Resellers hit as XP scare tactics backfire

One reseller says he has received 'dozens' of calls from panicked XP users as a result of Microsoft splash screens urging them to upgrade

Microsoft's XP migration pop-up campaign has left some resellers fielding calls from panicked customers worried they are being spammed or attacked by cybercriminals.

Since 8 March, Microsoft has been warning XP users of the dangers of using the 13-year old operating system beyond its end-of-support date next month via a pop-up notification message.

But some resellers feel the move's only effect has been to increase their workloads as customers seek reassurance over its veracity.

Terry Fairbrother, founder of Devon-based IT maintenance outfit Remedy IT Ltd, said he had received calls and emails from "dozens" of his domestic customers concerned that the pop-up was spyware or spam.

"A lot of customers are asking me what it is and I'm having to remote into their computers to verify that it is legitimate," he said. "Last week was pretty bad as I had dozens of calls. The jobs are too small to be chargeable and they're also unnecessary.

"Microsoft has never done this before. They've never needed to put a splash screen on Windows and it almost smacks of panic."

Windows 8 animosity

Graham Tilley, owner of independent IT retailer Coventry Laptop Clinic, said a couple of customers had been in touch to query the pop-up but saw "animosity" towards Windows 8 as a bigger issue.

"Windows 8 is more of a headache for us as it's too different for customers," he said. "They don't want Windows 8. We're having to custom build PCs with Windows 7 on or source professional machines with dual [Windows 7/8] operating systems on."

Although Microsoft insists its campaign is all about "helping customers make informed decisions", Tilley dismissed it as "a bit of scaremongering".

"This is more about Microsoft trying to push people to buy a new OS, rather than any problems with XP," he said. "XP is so old it's pretty much fixed and if you have a good firewall and servers, your machines should be protected behind them."

Fairbrother also expressed fears that the pop-up campaign could be seized upon by cybercriminals.

"Although I haven't seen it yet, there's a good chance that spammers will jump on board this and hijack that comment," he said.

Rock and a hard place

Independent security commentator Graham Cluley said he had a degree of sympathy with Microsoft, agreeing with the vendor's line that XP users will be at "increased risk" after 8 April, even if they keep up to date on their anti-virus protection. And yet, recent figures suggest nearly a third of the world's desktops are still running XP, with the combined share of Windows 8 and 8.1 languishing on just over 10 per cent.

"Microsoft is stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one," Cluley said.

"It's really important that they warn computer users about the risks associated with continuing to use Windows XP after 8 April, but at the same time their efforts might look suspicious to those who aren't in the know."

Cluley, who blogged about the potential fallout of the pop-up campaign when Microsoft first announced it on 4 March, added: "It is definitely possible that cybercriminals could disguise their attacks so they look like the Microsoft pop-up, although I haven't seen any examples of this yet."

Upgrade opportunity

Other Microsoft resellers we spoke to welcomed the pop-up campaign.

Garry Stonehouse, owner of Cleveland-based PC shop Gbiz IT Computers, said: "Some customers who are aware that XP is coming to an end and are happy to go beyond that date find the pop-up annoying, but it can be turned off."

"But the majority of customers are sailing into it blindfolded, despite the media attention it's getting. So for them, it's been a wake-up call and we've had lots of people come in saying they need to buy a new computer. It's been a brilliant sales opportunity for us and it hasn't created extra workload."

A Microsoft representative sent us the following statement on the subject.

"Since September 2007, we have been working with customers and partners to notify them that support for Windows XP would end on 8 April, 2014, and to help them migrate to a modern operating system. As part of those ongoing communications from 8 March, customers using Windows XP (Home and Professional editions) have been receiving a notification via Windows Update informing them of the support deadline and encouraging them to visit Windows.com to find out more about what end of support means for them. Our goal is to help all Windows XP customers make informed decisions about their option to stay protected after 8 April."