Microsoft: Support Ends For Windows XP in One Year
The clock is ticking.
Microsoft is reminding Windows XP users once again that time for official support is running out, and that now is the best time for businesses to modernize their IT infrastructure by upgrading to the more secure, more "modern" Windows 8.
Starting April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide support for Windows XP users which includes platform security updates and technical support. In other words, you're on your own with an outdated OS – Microsoft is moving on, and so should customers despite how much they love the aging platform.
Erwin Visser, Senior Director within the Windows and Windows Live Division, spent most of his blog update on Tuesday focused on the business aspect, reporting that the migration process from Windows XP to Windows 8 can take some time, and may be costlier the longer companies stay on the latter, older platform. They're putting themselves at risk, as the security landscape is ever-changing and new threats are coming to fruition every day, he said.
"Those that haven’t yet started their migration process need to begin as soon as possible to ensure that they meet the April 8, 2014 deadline," he said. But even if the average enterprise started now, it could take 18 to 32 months from business case through full deployment. The update process should have started the moment Windows 8 hit retail shelves.
Last month, Net Applications reported that 38.73-percent of the OS market was still dominated by Windows XP, dropping from its 38.99-percent share in February and 39.51-percent in January. The platform also had a 44.85-percent market share in May 2012 and a 39.08-percent share in December 2012, showing an overall slight decline in usage.
"In 2001, Windows XP was launched, and went on to become Microsoft’s most popular operating system of its time, aiding consumers and business users to be more productive and secure as high-speed Internet became ubiquitous at work and eventually in our homes," he said. "It’s no question that Windows XP was an outstanding operating system to meet the needs of customers more than a decade ago."
In addition to Windows XP, Microsoft also plans to discontinue support for Internet Explorer 6 on Windows XP, Office 2003, Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 2 and older. Newer service packs of Exchange Server 2010 will still be supported.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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newbie_mcnoob Most of the holdout companies are going to move from Windows XP to Windows 7. They're going to stay the hell away from Windows 8.Reply -
Ragnar-Kon Yeah, I agree. Most companies still using Windows XP are going to move to Windows 7.Reply
I work for a University, and while we do buy and test every version of Windows that comes out, usually it is rare for us to migrate the entire campus to a every new version of Windows that comes out.
We obviously used Win XP forever, but we skipped over Vista due to compatibility and stability concerns.
At the moment we are nearly done with our Windows 7 deployment, but it looks like we are going to be skipping over Windows 8. Windows 8 is different enough from previous version of Windows that we will have to offer a wide range of training classes. And we don't want to pay to create and run these training classes in the mists of budget cuts.
Side note, but we've bought and migrated all of our Mac users on campus to every new version of Mac OS X that has been released since 10.4. The operating system changes so little between each version, the cost is so low, and compatibility has never been a concern. Though I will say Apple's switch from PPC to Intel 7-8 years ago caused great havoc. -
wcnighthawk Erwin Visser is delusional if he thinks companies are going to migrate to Win 8. Looks like Win 7 stock is about to go up.Reply -
hannibal It depends on... Win 7 has support "only" to 2020, so those firms that avoid upgrading as long as possible can actually co go for win 8.1 or something like that, so that they don't have up upgrade for the next 20 years...Reply -
TinkerTailor I would like to see a graph of Botnet growth after support for XP ends. I expect it will be unprecedented. On a semi-related note, I wonder if a lawyer could bring a class action lawsuit on behalf of DDOS-attacked companies against Microsoft for negligence as it seems completely foreseeable that unsupported systems would be used by hackers. Too many proof problems, I expect.Reply -
COLGeek Goodbye XP, you have been a true friend. Your age is starting to show, but you did your best despite being slow and full of holes.Reply
I just get tired of saying goodbye. Be gone already! -
dalethepcman Reply10642660 said:I wonder if a lawyer could bring a class action lawsuit on behalf of DDOS-attacked companies against Microsoft for negligence as it seems completely foreseeable that unsupported systems would be used by hackers. Too many proof problems, I expect.
As microsoft has made this public knowledge for over 10 years, I don't see how any kind of lawsuit could be filed against them. Realistically, you purchased an operating system software on a disc, the software will continue to work just as you bought it for a long long time.
It's more likely that they invent a reverse class action lawsuit for the companies that get ddosed by the botnets to reclaim damages from all the unsuspecting owners of the pc's.