Windows XP's Days are Really Numbered Now

[Sonic 295]

Interesting article here http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/arti...mbered_now.html. Windows XP's long run is coming to end.

 

In 10 weeks, Microsoft Corp. will begin to retire Windows XP by shifting the seven-year-old OS into a more limited support plan.

 

Windows XP, Microsoft's most successful operating system ever, will leave what the company calls "mainstream support" on April 14, and enter "extended support." Typically, Microsoft keeps a product in the former for five years, then moves it into the latter for another five, for a total of 10 years. However, the long span between the releases of XP and its successor, Windows Vista, forced the company to push out the support deadline to 13 years altogether.

 

Also, two years ago Microsoft bumped support for Windows XP Home and XP Media Center to the 2009 and 2014 dates, matching the dates that had previously been set for Windows XP Professional, the designated business edition of the operating system.

 

By Microsoft policy, mainstream support delivers free fixes -- for security patches and other bug fixes -- to everyone. During extended support, all users receive all security updates, but non-security hot fixes are provided only to companies that have signed support contracts with Microsoft.

 

Several Microsoft spokespeople confirmed that Tuesday. "Customers will have access to extended support for paid support, security support updates at no additional cost and paid hotfix support," a company spokeswoman said in an e-mail. Firms must purchase an extended support contract within 90 days of XP's mainstream support retirement in April.

 

"All security updates are provided through both mainstream and extended support," added Frank Fellows, another Microsoft spokesman.

 

Although it's not unusual for a version of Windows to be still in widespread use when it moves into extended support, XP is a unique case, said Michael Cherry , an analyst with Directions on Microsoft. "This is the first time I can remember that we have a situation where people will be continuing to buy devices with an operating system no longer in mainstream [support]," said Cherry.

 

The devices he was referring to are netbooks, the loose category of low-priced, small-sized laptops that accounted for a significant portion of PC sales in the last few months of 2008. About 80% of all netbooks sold in the last quarter shipped with a copy of Windows, Microsoft claimed last month. The bulk of those netbooks shipped with Windows XP; with its bigger footprint and heartier system requirements, Vista can't be squeezed into most low-end laptops.

 

Last year, Microsoft extended XP's sales lifespan specifically to account for netbooks, pushing the drop-dead date out to mid-2010.

 

"If you're buying a netbook with XP, you have to accept that XP is not in mainstream support," Cherry added. Not that that should matter much. "XP is well known by this point," Cherry argued. "A significant number of its problems have been identified and resolved, so the chances aren't great that there would be some new major issue."

 

Microsoft has, in fact, issued a total of three service packs for the aged operating system, the most recent, Windows XP SP3 , in May 2008.

 

"But you also have to look at the reality of the marketplace," Cherry cautioned. "Once XP is not in mainstream support, Microsoft is not going to make any functional enhancements to XP. If there's a functionality bug with no security issue, it probably won't get fixed."

 

For its part, Microsoft downplayed the impact on users who purchase new systems powered by XP after the operating system leaves extended support. "For any copy of Windows XP that you buy pre-installed, the OEM will provide the support," the company's spokeswoman said. "This support is not tied to the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy, but rather to the OEM's support policy. So, if a consumer purchases a netbook today with Windows XP Home pre-installed, their primary support would be through the OEM."

[Luk3us 63]

Yeah, Microsoft are slowly but surely "forcing" people to upgrade. Though, I'm still not going to get Vista, I'll just jump to their newer one.

[mormreed 0]

I'll probably skip Vista and go right to Windows 7, even though most of the same problems will probably hit Windows 7 just like what happened with Vista

[Doctor Destiny 41]

Every OS goes through this. You didn't think XP would last forever did you? It was only a matter of time before XP went into extended support.

[TheBlackOut 7]

I'll probably skip Vista and go right to Windows 7, even though most of the same problems will probably hit Windows 7 just like what happened with Vista

No, not at all, and that is why Win7 will succeed where Vista did not. What plagued Vista the most? Lack of driver support.

 

That was the main killer, you can point to other things, but it came down to lack of support from audio card, video card, and chipset makers. Stuff like that killed Vista.

 

Vista drivers are compatible with Windows 7. So say your Creative sound card doesn't have Win7 drivers out yet. "Oh no!" you say, but you could just install the Vista drivers and they'll work. Win7 will not be plagued by any of what Vista was, Microsoft has learned from its mistakes.

[BioBen 3]

As several people have said above, I'm just gonna skip from XP to 7

[Mighty BOB! 5]

non-security hot fixes are provided only to companies that have signed support contracts with Microsoft

 

Hot fixes such as? Are these hot fixes I'm going to even care about after the OS already has 3 service packs and I still have 5 years of security updates left during extended support?

 

Forget Vista, 7 is coming as early as the end of this year or if not that, then in 2010.

[Louis EX 0]

woah, 2010 is next year? Time sure flies. lol.

[TheBlackOut 7]

woah, 2010 is next year? Time sure flies. lol.

Well if basic math is any help, yea, it is Heh, I agree, time sure does fly.

[Doctor Destiny 41]

woah, 2010 is next year? Time sure flies. lol.

Yes. 2009 + 1 = 2010. This is not special math or anything.

[Azrael 0]

Oh well, I was happy with Vista. Run as Administrator fixed 90% of the software problems.

 

[Malevolence 6]

I'm gonna jump from XP to Windows 7 once its released, skipping Vista line entirely after hearing all the whining and complaints. Probably waiting for the end of the year to jump to the Intel 6 Core 12 Thread processor as well.

Edited February 11, 2009 by Malevolence

[Gben 20]

Vista has given me many pet peeves, but not a single problem for my dell xps laptop.

But I'll happily skip vista for my desktop/s.

 

Only a cheapskate with a short-term view would buy vista now...

[Mighty BOB! 5]

Not that it's all that cheap anyways.

 

I hope Win7 isn't even more expensive than Vista was at launch.

 

Oh and it would be nice if there was only ONE version of the OS, not FOUR. Two at most, like XP.

Edited February 12, 2009 by Mighty BOB!

[Inferno 22]

Not that it's all that cheap anyways.

 

I hope Win7 isn't even more expensive than Vista was at launch.

 

Oh and it would be nice if there was only ONE version of the OS, not FOUR. Two at most, like XP.

XP had three at least.

[Mighty BOB! 5]

XP had three at least.

Home, Pro,... Media Center?

[Sonic 295]

Vista has given me many pet peeves, but not a single problem for my dell xps laptop.

Because your laptop was designed for Vista. Most of the negative vibes towards Vista come from people who have installed on their aging single core CPU and 1 GB RAM. It runs like crap. If you have the hardware it works perfectly. I have Vista on both my laptop and desktop and I've had no problems at all.

 

I'll be honest though, I only got Vista because that was the most recent OS available at the time.

 

XP/Vista/Win7..... they are all basically the same, each one has minor improvements and a new coat of paint but they all do the same thing.

 

[Malevolence 6]

Most of the negative vibes towards Vista come from people who have installed on their aging single core CPU and 1 GB RAM. It runs like crap.

 

I wanna cry when you mention about the aging single core CPU.

 

 

XP/Vista/Win7..... they are all basically the same, each one has minor improvements and a new coat of paint but they all do the same thing.

I have something to reinforce your point, all three have the legendary shocking crazy insane omfg BSOD (Blue Screen of Death).

 

 

P.S. Even Tatsu gets it too.

[PurpleGaga27 40]

True.

 

I might go for Windows 7 since 7 could be the best version yet because it fits my favorite number. I never really liked Vista. Windows 7 is possibly the best replacement of Vista yet.

[Doctor Destiny 41]

Home, Pro,... Media Center?

Home, Pro, Media Center, x64, Tablet PC, Embedded...

[Inferno 22]

# 1 Home and Professional

 

* 1.1 Windows XP Edition N

* 1.2 Windows XP Edition K and KN

 

# 2 Starter Edition

 

# 3 Media Center Edition

 

# 4 Tablet PC Edition

 

# 5 Subscription and pre-paid editions

 

# 6 64-bit editions

 

* 6.1 Windows XP 64-Bit Edition

* 6.2 Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

 

# 7 Editions for embedded systems

 

* 7.1 Windows XP for Embedded Systems

* 7.2 Windows XP Embedded

* 7.3 Windows Embedded for Point of Service

* 7.4 Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs

Not that anyone cares

Edited February 14, 2009 by Inferno

[Doctor Destiny 41]

Yeah, just copy Wiki like you knew any of it. Besides, I don't count subsections of the same OS flavor or the Starter Edition.

 

It's Home, Pro, Media Center, x64, Tablet PC and Embedded. Whammy, done.

[Sonic 295]

What is the embedded edition?

[Doctor Destiny 41]

Microsoft has released three editions of Windows XP that are targeted towards developers of embedded devices, for use in specific consumer electronics, set-top boxes, kiosks/ATMs, medical devices, arcade video games, point-of-sale terminals, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) components.

You know those blue screens, Windows screens and such we see from Kiosks, that's XP Embedded.

[Inferno 22]

You know those blue screens, Windows screens and such we see from Kiosks, that's XP Embedded.

Not to mention on the computers they use in the supermarket