I've found this few weeks ago God knows where on internet but didn't want to post it here until I do some tests/research myself... As you all know Windows XP has officialy stopped receiving security updates/fixes after April 8, 2014, OK there was one more IE8.0 related security update in first half of May 2014 and after that MS officialy said that Windows XP is dead for them, no more any kind of updates/support for that aged OS. This trick enables Windows XP to receive security updates/fixes until April 9, 2019 tricking Windows Update servers that he is not Windows XP but Windows POSReady 2009. Windows POSReady 2009 is basically same OS like Windows XP but with few tweaks and licence limitations (look here), but major difference compared to Windows XP is that MS is going to support Windows POSReady 2009 with security updates/fixes until April 9, 2019. I've tested this trick myself on few office rigs with licenced Windows XP Professional SP3 x86 here at my company for past 2 weeks and not a single problem with it, installed Windows XP has received few more security updates past first half of May 2014. Long story short, all you have to do is to create one more key in Windows Registry and one DWORD Value under it, here is what you need to do: 1). In Windows Registry create KEY called: PosReady ...under: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\ (right mouse click on: WPA ...then choose: New -> Key) 2). After that under PosReady key create new DWORD Value (right mouse click on: PosReady ...and choose: New >>> DWORD Value) called: Installed ...and then change Value Data for DWORD Value Installed from 0 to 1 (right mouse click on: Installed ...and choose: Modify ...and then change Value Data from 0 to 1). Or simply download and import this registry key I've created and uploaded here Just for example I've just tested this trick this morning on one office rig with licenced WinXP Pro SP3 x86 and (until now) unmodified Windows Registry and Windows XP received two more updates, all dated to 05/13/2014: Security Update for Internet Explorer 8 for WEPOS and POSReady 2009 (KB2953522) Security Update for WEPOS and POSReady 2009 (KB2926765) So far this Windows Update trick is working but there is no guarantee it'll work all the way up to April 9, 2019, maybe later MS will do some changes about Windows OS version checking on their Windows Update servers and maybe this trick will be no go after that, who knows... Also I'm not 100% sure this is legal, but from my point of view this trick is valid: I've paid back then for licenced Windows XP for every single rig at my company, Windows XP sticker is attached to every single rig, updates are comming from official Windows Update servers... not seeing problem here if some inspector is comming here to check software licences on company rigs, probably he wouldn't even spot that added/modified reg key. On my company office rigs (mostly Dual Cores with 2GB RAM, 160GB - 320GB HDDs...) in most cases we are using WinXP Pro SP3 x86 because it's doing it job just perfect for office needs: it's fast, stabile (not a single problem or BSOD on ANY rig for probably 6, 7 years), rigs are secured/tuned/maintained till perfection, we also use licenced KIS 2013 on every rig, not using IE: Firefox (+Adblock Plus and few more Addons) is our only web browser (Crome is not even installed) and ATM we just don't need anything better/faster/more secured then WinXP Pro SP3. I know Win 7/8/8.1 x86 would also work perfect/stabile/fast on those rigs mainly used office jobs but why to throw money away for new licenced OS on every single office rig just for new Windows UI. Year/two/three from now probably most of these rigs still using 2GB of RAM will be upgraded to 4GB/8GB and some newer licenced Windows (Windows 9 I guess, hope so), some of them will be changed for some low-powered Quad Core rigs... etc. But ATM there are more priority things to do/buy than change OS that is running just perfect for our office needs. Hope this will help for some of you who are still using WinXP on their home/office rigs to keep them more secure. cheers!
Hilbert also posted something about this: http://www.guru3d.com/news_story/mi...stry_hack_that_allows_windows_xp_updates.html
