Microsoft provided support for Windows XP for the past 12 years. But the time came for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources toward supporting more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences. As a result, technical assistance for Windows XP is no longer available, including automatic updates that help protect your PC. Microsoft has also stopped providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP. (If you already have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, you will continue to receive antimalware signature updates for a limited time, but this does not mean that your PC is secure because Microsoft is no longer providing security updates to help protect your PC.)

The tech giant is done supporting its ancient, malware-prone operating system Windows XP, which still accounts for about one-fourth of laptop and desktop usage worldwide, and it won't patch any future security holes either Today’s the day that security experts and IT pros have been freaking out about for months: As of April 8, 2014, Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP, which means the company won’t patch any future security holes in the 12 year-old operating system.

There were lots of questions for the team about why Office for iPad took so long to debut (it allegedly was seen as far back as 2011), as well as what additions the team plans to make to the suite. As to the first question, the team would only say good things take time. They confirmed that the initiative to deliver Office on iPad dated back to the Steve Ballmer as CEO timeframe, as had been rumored.

Today Microsoft released four security updates for Windows and Microsoft Office. These will be the last publicly-released updates for Windows XP and Office 2003. A total of 11 vulnerabilities were addressed by these updates, including seven for Windows XP and four for Office 2003. Separately, Microsoft released fixes for Internet Explorer 10 and 11 to address vulnerabilities fixed by Adobe in the Flash Player bundled in the Metro versions of IE. Among the vulnerabilities patched is a critical error in the handling of RTF files by all versions of Microsoft Word. Microsoft says that "limited, targeted" attacks using this vulnerability have been observed in the wild.

OK, I never normally trash other journalists, bloggers and reviewers. Today I’m going to make an exception because I’ve seen so much coverage of the demise of Windows XP yesterday – and I don’t think it gives entrepreneurs enough credit.

Microsoft is using a Geek & Sundry bundle to entice gamers to snag a Surface Pro 2 tablet. The bundle, which starts at $899, offers gamers the Surface Pro 2 with 64GB of storage, as well as an Xbox Wireless controller for Windows. Microsoft also includes two downloadable PC games: War Thunder Mustang Advanced Pack and Farming Simulator 2013. The offer, which is available only at MicrosoftStore.com, saves customers who would buy the products separately $104, Microsoft says.

A 5-year-old boy who hacked into his dad’s Xbox account just got a big than- you from Microsoft Corp. for exposing the security flaw. Kristoffer Von Hassel of Ocean Beach, Calif. made it to Microsoft’s list of “security researchers,” who “helped make Microsoft online services safer by finding and reporting security vulnerabilities.” Actually, Kristoffer thought he was going to get in trouble for what he did, according to a KGTV News report. The boy figured out a way to log into his father’s Xbox Live account even though he didn’t know his dad’s password by simply typing in a wrong password, the KGTV report said. That prompted a password verification screen, and when by simply typing in space keys and hitting enter, Kristoffer was in. His dad, Robert Davies, who works in computer security, reacted, “How awesome is that! Just being 5 years old and being able to find a vulnerability and latch onto that. I thought that was pretty cool,” the report said.

In the span of six days, Microsoft's new CEO Satya Nadella has totally shaken up the company. First, he announced Office for iPad, releasing a touch version of Office for Apple's tablet before Microsoft had a touch version of Office for Windows. Then during Build, Microsoft's conference for developers, Microsoft announced that Windows would be free for all devices with nine-inch or smaller screens.

Microsoft has unveiled a virtual assistant for Windows Phone handsets. The voice-controlled app, named Cortana, uses both the firm's search engine Bing and data stored on the handsets to make personalised recommendations and carry out tasks. Apple and Google already offer comparable facilities on their iOS and Android platforms.

I didn’t expect to get excited about anything Microsoft announced at its Build conference on Wednesday, but the company more than exceeded my expectations with several announcements that show it’s going in the right direction. Let’s start with Start. Or more specifically, let’s start with Microsoft’s decision to at long last bring back the dearly departed Start menu with its first free update to Windows 8.1. This is obviously a great decision on Microsoft’s part since the lack of the Start menu was one of the biggest complaints that many desktop PC users had about Windows 8 and its return shows that Microsoft is listening to its customers. In doing this, Microsoft smartly ignored the Windows 8 cultists who sneeringly called everyone who missed the Start menu “stupid” or a “whiner” and realized that if a huge chunk of its customers are rejecting the changes it made with Windows 8 then it needed to change course.

While Microsoft execs have made subsstantial progress in the past couple of years toward breaking down silos inside the company, there's still a long road ahead. This year's Microsoft Build conference, which kicks off in San Francisco on April 2, will highlight how far the company has come -- and also shed more light on how far it has yet to go -- toward delivering "One Windows."

A man who ran a Microsoft computer scam tricking people into paying for free anti-virus software has received a suspended four-month jail sentence. Mohammed Khalid Jamil, 34, from Luton, hired people at an Indian call centre to falsely tell victims their computers had a serious problem. The targets would be charged between £35 and £150 for software Microsoft made available for free.

Phil Spencer is taking over as the head of Microsoft's Xbox branch, the company announced today. Spencer, who most recently served as the head of Microsoft Studios, will now lead that division as well as the entire Xbox business, including Xbox Live, Xbox Music and Xbox Video.

Microsoft is making a significant move into UK programmatic video advertising, one of the fastest growing digital commercial sectors. The US tech giant is launching Microsoft Video Network in the UK, which will allow advertisers to buy pre-roll video ads programmatically across its MSN content portal, along with 350 publishers that are part of the network. Microsoft is lagging behind its rivals when it comes to video content and its advertising opportunities. Rival Google owns YouTube while AOL boasts web advertising platform Adap.tv, which it has launched a programmatic network around.

Microsoft is making a significant move into UK programmatic video advertising, one of the fastest growing digital commercial sectors. The US tech giant is launching Microsoft Video Network in the UK, which will allow advertisers to buy pre-roll video ads programmatically across its MSN content portal, along with 350 publishers that are part of the network. Microsoft is lagging behind its rivals when it comes to video content and its advertising opportunities.

Satya Nadella, who took over as Microsoft's CEO less than two months ago, is expected to use his first press conference to talk about Apple. Specifically, Nadella, hosting an event in San Francisco Thursday, may announce that Office 365 will be available on Apple's iPad. The decision to make Microsoft's cash cow available on a product sold by one of its arch rivals not only breaks with a long Windows-centric history, it also sends a signal from the new boss that more big changes are in store.

Microsoft’s Office platform has been a cornerstone product for the company as it is the premier productivity suite on the market. But with Microsoft who was slow to the tablet market and now playing catch-up to the iPad, the company held off on releasing its productivity software for the tablet with the hopes of using it to help sell it’s own tablet, the Surface.