I’m planning on upgrading my Windows PC to Windows 7 in April when Microsoft stops supporting Windows XP but I’d like to keep XP Pro on my laptop, well, for reasons that are just too long to go into in an email. I’ll continue to be using Malwarebytes and Super anti-spyware on my laptop along with McAfee full security center and firewall for protection, and I only use the laptop when my PC isn’t working which is infrequent.
Here’s my question: Will Macrium Reflect free version, which I’m currently using on both my PC and laptop for imaging purposes still work with my laptop after Microsoft discontinues support for Windows XP or do you think Macrium will discontinue the use of it on Windows XP?
The short answer here is that I honestly don’t know. However, I do want to speculate a little bit because this is a really important issue for XP users everywhere, and it applies to so much more than Macrium Reflect.
Become a Patron of Ask Leo! and go ad-free!
It'll work for a while
My guess, and it’s only a guess, is that the program will work for "a while". How long that will be is anyone’s guess. And that’s true for any software that currently runs on XP.
But (and this is a pretty big “but”) there are a couple of things that we can say.
First, the version that you have right now will keep on working. When we talk about "will it keep working?" what we’re really asking is "will future releases of this software work?"
My guess on that remains the same: probably for a while.
But what you have today will keep on working just as XP itself will keep on working. And that might very well be enough. You could simply keep using the version of Macrium you have today on your Windows XP machine, regardless of what Macrium decides for future versions.
Someday future versions won't
Now, if we're asking if future versions of Macrium will work on a Windows XP machine, the answer’s eventually going to be “no”.
That means that at some point, software vendors will remove XP support from future versions. We’ve seen Microsoft do that already with Windows XP: Internet Explorer 10 and 11 are just not supported. XP users are stuck with an older version; Internet Explorer 8, I believe.
Some vendors are going to be quicker to remove remove XP support than others. It’s a complicated business and technology question. Assuming things that are in versions of Windows after XP could simplify software, removing XP-specific support could remove bloat, increase security and reduce complexity; or it could do nothing at all. It all really depends on the specific technology being used by the software; how it’s used and how or if it actually changes after Windows XP.
So the bottom line: Your current version should just keep on working, but some day future releases will not support Windows XP. We just have no idea when that day will be until Macrium makes that information public.
Just stay with the Macrium version you currently have on XP and don’t upgrade it. There is no reason it should not continue to work if it works now. The same goes for the recovery disc you currently use on XP.
The same applies to all programmes, as you say. What one needs to be wary of is casually accepting an update on an installed program. Maybe the update will have more or better features but the other possibility is that the update will render the program incompatible with the operating system in use. Luckily, conscientious programmers will build in a scheme whereby the operating system will be checked and, if the program is not compatible it will, either, not install or a warning message will be displayed. But, in an case, a certain amount of care must be taken and, if the worst does happen, the program will have to be uninstalled and the older version re-installed. I have had to do that on a few occasions, already.