XPs future

[CWEMLRL]

Anybody have some insight as to the future of XP? How long will MS continue
to support it?

 

[Fuzzy Logic]

Anybody have some insight as to the future of XP? How long will MS
continue to support it?

http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?LN=en-gb&x=16&y=12&C2=1173

 

[Bob I]

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy

 

[VanguardLH]

Anybody have some insight as to the future of XP? How long will MS
continue to support it?

Have you ever paid Microsoft to get support for Windows XP? You get
all of 2 incident reports with a *retail* version of Windows. That's
why I buy OEM versions because the loss of that support is
insignificant when compared to the cheaper cost of the OEM version.
There are lots of venues to get support on Windows (forums,
newsgroups, library books) and which do not require paying Microsoft
for it.

Mainstream supports ends April 2009. If Microsoft hasn't stabilized
Windows XP by then, it never will. Extended support, which includes
security updates, goes until August 2014. While I haven't moved to
Vista (no bang-for-the-buck for me), I'm pretty sure that I'll be on a
different OS in another 7 years.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

...


Have you ever paid Microsoft to get support for Windows XP? You get
all of 2 incident reports with a *retail* version of Windows. That's
why I buy OEM versions because the loss of that support is
insignificant when compared to the cheaper cost of the OEM version.

I, on the other hand, strongly recommend *against* OEM versions. But
my recommendation has nothing to do with support. Assuming
that you qualify for the Upgrade version I recommend that instead,
since it usually costs only slightly more than an OEM version, and
comes without the severe OEM restriction that once installed,
it can never legally be moved to another computer, even if the
original one dies.

And contrary to what many people think, the Upgrade version *can* do a
clean installation, as long as you have a CD of a previous qualifying
version to show it when prompted as proof of ownership. Most people
have such a CD, but worst case, if you don't, you can buy a used copy
of Windows 98 very inexpensively, on eBay or elsewhere.

There are lots of venues to get support on Windows (forums,
newsgroups, library books) and which do not require paying Microsoft
for it.

Here I agree with you completely. Calling Microsoft for help is
rarely, if ever, necessary.

 

[Alan]

Hi Ken,

From what I have read -- and although Microsoft doesn't state it -- I
believe an Upgrade version of XP can be installed with even a Windows 95 CD
as a previous qualifying O/S version.

Alan

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi Ken,

From what I have read -- and although Microsoft doesn't state it -- I
believe an Upgrade version of XP can be installed with even a Windows 95 CD
as a previous qualifying O/S version.

Yes, that's correct.

 

[Bob I]

Yes, Win95 is qualifing OS for the Upgrade version, you just can't
"upgrade" a Windows 95 installation, it does a clean installation.

Hi Ken,

From what I have read -- and although Microsoft doesn't state it -- I
believe an Upgrade version of XP can be installed with even a Windows 95 CD
as a previous qualifying O/S version.

Alan

 

[Andrew Murray]

Windows 95 isn't a qualifying Windows version for upgrading to XP anyway -
has to be Windows 98 or later.

Hi Ken,

From what I have read -- and although Microsoft doesn't state it -- I
believe an Upgrade version of XP can be installed with even a Windows 95
CD as a previous qualifying O/S version.

Alan

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Windows 95 isn't a qualifying Windows version for upgrading to XP anyway -
has to be Windows 98 or later.

No, not quite correct.

Although you can't do an upgrade from Windows 95 to Windows XP, you
*can* use a Windows 95 CD as proof of ownership of a qualifying
previous version when doing a clean installation, as Alan said.