Windows XP’s long overdue death is quickly approaching. After extending support numerous times, Microsoft is finally going to pull the plug on Windows XP on April 8. While Microsoft hopes this gives XP users a reason to upgrade to Windows 7 or 8, some are still sticking with it XP. To help those guys out, Microsoft is going to throw them a bone.

Microsoft announced on Wednesday that Windows XP will continue to receive updates to its antimalware signatures and engine through July 14, 2015. In other words, Microsoft will continue to protect Windows XP from viruses and other malware for another year. All other forms of support will still end on April 8, but Microsoft hopes this gives those still using Windows XP a little more time to upgrade without having to worry about malware.

The extra year of anti-malware support will come in the form of updates to System Center Endpoint Protection, Forefront Client Security, Forefront Endpoint Protection and Windows Intune for its enterprise customers. Consumers won’t be left out though as Microsoft will continue to update Microsoft Security Essentials on XP as well.

Despite the extra year of anti-malware support, Microsoft notes that Windows XP still isn’t all that safe. It recommends that users switch to Windows 7 or 8 as soon as possible. The two latest operating systems from Microsoft provide have better anti-virus and antil-malware protections baked in to protect users from the worst of the worst.

If you must continue to use XP, Microsoft’s latest extension should give you a little peace of mind. It still doesn’t change the fact that all other support for XP is vanishing on April 8. You will probably want to upgrade now or forever be hacked.

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