Is Java 8 supported on Windows XP?
A resposta técnica é não , não é mais suportada no Windows XP.
Isso não significa que não funcionará corretamente.
O Oracle não suporta mais o produto no mesmo sentido que a Microsoft não suporta mais o Windows XP. O Java 8 ainda funcionará corretamente no Windows XP, mas as pessoas / empresas com contratos de suporte com o Oracle não poderão mais receber suporte para o Java 8 se ele estiver sendo executado em uma máquina com Windows XP.
De FAQ no site do java:
Why is Windows XP no longer supported?
As of April 8, 2014 Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP and therefore it is no longer an officially supported platform. Users may still continue to use Java 8 updates on Windows XP at their own risk, but we can no longer provide complete guarantees for Java on Windows XP, since the OS is no longer being updated by Microsoft. We strongly recommend that users upgrade to a newer version of Windows that is still supported by Microsoft in order to maintain a stable and secure environment.
Can I still install the latest Java on Windows XP? I see the message Java 8 requires a newer version of Windows -- "You may continue with the installation, but for Java to work as specified we recommend upgrading your computer's operating system."
Yes. As noted, users may still continue to use Java 8 on Windows XP at their own risk, but we can no longer provide complete guarantees for Java on Windows XP, since the OS is no longer being updated by Microsoft.