Microsoft Support Lifecycle blog

vChat is Live!

davidcarmsft — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:20:00 GMT

Today's guest blogger is Erin Csonaki.

I am excited to announce the launch of the Ask Support Lifecycle virtual chat (vChat) agent!

Launched in April 2011, vChat provides our customers with quick answers to their frequently-asked questions about the Microsoft Support Lifecycle program. It also directs customers requiring additional information to other solutions and resources, such as Windows Online and Knowledge Base articles.

vChat makes it easy for our customers to quickly find the answers to their common questions. It also reduces the need to search through the entire Support Lifecycle Site to locate applicable information. vChat simply guides users to the specific sections most relevant to their search – a one-stop shop! Also, if the question isn’t clear, the chatter-bot will provide useful resources that might help you find the answer you were looking for. Another added benefit to vChat is that the more it is used, the more intelligent it gets. We get valuable insight into you are looking for and this helps drive relevant improvements to our Microsoft Support Lifecycle site.

Microsoft Announces a New Support Lifecycle Policy for SQL Server Parallel Data Warehouse Hardware Appliances

davidcarmsft — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:16:00 GMT

Microsoft customers have frequently purchased Microsoft boxed software with the knowledge that in the case of Business and Developer products like Windows Server, Exchange Server or SQL Server, support timeframes began shortly following release.

This date for Microsoft boxed software is typically known as General Availability (GA) and follows the Release-to-Manufacturing (RTM) date by 90 days. When a software product reached GA, customers understood that the release would receive five years of Mainstream Support and five years of Extended Support.

With Microsoft hardware appliances – a product that is sold with both Microsoft software and hardware from select Microsoft Partners – the challenge arose of keeping the Support Lifecycle simple and straightforward for customers.

Customers expect hardware appliances to be supported as a whole and not as disparate parts. They also need predictability in terms of support timeframes so they can ensure maximum return on their investment in the hardware appliance.

With Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse (PDW), we are ensuring that customers are supported for a minimum of five years. This is possible as Microsoft is basing the Support Lifecycle not on the GA date but on the end of sales date for the Major Product version. Minor Product releases will follow the Support Lifecycle of their respective Major Product version.

The date for the end of sales for the initial release of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse has not been set and so support dates are not yet available. When the end of sales occurs, end of support dates will be published on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle site.

Thanks for your continued questions and comments. More information on Microsoft’s support policies can also be found on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website.

*This posting is provided "AS- IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Microsoft Announces a New Support Lifecycle Policy for Online Services

davidcarmsft — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:59:00 GMT

Microsoft Announces a New Support Lifecycle Policy for Online Services

With the advent of new Online Services such as Windows Azure and Microsoft Office 365, the Microsoft Support Lifecycle team has focused on bringing the proven principles of predictable and consistent Support Lifecycle policies to Online Services provided via the cloud.

These new Online Services policies really break new ground in the industry for ensuring that Microsoft customers have the exciting benefits of Online Services – such as more rapid enhancements to products – while providing a predictable Support Lifecycle experience.

Historically, customers frequently purchased boxed software for on-premises use. This software was often licensed perennially and Microsoft provided specific Support Lifecycle timeframes for product support such as Mainstream Support and, in the case of Business and Developer products, Extended Support.

While Online Services may have software that is similar to on-premises software, key aspects of the functionality of the product reside in the cloud. Vital to keeping an Online Service working reliably is for Microsoft and customers to keep the related products and services properly updated and maintained.

With the release of the new Online Services Support Lifecycle policies for Microsoft Business and Developer products, we are introducing a new concept we’ve named “disruptive change.”

Disruptive change broadly refers to changes that require significant action whether in the form of administrator intervention, substantial changes to the user experience, data migration or required updates to client software.

A key aspect of the new Online Services policy is that Microsoft is committed to providing our customers a minimum of 12 months of prior notification before implementing potentially disruptive changes that may result in a service interruption.

An example of this may be providing notification of a required upgrade to Microsoft Outlook to ensure continued functionality with Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services prior to the change actually occurring with the cloud-based service.

Please keep in mind, however, that this policy is regarding regular maintenance and service updates and does not include issues related to security. As with traditional software, security updates in the Online Services realm require prompt application to ensure that customer and Microsoft assets are effectively protected.

In some scenarios, customers may have deployed on-premises software that is connecting to a Microsoft Online Service. In such situations, customers may need to implement changes to their on-premises software for it to remain operable with the Online Service, but the timeframes of Mainstream Support and Extended Support for the on-premises software remain intact and unchanged.

A final concern of the Online Services Support Lifecycle policy is regarding how an Online Service agreement may be terminated. Since customer data may reside in the cloud, Microsoft commits to providing 12 months prior notification before termination of a Business and Developer-oriented Online Service. In addition, to better enable Microsoft customers in any renewal or migration activities, customer data will be preserved for a minimum of 30 days in order to ensure an orderly transition from the Online Service.

Further details on this announcement and the support timelines are available on the MSL website: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/OSSLpolicy

Thanks for your continued questions and comments. More information on Microsoft’s support policies can also be found on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website.

*This posting is provided "AS- IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Announcing: Support Lifecycle Quarterly Lifeline!

jproudfo — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:30:00 GMT

Today, I am very happy to announce the launch of our revamped Support Lifecycle Quarterly Newsletter! For those of you who have been receiving our newsletter for a while, you'll notice a dramatic change in the format and layout. With the fifth anniversary of the newsletter upon us, we decided it was time to refresh our approach. All of the same valuable content on product support transitions will still be included in the newsletter.

So what's changing? Based on your feedback, we have revitalized the content and format, including reducing the number of sections in the newsletter and adding a "Spotlight" feature to highlight major Support Lifecycle updates. We've also infused an "In the News" section in the sidebar to highlight Support Lifecycle press coverage from around the web. It's also worth noting that the newsletter is now posted on our external website. Going forward, you'll be able visit our website and access not only our current newsletter content but also the archived versions.

The current issue of the newsletter is now available from the Support Lifecycle website. I hope that you like this new format and that you'll encourage interested colleagues to subscribe!

Please feel free to share any comments or feedback on the newsletter in the comments section. Also, if you have ideas for future Spotlight stories, please feel free to suggest them!

Microsoft Mediaroom Adopts a New Support Lifecycle Policy

davidcarmsft — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 01:32:00 GMT

As you may have noticed, Microsoft Mediaroom to date has not followed any specific Support Lifecycle policy. To rectify that situation, a new Support Lifecycle policy for Microsoft Mediaroom has been established.

Microsoft Mediaroom is a complex product as it combines a wide variety of Major Products (such as Windows Server, SQL Server, System Center Operations Manager) in the Microsoft family and tailors them to meet the needs of a number of companies that deliver media to subscribers around the world.

As of September 2010, Microsoft Mediaroom will be providing the various software products under the banner of Microsoft Mediaroom System Software five years of support or two years after the successor system release is provided -- whichever is longer.

Version 1.1 of the System Software includes the following:

Microsoft Mediaroom Software:

Microsoft Mediaroom Server 1.1SP2
Microsoft Mediaroom Server 1.1SP3.0
Microsoft Mediaroom Client 1.2
Microsoft Mediaroom Server 1.1SP3.2 (includes CP1, CP2 and CP3)
Microsoft Mediaroom Client 1.6

Microsoft Core Element Software:

Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 SP3
Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 SP1
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2 (includes Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1)
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP3
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 SP2
Microsoft Systems Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2
Microsoft Systems Center Operation Manager 2007 R2

With Microsoft Mediaroom System Software 1.1 and later versions following standard Microsoft Support Lifecycle policies, Mediaroom customers can expect more consistent and predictable support policies and timelines for these products.

For Microsoft Mediaroom 1.1 System Software, many releases will reach the end of support in October 2011 and customers are encouraged to migrate to supported versions before that time.

Further details on this announcement and the support timelines are available on the MSL website: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/mediaroom

Thanks for your continued questions and comments. More information on Microsoft’s support policies can also be found on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website.

*This posting is provided "AS- IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Information on the Microsoft .NET Framework Out-of-Band Security Release of September, 28, 2010

davidcarmsft — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 00:33:00 GMT

How various Microsoft .NET Framework versions are supported across various Windows OS platforms is a question we frequently run into on the MSL team. The information below provides further clarification on support scenarios for the Microsoft .NET Framework as well as how the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy applies to this out-of-band security release.

Overview

As per the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy, Major Products typically receive a minimum of five years of Mainstream Support and five years of Extended Support. Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange Server are examples of Major Products.

The Microsoft .NET Framework was originally released in 2002 as a Major Product. Microsoft .NET Framework versions 1.x and Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 follow the Support Lifecycle policy for Major Products.

With the release of Microsoft .NET 3.5 Service Pack 1 (SP1), this Support Lifecycle policy was modified. Starting with the release of the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, this release and later releases are now considered Components of the Windows operating system. For complete information on this change, please visit the public announcement here: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeandotnet.

A “Component” is defined as a set of files or features that are included with a Microsoft product, whether it is shipped with the product, was included in a product service pack, or later made available as a web download for the product.

As per the Support Lifecycle policy for Components, support for .NET Framework versions 3.0, 3.0 SP1, 3.0 SP2, and 3.5 ends on July 12, 2011. Customers are advised to move to Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 or later versions prior to this end of support date.

Available Support for Various Microsoft .NET Framework Releases

Microsoft .NET Framework 1.0

Support for Microsoft .NET Framework 1.0 ended on July 14, 2009. No Custom Support is available for this version.

Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 and Microsoft .NET Framework versions 2.0

Support for Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 or Microsoft .NET Framework versions 2.0, is currently available from Microsoft. As both products are in the Extended Support phase and security updates are still available at no charge.

Please note, support for Microsoft .NET 1.1 SP1 will end on October 8, 2013 while support for Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2 (SP2) will continue until April 12, 2016.

Support for Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 RTM, 2.0 RTM and 2.0 SP1 Releases

Support for earlier Microsoft .NET Framework releases such as .NET 1.1 RTM or .NET 2.0 RTM and 2.0 SP1 releases have been discontinued according to their respective Support Lifecycle policies. More information on the Support Lifecycle policies for these versions is available via the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website here: http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle.

Support for Microsoft .NET Framework releases 3.0 RTM, 3.0 SP1 and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 RTM

Support for Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 releases and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 RTM will be available through July 12, 2011.

After this date, only Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 will continue to be supported. As Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is considered a Component of the Windows operating system, support will be available if the underlying Windows OS is supported. The public announcement is available here: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeandotnet

Please note, in accordance with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy, if a particular release of the Microsoft .NET Framework shipped “in-box” with a Microsoft product, it will be supported at a supported service pack level for the life of that Microsoft product. As this is not a commonplace occurrence, most customers will not be affected by this stipulation.

Microsoft Support Lifecycle

The Microsoft Support Lifecycle (MSL) policy provides transparent and predictable information about the support lifecycle of Microsoft products. More information is available on the following MSL Web site: http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle.

What does a "Minor Release" mean to my product's Support Lifecycle?

davidcarmsft — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:37:00 GMT

With the release of Windows Server 2008 R2, the Minor Product release policy is again in the spotlight.

First, what is a Minor Release? It is in most cases a refresh of a Major Product in the marketplace with either additional minor functionality or feature enhancements as well as improvements in the stable operation of the product.

Key to understanding the Minor Product story is that minor releases follow the same Support Lifecycle as its parent product. As such, there is no change of when the product will leave various support phases such as Mainstream Support and Extended Support.

An example of this is Windows Server 2003 R2 which has the same Mainstream Support phase and Extended Support phase dates as the parent product, Windows Server 2003. Likewise, Windows Server 2008 R2 follows the exact same Support Lifecycle dates as the initial release of Windows Server 2008.

Minor versions can also include some so-called "point releases" such as when a product is released in its initial version 3.0 and eventually becomes version 3.1.

Thanks for your continued questions and comments. More information on Microsoft’s support policies can also be found on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website.

*This posting is provided "AS- IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Does the Windows end of sales policy impact the Support Lifecycle?

jproudfo — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:33:00 GMT

Over the past few days, you may have seen or heard about Microsoft’s end of sales policy for Windows and the specific end of sales dates for Windows Vista. In today’s post, I want to discuss how the sales policy does and doesn’t relate to the Support Lifecycle policy.

First, let’s talk about the end of sales lifecycle. Generally speaking, “end of sales” is a term used to describe the deadlines when it will no longer be possible for customers to obtain a product through retailers, system builders or OEMs (such as Dell, Lenovo or Sony). In this week’s announcement, the Windows team blog outlined specific rules that will govern the availability of Windows products in each of these channels. Basically, the revised end of sales policy for Windows is based on when the next version of Windows will be available. Once the new version is released, it will start an end of sales clock in each of the channels. Retailers, for example, will be able to sellthe previous version of Windows for one year following the release of a new version. For OEMs, that deadline is 2 years. For complete details on the policy for each channel, please see the Windows team blog.

With the clarifications to the Windows end of sales policy, our customers can clearly calculate the end of sales dates for all Windows products, including Windows Vista. This means that after October 22, 2010, customers will not be able to obtain Windows Vista through their local retailer. If they get Windows from an OEM or system builder, they will have another year — until October 22, 2011 — to purchase Windows Vista. October 22nd 2010 also signifies when many downgrade facilitation rights expire through OEMs, though customers can continue to qualify for end user downgrade rights to Windows XP for as long as Windows 7 is sold if they purchase Ultimate or Professional-preinstalled Windows PCs.

So that covers the “end of sales”, but how does that relate to the Support Lifecycle for these products?

The Support Lifecycle policy refers to the “end of support” deadlines for Microsoft products. As you may recall, the Support Lifecycle policy begins with the Mainstream Support phase. For Business & Developer products there is also a second phase, called the Extended Support phase. These phases begin on the General Availability (GA) date of a product. Microsoft provides Mainstream Support phase for a minimum of 5 years from the General Availability date (at a supported service pack level). For Business & Developer products, the Extended Support phase will last another 5 years following the end of the Mainstream Support phase (at a supported service pack level).

So, how does the end of sales date and the Support Lifecycle dates impact each other? Generally speaking, they don’t have a direct impact on one another, other than that the clock for both cycles begins when a new product is shipped. Microsoft will continue supporting products according to the Support Lifecycle policy. The end of sales date does not impact any of the dates related to the Mainstream Support phase or the Extended Support phase. This is because the Support Lifecycle date calculations are all based on the date of General Availability of the current product version, and not its end of sales date.

For Windows Vista, this means that the Mainstream Support phase will continue until April 10, 2012. For the editions of Windows Vista that fall under our Business & Developer products policy, the Extended Support phase will continue through April 11, 2017. For product support dates for specific editions of Windows Vista and other Microsoft products, please visit http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/.

It is probably important to highlight that while the end of sales and Support Lifecycle dates do not have a direct impact on one another these policies have been developed with each other in mind, to help ensure that when our customers purchase a product they are still able to obtain support for a number of years to come. Even if a customer purchases a Windows product on the last date of sales availability, we want to ensure that our customers have time to productively use our products before they reach the end of support. For example, under the new “end of sales” policy for Windows and the current Support Lifecycle policy, customers will have a minimum of 1 year in the Mainstream Support phase if they purchase on the last day of retail availability.

I hope this helps clarify any questions regarding the end of sales and the Support Lifecycle policy. If you have any questions, please feel free to submit them below. We'll do our best to address them in a follow-up posting!

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Supportability of .NET Framework 1.1 on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

davidcarmsft — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:40:00 GMT

Let's talk about a concept known as supportability. While somewhat related to Support Lifecycle timeframes or even compatibility, supportability defines what software releases will be supported by Microsoft in combination with other software releases. Broadly speaking, supportability means that Microsoft will support certain products together.

A case in point of supportability is Exchange Server 2010. While Microsoft supports it on some Windows Server OSes, it is not supported on Windows 2000 Server or a client OS such as Windows XP. Another example is Internet Explorer 8. It is supported on various releases of the Windows OS, but is not supported on older releases such as Windows NT.

It is important to note that while a product may appear to successfully install on a particular platform, it may not function properly. It may also not be provided support by Microsoft. In addition, future releases such as service packs, security updates or product hotfixes may render the unsupported product inoperable or reduce its functionality.

In this context, version 1.1 of the .NET Framework is not supported on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It was released in mid-2003 and was never intended to be installed or supported with products that were not even in the early planning stages at that time. Customers are encouraged to test their .NET applications with the latest .NET Framework releases and update as appropriate.

In addition, we recently announced that later versions of the .NET Framework (specifically .NET 3.5 SP1 and later) are now considered Components of the Windows OS. Customers can now be certain of support for the .NET Framework provided they are using a supported release of Windows.

For more on the .NET Framework announcement, please visit the official announcement.

Thanks for your continued questions and comments. More information on Microsoft’s support policies can also be found on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website.

*This posting is provided "AS- IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and later now supported as part of Microsoft Windows

davidcarmsft — Sat, 01 May 2010 00:30:00 GMT

The .NET Framework is one of Microsoft’s key technologies for many of our customers. It also exemplifies a relatively rare instance of Microsoft changing how we support a product.

When the .NET Framework (we’ll call it .NET in this blog) was released in 2002, it was considered a major product in its own right. As such, it took the usual five years of Mainstream Support and five years of Extended Support. This is commonly known as the 5+5 policy.

With the passage of time, .NET became a more integral part of the Windows operating system in terms of how it is supported and serviced and we’ve found that most customers take these updates in the course of keeping their products current. This servicing story led to some customer confusion and we recognized a need to provide greater clarity around the Support Lifecycle of the .NET Framework.

To simplify this, we took the step of making .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1, and later versions, Components of the Windows operating system.

What does this mean in practical terms? It means that with .NET 3.5 SP1 and later, one simply needs to know if their version of Windows is supported. As a Component, .NET takes the exact same Support Lifecycle as the parent product.

In addition, we are ending support for earlier iterations of .NET 3.0 and 3.5—but are giving customers a year to migrate before ending support. We will require all customers to be on .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 or later, by July 12th, 2011 in order to obtain security updates or support.

For more on the .NET Framework announcement, please visit the official announcement.

Thanks for your continued questions and comments. More information on Microsoft’s support policies can also be found on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website.

*This posting is provided "AS- IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

End of Support for Windows Vista RTM and recent Service Pack Support policy updates

jproudfo — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:02:00 GMT

It’s that time again…what time is that, you ask? Could it be the U.S. April 15^th Tax Deadline? Spring Break? Daylight Saving Time? No, it’s not any of those. But it is the second Tuesday in April, which means it’s time for certain Microsoft products to reach the end of support.

This time, Windows Vista with no service packs installed (sometimes referred to as RTM or SP0) will be reaching end of support on April 13^th. If you need a refresher of what this means, or what steps you need to take, I’d recommend reading through our February blog post on this subject.

Additionally, the Microsoft Support Lifecycle team recently announced important changes to the Service Pack Support policy. I want to take a moment to clarify the details of this policy change and highlight some of the ways that this will improve the overall customer and partner experience.

Under the former Service Pack Support policy, when a service pack reached the end of support, customers were no longer eligible to receive troubleshooting help from Microsoft Customer Service and Support, including assisted telephone support, security updates, or non-security hotfixes. Customers requiring assistance from Microsoft had to upgrade to a supported service pack to be eligible for any support.

We’ve received a lot of feedback on this policy from our customers and partners over the past few years. Many customers asked for the ability to receive troubleshooting support from Microsoft on unsupported service packs, if the product itself is still in the Mainstream Support phase or Extended Support phase. Their general opinion was that if they are experiencing issues, Microsoft should provide limited support or migration assistance for the unsupported service pack.

We’ve listened carefully to this feedback and, as a result, updated the Service Pack Support policy to provide customers with limited troubleshooting on unsupported service pack versions.

So, what does “limited troubleshooting” actually mean? The new Service Pack Support policy enables customers to obtain support as follows:

Break/fix support incidents will be provided through Microsoft Customer Service and Support; and through Microsoft’s managed support offerings (such as Premier Support).
There will be no option to engage Microsoft’s product development resources, and technical workarounds may be limited or not available.
If the support incident requires escalation to development for further guidance, requires a hotfix, or requires a security update, customers will be asked to upgrade to a supported service pack.

The new policy will help to:

Improve customer satisfaction by providing access to support representatives who can respond to questions about support options for unsupported service packs.
Ensure that customers have a consistent experience when contacting Microsoft for support on an unsupported service pack.
Provide additional support options and flexibility for customers who have not completed migration to a supported service pack.

Customers are highly encouraged to stay on a supported service pack to ensure they are on the latest and most secure version of their product. This is especially important for those customers running business critical applications. Staying on a supported service pack is the only way to ensure that you get continued access to security updates and the ability to escalate your support issues within Microsoft.

If you have any questions on these changes, feel free to ask them within the comments section. We’ll do our best to answer them in a future blog posting. In the meantime, I hope you have a good second Tuesday in April! J

*This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

End of support for Windows 2000 and Extended Support phase transition for Windows Server 2003

jproudfo — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:01:00 GMT

If you missed my last post, we recently discussed the upcoming end of support for Windows Vista with no service packs installed and Windows XP SP2. In a similar vein, in this post I want to discuss support transitions that will primarily impact our enterprise customers.

First, let’s discuss the upcoming changes for Windows 2000. All editions of Windows 2000 will reach the end of the Extended Support phase on July 13, 2010. This will be the end of support for Windows 2000.

As you may recall, at the end of the Extended Support phase, Business & Developer products are no longer publicly supported, although Self-Help Online support (such as Microsoft online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources) will be available for a minimum of 12 months after the product reaches the end of its support. This means that there is no more paid support, no support assistance and no further security updates. Due to this, customers are highly encouraged to move to a supported product as soon as possible.

Those enterprise customers who are unable to complete their migration to a supported product before July 13, 2010 may also want to consider the Custom Support program. Custom Support provides customers with the opportunity to receive support on legacy versions of some Microsoft products and service packs that have reached the end of support. This program may help fill the gap for customers who are actively migrating, but will not be able to finish prior to the end of support deadline. For additional details on Custom Support, please contact your local Microsoft representative or Technical Account Manager.

Windows Server 2003 will also undergo a support transition later this year. On July 13, 2010 all editions of Windows Server 2003 will be moving from the Mainstream Support phase to the Extended Support phase.

For most of our customers, this transition change will not have a significant impact on their environment. The key differences between the Mainstream Support phase and Extended Support phase are that the “no-charge” support options are no longer available and that we no longer provide new non-security hotfixes. This means that customers will need to open paid support cases (such as Premier, Pro or Pay-Per-Incident cases) to obtain support for their product.

For those customers who need non-security hotfixes during the Extended Support phase, a special program called Extended Hotfix Support is available. If you want the insurance of being enrolled in Extended Hotfix Support, please contact your local Microsoft representative or Technical Account Manager as soon as possible. Enrollment in the program must occur within the first 90 days after the end of the Mainstream Support phase, so you’ll want to consider this soon.

I hope this has been a useful reminder of the upcoming support transitions and their specific impacts. Through the timelines of our support Lifecycle policy, we strive to help our customers plan ahead for support transitions, maximize their IT investments, and migrate when they are ready. Our goal is for there to be no surprises when it comes to support transitions like this.

If you have questions about the policy, you can contact your Technical Account Manager for more information.

Additional Resources for Windows 2000 / Windows Server 2003:

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

End of Support for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista (with no service packs installed)

jproudfo — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

If you keep up with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy (and honestly, who doesn’t? J), you may have noticed that we have a number of products and service packs with upcoming support transitions. In today’s post, I want to discuss the end of support for two of our operating systems service packs: Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista without a service pack installed (sometimes commonly referred to as RTM/SP0).

What Does this Mean?

Windows Vista with no service packs installed will reach end of support on April 13, 2010. Windows XP SP2 will reach the end of support on July 13, 2010. In both of these cases, support for the service pack will expire in accordance with the Service Pack Support policy. We first outlined this part of the policy back in October but now that end dates are coming closer, we wanted to remind customers that there is a need to take action. You can find more information about this here.

But first, some basics (if this is too 101 for you, you can skim this part). Let’s start by defining what a service pack is. As part of the effort to continually improve Microsoft software, updates and fixes are created and released for recognized issues. Many of these fixes and others are combined into a single package (called a service pack) that is made available for installation. This can include updates for system reliability, program compatibility and security. The products we’re talking about ending support for in this case are Windows XP SP2 and the original release of Windows Vista – one with no service packs installed. To set some context, the current service packs for these products are Windows XPSP3 and Windows Vista SP2. These are both available at no cost for customers. If you are running anything less, than you’re missing important free updates for your PC that can make your PC safer and run better.

Now let’s identify what end of support means. End of support means that Microsoft will no longer provide further support for that specific service pack level. This means that customers need to upgrade to a supported service pack to continue to receive security updates, hotfixes or assisted support from Microsoft Customer Service & Support.

If you are running one of these versions that is about to reach end of support, I’d really encourage you to think about upgrading to Windows 7. Why am I recommending Windows 7? Basically, Windows 7 makes your PC simple to use and provides the latest security technology from Microsoft in both the OS and Internet Explorer (IE8). It also allows you to do more with your computer – and ensures your PC is completely up to date. If you are a consumer, I’d also recommend ensuring that you have an up-to-date antivirus program (such as Microsoft Security Essentials).

How To Keep Your PC Up-To-Date and Safe

Here is a quick snapshot with links for easy reference.

1. Click this link to check for updates to your Windows PC.

2. Accept and install all important and recommended updates

3. Go back to check for updates at least once a month to keep your computer up to date

4. Download IE8 to ensure a safer browsing experience.

5. Download our free antivirus offering called Microsoft Security Essentials

More on How to Upgrade

If you’re not ready to make the move to Windows 7, you should — at an absolute minimum —move to a supported service pack (Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista SP2) as soon as possible. This way, you’ll continue receiving security updates and support from Microsoft.

If you’re not sure which version of Windows Vista or Windows XP you’re running there are a couple of easy ways to find out:

· Click the start button, Run (or Windows Key + R), and type in ‘winver’ (no quotes); the resulting dialog will indicate which service pack they have installed.

· Click the start button, right-click on Computer, and select Properties to see a window that indicates (among other things) the service pack installed.

Even beyond Service Packs, it’s important to make sure you stay up to date with all updates for your Windows PC. If you have not done so already, I also strongly recommend turning automatic updates on Windows Update. If you turn on automatic updates, you not only will be sure to get critical updates automatically, but also the latest improvements and security updates for your PC.

What if you are a Business customer of Microsoft?

Our end of support policies impact all customers running specific versions, but there are a few things business customers should keep in mind:

• Small and midsize businesses should consider Windows 7 Professional, which is designed to help you work the way you want, help you get more done, and safeguard your work. If you have an Open License agreement, you can get a really great deal while upgrading.

• Larger organizations should evaluate to Windows 7 Enterprise, which enables enterprise customers to be more productive from anywhere, while helping IT departments manage risk and reduce costs through streamlined PC management.

• Upgrading to Internet Explorer 8 improves the level of protection against current and emerging online threats

Finally, if you are concerned about potential application migration issues, there are a host of tools available to help, including the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit, Windows XP Mode, and Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) to help migration. To learn more about these tools, visit the Springboard Series on TechNet.

In my next post, I plan to focus on a couple of other key support transitions that will impact our business customers. The end of support for Windows 2000 and the Extended Support phase transition for Windows Server 2003. If you are running either of these products, you may want to familiarize yourself with the situation for these products.

As always, please keep the comments and questions coming. We certainly appreciate your feedback!

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Windows Server 2008 ships with SP1? Whatever happened to Windows Server 2008 RTM?! All this and more explained!

davidcarmsft — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:52:00 GMT

The Microsoft Support Lifecycle team receives a lot of feedback from customers, particularly regarding “intriguing” topics. We’ll call this one the case of the missing Windows Server service pack release.

So what happened? Windows Server 2008 shipped on May 6, 2008 to great fanfare and well-deserved acclaim as one of the best Windows Server releases ever. However, people soon noticed in the Help, About box of Windows Explorer that Service Pack 1 (SP1) was already installed – which was odd as nobody remembered deliberately installing SP1. With the release of SP2 for Windows Server 2008, many customers had questions about the missing service pack level (ie, the RTM release) and how long it would be supported!

Was this a mistake of some kind? A marketer gone wild? The answer is a gripping tale of ship dates slipped, codebases shared and a good bit of making things fit.

Windows server and client releases have shared a common codebase since late 2001. This change simplified servicing and allowed code development methodologies that resulted in more secure and better tested Windows releases. So far, so good.

But what does a developer do when Windows Vista SP1 is being built out and Windows Server 2008 is built on the same codebase? The answer is simple: for clarity, one carries on using the Vista SP1 codebase and names the Windows Server 2008 initial RTM release SP1. This way, the naming internally remains the same and confusion is avoided. When maintaining the Windows code trees, fixes for Windows Vista SP1 are also developed for Windows Server 2008 SP1. The same story is true of the recently released SP2 for both server and client platforms.

And so our thrilling tale ends -- but not without us first telling you when support for Windows Server 2008 (RTM with SP1 installed) retires: July 12, 2011. Please update your Windows Server 2008 installation to a supported service pack before that date to ensure continued support from Microsoft. Remember, both Mainstream and Extended Support are available only at a supported service pack level.

Thanks for your continued questions and comments. More information on Microsoft’s support policies can also be found on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website.

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Reminder: Support for the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine

jproudfo — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:35:00 GMT

Microsoft has phased out the MSJVM in our products, as provided for in the January 2001 settlement agreement with Sun. Microsoft provided public support for the MSJVM, including addressing specific security vulnerabilities, through December 31, 2007. After this date, Microsoft stopped providing public support for the MSJVM, including security updates, assisted support and code changes.

Microsoft's first priority is to help our customers have a safer computing experience. To that end, the security updates, support articles and migration tools developed prior to the December 31, 2007 deadline were made available for customers to download from the Microsoft website. As provided in the 2001 settlement agreement, Microsoft provided continued access to these updates until June 30, 2009.

For additional information, visit the following sites:

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

The Support Lifecycle for Internet Explorer

davidcarmsft — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:04:00 GMT

As you have probably heard, the Internet Explorer team released Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) on March 19^th. This is a huge milestone and we want to congratulate everyone in the IE team on the accomplishment. If you haven’t already done so, I’d encourage you to read more about IE8 at http://www.microsoft.com/ie.

In today’s post, I wanted to take a moment to explain the Support Lifecycle for Internet Explorer. With the recent release, we have already received a number of questions about IE8 and the impact to the Support Lifecycle of other versions of IE.

First, I should probably provide a general explanation of the Support Lifecycle for “components”. Generally, A “component” is defined as a set of files or features that are included with a Microsoft product, whether it is shipped with the product, included in a product service pack, or later made available as a web download for the product. Under the Support Lifecycle policy, we support components with the product or service pack that it shipped for. The product to which a component is associated normally is specified in the component’s end-user license agreement (EULA). Generally, we don’t end support for a component unless we ship a newer version of the component as a part of a product’s service pack.

Internet Explorer is considered as a component of the operating system (OS) for which it was released. The support timelines for IE are inherited from the OS and its associated service packs. Basically, this means that the versions of Internet Explorer that shipped for a specific OS or service pack will be supported with the support lifecycle of the OS or service pack. Support for older versions of IE will not end unless we ship a replacement version of IE in a future OS service pack.

Internet Explorer 8, for example, is supported on the following Windows operating systems:

· Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later

· Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 or later

· Windows Vista RTM or later

· Windows Server 2008 RTM or later

As per the policy, we will not end support previous versions of Internet Explorer on supported operating system versions.

I hope everyone is still with me... J Let’s look at a couple of examples ensure everyone is clear: With Windows Vista we included Internet Explorer 7 (IE7). Now that IE8 has been released we will continue to support IE7 on Vista. IE7 will continue to be supported with Vista unless we ship a newer version of IE in a future OS service pack.

I’ve already explained the situation for Vista, but what about Windows XP? The situation for Windows XP is very similar. Both IE6 and IE7 will continue to be supported with Windows XP. They will continue to be supported until the end of support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014. We made a similar announcement on the Support Lifecycle website, when IE7 was released.

There is one other thing I should cover… Since IE is a component of the OS, customers must upgrade to a supported service pack to continue to receive support for IE. If you not are running on a supported OS service pack, you will need to upgrade to continue to receive security updates or be eligible for any of our other support options (such as Premier, Pro or Pay Per Incident cases).

I hope that makes the situation for components and IE more clear. If you have any feedback regarding this policy, or alternative ways to explain it, please let us know!

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Announcing Longer Support Timelines for Key Microsoft Dynamics Service Packs

jproudfo — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:35:00 GMT

As you may have seen, Microsoft recently announced an update to the service pack policy for Dynamics products. In today's post, I want to provide a brief overview of this announcement and recap the Service Pack Support Policy within the Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

You may recall from a previous posting that when a new service pack is released, Microsoft will provide either 12 or 24 months of support for the previous service pack, varying by product family. This means that when we release a new service pack we will start the end of support clock for the previous service pack. For example, when we release Service Pack 2, support for Service Pack 1 would end either 12 or 24 months later. Until recently, Dynamics products have been providing 12 months of support for the previous service pack when they released a new service pack version.

The recent announcement extends the service pack support policy for Microsoft Dynamics SL, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics AX, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM to 24 months of support for a previous service pack, when a new service pack is released. This update applies to all the service packs that are currently supported (as of June 8, 2009), for the above-listed Microsoft Dynamics products. Additionally, per the new policy, support will also be reactivated for select service packs for which support has expired under the previous 12-month policy, but for which support would have continued under the new 24-month policy. For example, Dynamics AX 4.0 Service Pack 1 was previously schedued to end support on October 14, 2008. Under the revised policy, we have provided an additional 12 months of support (for a total of 24 months). This means that Dynamics AX 4.0 Service Pack 1 now ends on October 13, 2009.

A complete list of the impacted products and their associated dates can be found within the announcement. In addition, the Support Lifecycle dates for each product have also been updated on the Support Lifecycle website. You can see all of the Dynamics products by going to the specific Product Family page for Business Solutions.

This update has no impact on the Mainstream Support and Extended Support dates for these products. Mainstream Support for these products will continue, as per the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy, for five years from the date of general availability of the products, and Extended Support for another five years after the end of Mainstream Support. Both Mainstream Support and Extended Support are available ONLY at the product’s supported service pack level.

I hope this helps clarify the announcement. Please keep the questions and comments coming! We appreciate your feedback and are always looking for ideas for future blog postings.

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Support Transitions for Office 2000 and Office 2003 SP2

jproudfo — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:54:00 GMT

It's time for another friendly product transition reminder... This time, we are going to focus on Office 2000 and Office 2003 SP2.

All editions of Office 2000 will reach the end of the Extended Support phase on July 14, 2009. After this date, Office 2000 will no longer be publicly supported. This means that Microsoft will no longer provide any assisted support and will no longer provide security updates for this product. Self-Help Online Support (including the knowledge base and other articles on http://support.microsoft.com/) will continue to be available for a minimum of 12 months after this date. This means that there is very little time remaining to complete your migration to a newer version of Office! If you haven't already done so, I would recommend discussing your options with your local Microsoft representative.

In addition, I also want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that support for Office 2003 SP2 ended on October 14, 2008. To continue to receive support for Office 2003 (including future security updates), you will need to upgrade to a supported service pack. Office 2003 SP3 is currently available from the Download Center and Microsoft Update websites. Unfortunately, we still occasionally recieve questions about the Service Pack Support Policy. Please be sure to keep updated on Microsoft service packs, to remain supported!

Each of these product transitions have previously been announced on the Support Lifecycle website and within our quarterly newsletter. Be sure to check the site for updates or subscribe to the newsletter, today!

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Extended Support Begins for Windows XP and Continues Until 2014

davidcarmsft — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:25:00 GMT

Recently there has been a fair amount of press coverage regarding the end of Mainstream Support for Windows XP. Released at the tail end of 2001, Windows XP has been a solid hit in the marketplace and there has been some concern about what the move from Mainstream to Extended Support means for customers.

To be clear, Microsoft will continue to support Windows XP until 8 April 2014 – about five years from now. So what are the differences between Mainstream and Extended?

Microsoft divides support for Business and Developer products (including the Windows XP operating system) into two distinct timeframes: Mainstream Support and Extended Support. In a nutshell, Mainstream Support provides both consumers and enterprise customers with a full offering of support including complimentary support, design change requests, security updates and other kinds of updates for the product.

Extended Support does alter the range of support a bit, but for the vast majority of customers the essential core remains the same. For example, customers will continue to receive free security updates and can call in for paid support until the second Tuesday in April of 2014. Enterprise customers with Premier Support who may need non-security hotfixes should consider enrolling in an optional support program named Extended Hotfix Support (EHS). EHS is required by very few customers as the product has matured to the point where design changes are relatively infrequent. For more information on obtaining Extended Hotfix Support, enterprise customers should contact their Microsoft account representative.

Customers who purchased Windows XP pre-installed on their machines will continue to receive support from the manufacturer of their PC (often called the Original Equipment Manufacturer or OEM). Each OEM determines how long they will support products pre-installed on their machines. Therefore, the April 14th transition from Mainstream to Extended Support is most relevant for customers who purchased Windows XP through retailers or volume licensing, a relatively small piece of the XP installed base.

Recommendations for users of Windows XP

To receive support and security updates, you must be running on a supported product and on a supported service pack version. For Windows XP this is currently SP2 or SP3.
Visit Windows Update regularly and confirm you have installed all available security updates. These are critical to keep your machine free from malware.
Rest easy knowing that Microsoft will continue to support Windows XP for another five years!

Thanks for your continued questions and comments. More information on Microsoft’s support policies can also be found on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website. At Microsoft, we value our customer’s experiences using our products and providing industry-leading support is just one aspect of that commitment.

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Is Microsoft really going to keep pricing for Custom Support flat in 2009?

jproudfo — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 03:39:00 GMT

We've received many questions regarding our recent announcement to keep Custom Support prices flat for the 2009 contract year. In resposne to this we've compiled the following list of Frequently Asked Questions:

Is Microsoft really going to keep pricing for Custom Support flat in 2009?
The answer is YES…. Microsoft is aware that customers are making hard financial choices in today’s economy. Every day there is news of Fortune 100 company layoffs, downsizing and reorganization. Microsoft has announced flat year-over-year (YOY) pricing for Custom Support for select products and service packs in Custom Support for 2009.

What IS Custom Support anyway, I never heard of it!
The Custom Support program provides customers with the opportunity to receive support on legacy versions of some Microsoft products and service packs that have reached the end of support.

Why is Microsoft doing this?
To respond to the current market downturn and customer needs, Microsoft is not going to increase the price for the 2009 contract year, but will maintain the 2008 pricing.

How does this decision help customers?
This price freeze not only provides cost savings to Microsoft customers but enables them to maintain support on older versions of Microsoft products until they have had the opportunity to complete their migration to supported versions.

Is Custom Support available for ALL legacy Microsoft products?
No, Custom Support is currently only available for a select number of products. For details on which products are covered, please contact your Microsoft Technical Account Manager or other Microsoft Account Representative.

Can any customer purchase Custom Support?
Only customers enrolled in Premier Support can purchase Custom Support. To learn more about Premier Support, point your browser here:
http://www.microsoft.com/services/Microsoftservices/srv_premier.mspx

I still have questions and need more information. Who do I contact?
If you still have questions, please contact your Microsoft Technical Account Manager or other Microsoft Account Representative. They will be able to provide you with additional details on the Custom Support program and the impact of this annoucement.

I hope this information helps to clarify the situation. If you have other questions, please feel free to leave a comment to this posting! We will do our best to answer them.

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Everything you always wanted to know about Extended Hotfix Support for Daylight Saving Time enrollment but were afraid to ask!

TechNetArchive — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:29:00 GMT

The Microsoft Support Lifecycle team gets lots of questions about Extended Hotfix Support for Daylight Saving Time (EHS for DST). Although this offering was initiated in 2007, there still seems to be some confusion around its purpose and how to obtain it.

In an earlier post we talked about Extended Hotfix Support and its purpose: a program that provides customers with the ability to request non-security hotfixes for products in the Extended Support phase of the lifecycle. EHS for DST is slightly different, but related.

What is the history behind Extended Hotfix Support for Daylight Saving Time? Daylight Saving time (DST), and "Summer Time" in much of Europe, is the practice of moving local time forward one hour in the spring and backwards in the autumn. These spring and fall shifts to DST are different between northern and southern hemispheres. The start of DST in the northern hemisphere is in March or April (depending on the country/continent), and ending in October or November. In the southern hemisphere, the changes are the opposite, with DST beginning in October and ending in March or April. Generally, DST is not observed in Asia and Africa, and parts of Central and South America. Unless certain updates are applied to your computer, the time zone settings for your computer's system clock may be incorrect during this four-week period. In particular, you must make sure that both your Windows operating system and your calendar programs are updated.

Daylight Saving Time hotfixes can be applied to your computer to correct the time zone settings that get “out of synch” because of the DST time changes; and are available for products in the Mainstream phase of the lifecycle free of charge. To obtain DST hotfixes for products in the Extended Support phase, customers must purchase Extended Hotfix Support for Daylight Saving Time. EHS for DST entitles them to receive daylight saving time hotfixes for all affected products in the Extended Support phase. The cost is $4,000 USD and the program is open to all Microsoft customers. A list of affected products is available here.

COMMON QUESTIONS:

When will my Extended Hotfix Support for DST contract expire?

All EHS DST support contracts expire on the 31st of December of the calendar year, so any contract signed during 2008 will expire on December 31, 2008.

After I enroll, how do I get the hotfixes?

Once you enroll you will receive access to the Microsoft Connect web site where you can download the appropriate updates.

My company purchased a Extended Hotfix Support for DST contract in October 2007. I thought the contract was good for 12 months. Do I have to purchase another contract to receive 2008 DST updates?

Your contract ended on December 31, 2007. EHS for DST contracts signed on or after January 1, 2008 will end on the 31st of December of the calendar year in which the contract commences; so you must purchase another contract for 2008.

Additional information can be found here:

Let us know if the explanation above helped you better understand Daylight Saving Time Extended Hotfix Support!

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

MS08-067 and Unsupported Products

jproudfo — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 03:55:00 GMT

Before we spend some time talking about the Extended Hotfix Support program for DST, I thought it would be a good idea to address a number of questions we have recently received regarding the release of MS08-067. Most of the questions that we have received have been regarding older, unsupported products and services packs. We’ve received questions regarding Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51, Windows NT 4.0, Windows XP SP1 and Windows 2000 SP3, just to name a few.

Under the Support Lifecycle policy, once a product reaches the end of support we no longer provide any support for that product. What does that mean? Basically, this means we stop providing any new information or assisted support for the product. After the end of support, we leave the knowledgebase information online for a minimum of 12 months. We do not provide security updates, any assisted support (telephone support), nor assistance through Premier or Professional support, etc…

From a security point of view, running an unsupported version should be considered a significant security risk in itself. Since Microsoft does not produce security updates or provide any type of assisted support for unsupported versions, customers are taking a significant risk by running these versions within their environment. If you encounter any types of issues with an unsupported product, there are no Microsoft resources available to help.

Remember, to continue to receive support and security updates, you must be running on a supported product and on a supported service pack version. More information on this can also be found on our website at http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/.

Thanks for your continued questions and comments. We’ll get back to the DST discussion within the next week or so.

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Upcoming Support Transitions for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003

jproudfo — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:18:00 GMT

The past couple of months have been very busy for the Support Lifecycle team… Unfortunately, due to other commitments, I haven’t had an opportunity to post to the blog in quite some time. It’s been great to receive the friendly prodding for a new post from folks who had previously been regular readers of the blog. I’ll do my best to get back to a regular posting rhythm over the next couple of weeks. I’ve also invited other members of the Support Lifecycle team to join-in and occasionally post. This should help ensure that we keep a regular posting cadence. Thanks to everyone for their continued interest and all of the reminders!

In today’s post, I want to highlight important upcoming support transitions for Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows Server 2003.

All editions of Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Professional will reach the end of the Extended Support phase on July 13, 2010. After this date, Windows 2000 will no longer be publicly supported. This means that Microsoft will no longer provide any assisted support and will no longer provide security updates for this product. Self-Help Online Support (including the knowledge base and other articles on http://support.microsoft.com) will continue to be available for a minimum of 12 months after this date.

This means that customers only have another 1.5 years to complete their migrations away from Windows 2000. If you haven’t already started to plan your migrations, I’d recommend considering this fairly soon. You don’t want to get caught in a situation where you’re still running Windows 2000 for a critical application and not be eligible for any type of support.

Additionally, all editions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2 will transition from the Mainstream Support phase to the Extended Support phase on July 13, 2010. These products will continue to be publicly supported in the Extended Support phase through July 14, 2015. Please keep in mind that customers without Software Assurance, who wish to enroll for Extended Hotfix Support, must do so within 90 days of the end of Mainstream Support.

This is probably also a good time to remind everyone that Windows XP is also transitioning to the Extended Support phase on April 14, 2009.

Each of these support transitions are follow the Support Lifecycle policy and have previously been announced. In most cases, I hope this information doesn't come as a surprise.

Next time, I’ll explain a little more about our Extended Hotfix Support program for DST. If you have any other topic suggestions, or any general policy questions that you’d like addressed on the blog, please let us know!

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Windows XP SP3 released! What does that mean for the Support Lifecycle of XP?

jproudfo — Tue, 13 May 2008 01:46:00 GMT

Many of you probably saw last week’s announcement regarding the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3. This release has prompted a number of questions from customers regarding the impact it has to the Support Lifecycle for Windows XP. So, let me try to explain…

You may recall from previous postings that support for Business & Developer products is provided for a minimum of 10 years (5 years in the Mainstream Support phase phase and 5 years in the Extended Support phase). These dates may be extended, if a follow-on product release is delayed. This rule only applies for new product versions and not to new service packs. The release of a new service pack does not impact the Support Lifecycle of the product.

However, a new service pack release does impact the end of support for the previous service pack. In the service pack policy posting, we discussed how support for a previous service pack will either be 12 or 24 months from the release of a new service pack version.

So, with the release of XP SP3, we begin the end of support clock for XP SP2. Since the Windows product family provides 24 months of support for the previous service pack, this would mean that XP SP2 will end 24 months following the release of SP3. Windows XP Service Pack 2 will end on July 13, 2010. These support dates can be found on the Support Lifecycle website.

*This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

Microsoft Support Lifecycle blog

vChat is Live!

Microsoft Announces a New Support Lifecycle Policy for SQL Server Parallel Data Warehouse Hardware Appliances

Microsoft Announces a New Support Lifecycle Policy for Online Services

Microsoft Announces a New Support Lifecycle Policy for Online Services

Announcing: Support Lifecycle Quarterly Lifeline!

Microsoft Mediaroom Adopts a New Support Lifecycle Policy

Information on the Microsoft .NET Framework Out-of-Band Security Release of September, 28, 2010

What does a "Minor Release" mean to my product's Support Lifecycle?

Does the Windows end of sales policy impact the Support Lifecycle?

Supportability of .NET Framework 1.1 on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

Top 10 questions about the “end of support”…

.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and later now supported as part of Microsoft Windows

End of Support for Windows Vista RTM and recent Service Pack Support policy updates

End of support for Windows 2000 and Extended Support phase transition for Windows Server 2003

End of Support for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista (with no service packs installed)

Windows Server 2008 ships with SP1? Whatever happened to Windows Server 2008 RTM?! All this and more explained!

Reminder: Support for the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine

The Support Lifecycle for Internet Explorer

Announcing Longer Support Timelines for Key Microsoft Dynamics Service Packs

Support Transitions for Office 2000 and Office 2003 SP2

Extended Support Begins for Windows XP and Continues Until 2014

Is Microsoft really going to keep pricing for Custom Support flat in 2009?

Everything you always wanted to know about Extended Hotfix Support for Daylight Saving Time enrollment but were afraid to ask!

MS08-067 and Unsupported Products

Upcoming Support Transitions for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003

Windows XP SP3 released! What does that mean for the Support Lifecycle of XP?