XP Support is almost at it’s end.
What are those of you still running XP planning on doing ( David ) ???
'nother 5 years yet, Bob.
???
2014 is when “extended support” finishes. (Specifically 8/April).
Correct me if I’m wrong, but security patches for the OS will still be released until that time.
I intend to keep using XP (Home) at least until that time.
Hi bob3160,
The good news is that those versions are built on the same code base as the business versions of XP, so any security update developed for one will almost certainly apply to another. In fact, a quick visit to the Microsoft Security Bulletin Search page confirms that service packs and updates are not issued separately for Home and Professional editions of Windows XP. So the bottom line is consumers can count on security updates arriving until April 2011. And of course there’s always the possibility that Microsoft could extend support for XP as they did for Windows 98. So we can thumb our nose up against Vista for another four years, well a more important thing is how long will there be third party software and apps support.
And also the users that cannot protect the platform properly like to upgrade to Vista once they have been bitten by Win32: Vitro file infector that wiped their OS out.
My wife is on Vista so I have to ask her, at first it was a bit hard to find her way around, but now she came to like the new fuctionality, only pity the OS only comes up with one prompt and then you cannot go back, XP was more user friendly there. Also, bob3160, not everyone has the resources to make the change quickly or to change the firm park from XP to Vista, remember 63,5% of the users are still with this Windows version (at least with a legit one). And then for the computer savvy what will the number be to change over to another distro like Ubuntu or Quemo virtual machine, there the push to upgrade is not felt that much,
polonus
The XP Pro version has a longer support life cycle.
I don’t know how they would go about determining who has home and who has pro versions as there is no distinction in the current security updates doesn’t differentiate between home and pro, just XP SP1, SP2, etc.
So it looks like XP Home users could benefit from this extended support, unless MS bring in some checking and release only security updates for the Pro version, I wouldn’t put it past them.
David,
according to this site:
http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/search/?sort=PN&alpha=windows+xp
it appears there is no difference for the support dates between XP Home and XP Pro.
On April 14th Microsoft will pull the plug on free support for Windows XP (and Office 2003)
and the only option available to users will be paid support, which only applies to XP Professional.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=4025
I guess I’ll upgrade to Vista. Better back up my files before upgrading.
Define “support”?
Security patches are still provided. For some, that is enough.
Why do you need support from MS?
I think the support here means help, as Windows Updates will be released after April 14th… Am I wrong?
You’re right.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP
On 14 April 2009, Windows XP will begin its "Extended Support" period that will last for 5 years until 8 April 2014.
Security updates for XP will continue to 2014. There will just not be any further additional function provided in XP after the April 14 2009 date.
XP! ???
I’m still running 95 on one of my home PCs. Been blissfully uninterrupted by updates for years now. ;D ;D
Hi Vladimyr,
Fine that your Windows 95 is also blissfully unaware of what goes on in Redmond and vice versa. Read this, please, then comment:
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060608002958907
(not a lot of people are fully aware of these facts and the consequences).
With Google and their plans for deep packet inspection to better serve their adSense model (what SEO firm will go for less eventually) and looking upon the user not longer as a human being but an end-consumer, we will loose a big part of our freedom. The not technically aware will be satisfied by the blinking pretext, and the technically aware are sent away with “a rubber bot”, for the end-user it can make not much difference, because they do not have the knowledge to avert it.
To make an allegory to a well known statement of a historic figure: “When one person looses its privacy it is a disaster, when millions of people loose it, it is just statistics”,
polonus
-= Hope for an SP4 before it totally kills XP…
-= XP had been a very successful OS… The good old days of XP… ;D
Which is entirely different to the OS still receiving security updates and that is what I’m on about still getting security updates. A bonus on the XP Home front then as previously I believe this was a different date.
Perhaps with MS not wanting to miss out on the revenue from the rise in netbook sales being unable to run Vista they had to extend XP once again or lose out to Linux on netbook sales.
In all the years and different versions of MS OSes I have never had any free support, not that I needed it.
I think they will ‘drop’ the old notebook series and bet on Vista, but I could be wrong.
We aren’t talking notebooks, but netbooks a ‘small’ difference (excuse the pun), Vista simply won’t run unless crippled or like treacle, on the likes of an Asus EePC 901 or MSI Wind, etc. with an with a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor and 1GB of RAM.
That is why they were being offered for sale with either XP or Linux as the OS since Vista is a resource hog.
When microsoft not support XP, I go to Ubuntu or Mandriva. 90% of programs that I use, works in linux. No problem.
Antivirus… ? Maybe avast. 
Never Windows Vista.
Frank,
You’re referring to security updates.
My post referred to MS free support for both XP and Office 2003.
Effective April 8th, you’ll have to go elsewhere to get free support or, pay Microsoft for support.
This forum might be a good free alternative. 