On a non-descript October morning in 2001 Microsoft brought into the world the latest addition to its Windows family of operating systems, Windows XP. Your options for replacement run the gamut of upgrading the operating system on the existing hardware to replacing the entire machine. I suggest you consult your hardware vendor or technical consultant to evaluate which direction is best for you.
An upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 will cost around $300 for the software, but this may only be the beginning.
Survived By
XP was preceded in death by its venerable ancestors Windows 1.0, Windows 2.0, Windows 3.1 and Windows NT. It is survived by Windows Vista, Windows 7 and its infant brother Windows 8.1.
With the heritage of this family it is no wonder it had a long and productive life.
However a long life means that lots of ancillary hardware and software may have been built to run only with Windows XP. Certain printers, keyboards and digital sensors know no other companion. Office 2003 will not work on newer versions of Windows.
This may complicate your upgrade options. When you talk to your hardware vendor or technician, make sure you provide a list of the software and hardware attached to your old XP machine. It’s very likely that newer versions of the software, hardware drivers or perhaps additional memory may need to be obtained and there may be costs associated with that.
We have found that certain digital sensors will only run on Windows XP, leaving no alternative but to replace the sensor with the operating system upgrade.
Remembrances
Once you’ve examined your alternatives for replacing XP you will eventually find yourself contributing remembrances to Microsoft, hardware and software vendors and technicians to help perform the upgrade.
If you choose to ignore the demise of this Windows operating system there will likely be no immediate ramifications. HIPAA does not specifically prohibit the continued use of XP. They prefer to make general statements about maintaining a stable and secure environment.
But if you have a security incident and it is the result of a vulnerability that you have chosen to ignore, expect the HHS Office of Civil Rights (the HIPAA police) to take particular interest. Leon Rodriguez, the head of this group was recently quoted:
“We have moved into an area of more assertive enforcement.”
Acknowledging the death of this old friend with a remembrance to the federal government would be an expensive and wrong click.
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