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The next version of Security Essentials will include prominent warnings that Windows XP is not a safe operating system.
In addition to Windows XP nagging users once a month, the next version of Microsoft Security Essentials, Microsoft's free antimalware program, will give prominent warnings to users running Windows XP.
The current engine version in Security Essentials is 4.4. Version 4.5 is available in Microsoft's Security Essentials Prerelease Program. The system requirements for version 4.5 say it works only on Windows Vista and Windows 7 (Windows 8 users are served by the included Windows Defender).
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But a reader tells us that Security Essentials 4.5 will install on Windows XP. When it does, the user sees warnings such as the yellow bar in the image above or the yellow tray icon nearby. These yellow warnings stay up even if the product is completely updated and the system scan is clean.
In spite of the currently-listed system requirements, Microsoft tells ZDNet that "Windows XP customers already running Microsoft Security Essentials will receive version 4.5 when it ships." The company has already announced that Windows XP users will no longer be able to do new installations of Security Essentials after April 8.
source:zdnet