Support Ending for Older Microsoft Windows Versions

Microsoft support for some older versions of the Windows operating system will end starting in April of 2010. 

• Support for Windows Vista RTM ends April 13, 2010.
• Support for Windows XP SP2 and all versions of Windows 2000 ends July 13, 2010.  
• Support for Windows Server 2000 ends on July 13, 2010.
• Windows Server 2003 will move from Mainstream Support to Extended Support on July 13, 2010.

The termination of official support for the products means Microsoft will no longer issue security updates for those products.  Under Extended Support, Microsoft no longer provides no-charge incident response, warranty coverage, or design changes and feature requests.

The Bennett Techs stress the importance of having the latest versions of Windows throughout your network.  Through Windows Update, not only are you provided with the latest security updates and service packs for Windows at no cost, but also the latest updates to products such as Internet Explorer 8.  Microsoft regularly issues patches or updates to solve security problems or risks in the software.

What is End of Support?
Support for the product ends. The Microsoft® Support Lifecycle (MSL) provides predictable and consistent support timelines for Microsoft products, to customers worldwide. The Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy offers a minimum of:

• Ten years of support (five years Mainstream Support and five years Extended Support) at the supported service pack level for Microsoft Business and Developer products.
• Five years of Mainstream Support at the supported service pack level for Microsoft Consumer/Hardware/Multimedia products.

Note:

• Mainstream and Extended Support is ONLY provided at the supported service pack level. Microsoft will support products running at the latest Service Pack level and the prior Service Pack level, 24 months after the release of the latest Service Pack.
• There is no Service Pack 3 for the 64-bit version of Windows XP. If you are running the 64-bit version of Windows XP with Service Pack 2, you are on the latest service pack and will continue to be eligible for support and receive updates until April 8, 2014. To find out if you are running the 64-bit version of Windows XP, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties. If you don’t see “64-bit” listed, then you’re running the 32-bit version and you need to install Service Pack 3. If “64-bit” is listed under System, you’re running the 64-bit version.

Mainstream Support Phase
Mainstream Support is the first phase of the product support lifecycle. At the supported service pack level, Mainstream Support includes:

• Incident support (no-charge incident support, paid incident support, support charged on an hourly basis, support for warranty claims)
• Security update support
• The ability to request non-security hotfixes

Extended Support Phase
The Extended Support phase is available after the Mainstream Support phase ends for Business and Developer products only. At the supported service pack level, Extended Support includes:

• Security update support at no additional cost
• Non-security related hotfix support if the customer has purchased a separate Extended Hotfix Support agreement (per-fix fees also apply).

Extended support does not include:
Requests for warranty support, design changes, or new features.
Support for Consumer, Hardware, or Multimedia products.

Contact Bennett Office Technologies to updage to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 toady!

Source: www.microsoft.com