TechRepublic reports that although Windows XP stopped being supported five years ago, the use of POSReady 2009 allowed users to receive security updates through the use of a registry hack.
While Microsoft recommended that users shouldn't implement this registry hack – saying that it does not "fully protect Windows XP customers" – it made no attempt to prevent the hack's use.
POSReady 2009 is designed specifically for point-of-sale (POS) devices, offering a smaller performance footprint and specific functionality for POS terminals.
If one counts POSReady, this brings over 17 years of Windows XP support to an end – making it the longest-running version of Windows ever.
Other versions of Windows XP have also been discontinued in recent months, such as Windows Embedded Standard 2009, which lost support on 8 January 2019.
Users have until July to implement the last POSReady 2009 patches.
