest issues consumers face is that it’s currently very hard to upgrade from XP to a newer version of Windows. In a blog post last month, LeBlanc noted that to upgrade, users had to format their hard drives—which led to scathing criticism from commenters. [The company has a response for that issue (opens in a new tab)](http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/windowsexperience/archive/2014/03/03/new-windows-xp-data-transfer-tool-and-end-of-support-notifications.aspx) , in the form of a third-party app: Laplink’s PCMover Express software, a free tool that’s essentially an outdated version of the for-money [PCMover (opens in a new tab)](http://www.laplink.com/index.php/individuals/pcmover-for-windows-8/feature-overview) version, that allows users to easily move settings from one machine to another. If that sounds like exactly what you need, don’t get too excited: Your mileage may vary, [according to InfoWorld’s Serdar Yegulalp (opens in a new tab)](http://www.infoworld.com/t/microsoft-windows/microsoft-use-laplinks-windows-xp-migration-tools-not-ours-237521) . While the software allows you to recover settings from the old machine, “the program doesn’t support migration of actual installed applications, which many existing XP users might badly need,” Yegulalp explains. “Legacy XP users might not have access to installation media for the programs they’ve been running for so long. A more upscale edition of PCMover that transfers applications is available for a cost, but the track record for such programs is generally weak, and they’re fraught with unexpected issues.” Hey, there’s always Google’s Chromebook, [which has recently made moves](http://associationsnow.com/2014/02/social-media-roundup-enterprise-challenger-appears/) to encroach on Windows’ territory. Laplink’s PCMover Express software, which Microsoft is giving to Windows XP users for free to encourage them to upgrade. (Microsoft press photo) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Microsoft](https://associationsnow.com/tag/microsoft/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) [#upgrade cycle](https://associationsnow.com/tag/upgrade-cycle/) [#Windows XP](https://associationsnow.com/tag/windows-xp/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoSean talks about what is new in 2010 from Microsoft.January 4, 2010](https://associationsnow.com/2010/01/04/sean-talks-about-what-is-new-in-2010-from-microsoft/) - [VideoReggie Henry shares his excitement for Microsoft’s Surface technologyDecember 22, 2008](https://associationsnow.com/2008/12/22/reggie-henry-shares-his-excitement-for-microsofts-surface-technology/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2014%2F03%2F06%2Fits-come-to-this-microsoft-nags-windows-xp-holdouts-to-upgrade%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !