Best Buy offering $100 credit to those who trade in Windows XP laptops

The end is nigh for Windows XP, and Best Buy is hoping to make some sales off of that.

The electronics retailer will offer users of the the aged operating system $100 credit toward new computers when they trade in their current Windows XP laptop, Best Buy said Thursday.

Starting Sunday, customers can go to a Best Buy store and trade in a laptop running Windows XP. Best Buy will offer customers $100 credit that can be used in the purchase of a new Windows machine, a Chromebook computer or an Apple Mac.

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Microsoft launched Windows XP in 2001. It remains one of the company’s most used operating systems. But after April 8, Microsoft will no longer send out security updates for the platform, leaving users and the information they store on their machines vulnerable to cyber attacks.

“On that date, people who still use this system will no longer receive essential updates to protect them and their data from security breaches,” Best Buy said in an email.

Windows XP users are encouraged to update their computers to a more recent operating system or purchase a new computer, according to Microsoft recommendations.

Microsoft is offering a promotion similar to Best Buy’s. The Redmond, Wash., company said Windows XP customers can get $100 in credit when they buy a new laptop or computer that runs Windows 8.1 from its online store or its retail locations.

[Update 1:45 p.m. April 8: Best Buy has clarified that the promotion is applicable only to users who trade in a Windows XP laptop, not a desktop.]

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