Support for XP will end in a couple of months so you should probably look into updating to Win 7 or 8 before its end date.... as in going on the www after that will be risky to say the least, with malware proliferators coming out of the woodwork to exploit the lack of security updates.

As for Outlook/Office 365, you can still use Hotmail if you want.  I trialled 365 a while back but still retained my Hotmail account via Windows Live Mail

That isn't entirely correct.

Microsoft has announced this that it will continue to provide anti-malware support for Windows XP until July 2015 - a little over one year after its end-of-life date on April 8.

The company will release "signatures" that will be used to identify and ward off malware for Windows XP systems. These signatures will continue to be delivered to Windows systems running various Microsoft security and management products.

This includes users running its free Microsoft Security Essentials, marking a change in thinking for Microsoft, who had previously said that Security Essentials would lose support on April 8.

Source:http://www.techradar.com/us/news/software/operating-systems/microsoft-backtrack-on-windows-xp-security-offer-malware-support-1215734

If you are still using XP, you should read the article as it contains important information.

Well there you go, it seems MS has backflipped again.  I'm sure that I read all support for XP would end on April 8.  It seems, though, this security support will be delivered via the Security Essentials suite rather than Windows Update, as it had been in the past.  I don't suppose it matters, though.  There are many XP users who will be thankful for the reprieve... and if I want I will be able to connect my XP gaming machine to the net for another 18 months with fewer concerns about security.

Thanks for posting this, Wiz, it has been helpful.

Thanks, Wizard 1956!   

I wasn't aware of any support for XP after April either.  That's some good news.   

Most of the discussions here have dealt with the individual computer users but I think we forget that most of what is left of the XP base in use is in the business world.  Went to the doctors a couple of weeks ago and they are still running XP, I'm sure you can find it elsewhere.  MS does realize this.   

You're welcome.

You too, MottiKhan

Yes, you can thank the Win 8 fiasco for that.

8 'should' have influenced a greater abandoning of XP by users....but needless to say it had bugger-all effect...;p

For ever XP user that W8 failed to grab, W7 also failed to grab...just saying....

 That is a big change from November, where Win7 growth outpaced Win8 by a good margin.

http://www.techradar.com/us/news/software/operating-systems/windows-7-still-growing-faster-than-8-in-computing-markets-1206767

Former XP users are buying Win7, just not as fast as OEM's are shoving Win8 out the door

Speaking only for myself as a "stuck on XP" user, I picked up a retail copy of Win7 after Win8 had been out for a little while.  I'm not claiming that I necessarily made the "right" choice, but that's exactly what I did.

While I don't disagree with anything you said, you're missing my point...

If someone is using Windows XP, then they aren't using W7 or W8 unless they have multiple OSes...for simplicity, I'm going to focus only on those with one OS -- so, any person who still is using XP decided, for whatever reason, not to adopt W8...but, they also then (for whatever reason) decided not to adopt W7....

Blaming the large amount of XP users on W8 is silly...current XP users weren't persuaded to switch by W7 either, so as far as I'm concerned you can blame W7 as much as you can W8 for the large amount of current XP users...

Yeah, it's all Win 8's fault, as is the decline of PC sales; the rise of tablet sales; the decline of rainforests and an outbreak of bubonic plague.

No...I'm blaming the non-existent acceleration of XP departees on the lack of incentive afforded by yet another 'potential' replacement for XP.

7 has done more to reduce market share of XP than 8 ever will...and that's a cold, hard fact....that MS knows [now] and prompts them to play catch up with supposed 'improvements' and rapid release of 9.

7 has replaced a lot of XP share...and if 8 had been any good [as in markedly better than 7] they would have expected further reduction of XP share.

That has not happened to any significant degree, even though it promotes standardization across all that hardware that is supposed to be a GOOD THING ...so instead they have had to bite the bullet and prolong XP yet again.

http://betanews.com/2014/01/29/microsoft-doles-out-some-tips-to-help-you-avoid-the-start-screen-in-windows-8-1/