Apple has stopped supporting and releasing updates for its media player program QuickTime for Windows. However, Apple continues to support QuickTime on Macs, as long as the version of OS X that you have is still within its support lifecycle. But for you Windows users, even if you’ve never installed QuickTime yourself, chances are that if you’ve had iTunes installed on your Windows computer for more than a year or so, it may have brought QuickTime with it.
While it’s not unusual for a company to stop supporting a specific version of a program, or even stop supporting an entire system (remember all the uproar over Windows XP a few years ago?), a big concern about the QuickTime end of support is that Apple hasn’t even *tried* to notify users that QuickTime is no longer being supported, and is actually very vulnerable. Instead, it’s folks like Trend Micro and even the Department of Homeland Security that are taking it upon themselves to warn people about the issues present in QuickTime.
So, as a friendly reminder, one of the most important things you can do to keep the security of your computer up-to-par is to install security updates as they are released. The vast majority of security breaches in the business and enterprise world can be directly traced back to out-of-date software. This is why, even for home users, you should install security updates for your computer, whether it’s a Windows PC or a Mac. Most of the time your computer will prompt you to install updates when needed, although Apple’s recent shortcomings with their QuickTime product are actually being revealed by third parties rather than Apple themselves.
At this point you may be asking “How do I know if I’m affected, and what can I do to make sure I’m safe?” The simplest thing to do is to remove QuickTime from your Windows computer entirely (remember, if you have a Mac, you’re safe for now, as long as you are running a relatively recent version of OS X, and you install security updates in a timely fashion.) This is a relatively simple procedure, and is in fact no different from uninstalling any other regular program.
- Windows 7
- Click on the Start button in the lower left corner of the screen, then select “Control Panel” from the right hand side of the menu.
- Once the Control Panel appears, click on the “Uninstall a Program” link underneath the “Programs” header (depending on your settings, you may only see “Programs and Features”, in which case you’ll need to double-click to open it).
- Wait until the list finishes loading (it can take a minute or two, depending on how many programs you have installed), then look for an entry for “QuickTime”.
- If you’re having trouble finding it, then either it’s not on your computer (if so, then you’re good to go), or perhaps it’s just not showing up very well. You can use the search bar in the upper right hand corner to search for the word “QuickTime”.
- Once you’ve found it, double-click on the entry and follow the prompts for removal.
- Windows 10
- Click on the Start button in the lower left corner, then select “Settings” from near the bottom of the menu.
- Once the Settings app opens, select the “System” section.
- Select “Apps and Features”
- Locate Quicktime in the list of apps, then click on it and select “Uninstall”.
If you are one of the folks who use and enjoy QuickTime to play videos on your Windows computer, then don’t fear – you’re not completely out of luck. While there’s no way to continue using QuickTime on Windows and remain safe, there are some excellent alternatives to QuickTime, including the very popular VLC media player. If you like a simple, no-frills media player than can play lots of different formats right out of the box, then VLC may be the program for you.
Of course, if you are having trouble removing QuickTime from your Windows computer, or if you have any other questions about how the QuickTime issues may affect you, feel free to give us a call, and we’ll do whatever we can to help you ensure the safety and security of your computer. We will continue to share important tech tips and technology news like this, so please share this blog if you have found it to be helpful.
Let’s be careful out there!
-The PJ Networks Team
