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What’s happening to Windows XP on June 30th?

I want to take another break from the discussion of the overall Support Lifecycle policies to address some common confusion that we’ve been hearing regarding the support dates for Windows XP.  Recently, there have been a number of posts in the blogosphere about Windows XP and the upcoming end of Direct OEM and Retail License availability.  Some people are interpreting this as the end of support for Windows XP.

Please let me try and clear this up…  Support for Windows XP will continue, in accordance with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy.  This means that the Mainstream Support phase will end on April 14, 2009 and the Extended Support phase will end on April 8, 2014.  That’s at least another 6 years of support remaining for Windows XP!

Remember, that Windows XP was launched in 2001 and Microsoft committed to providing a minimum of 10 years of support (5 years of Mainstream Support and 5 years of Extended Support) at the time it was released.  In accordance with the policy, when we announced the updated release date of Windows Vista, Microsoft also provided additional 2 years Mainstream Support for Windows XP.  Last year, we also announced the addition of an Extended Support phase to the consumer editions of Windows XP.  Supporting products for this length of time is not something that is typical in the software industry.  This is a significant advantage for Microsoft customers, because it allows for future business planning and allows our customers to maximize their investment in Microsoft technologies by understanding how to achieve the most productive use of the product.

So, what is really changing on June 30th?  To understand this, I would recommend reading the Windows Lifecycle Policy page and the official Support Lifecycle pages for Windows XP.  Essentially, this means that OEMs and Retailers will not be able to obtain new copies of Windows XP.  That’s it.  System Builders will continue to be able to obtain XP through January 31st, 2009. 

There is still plenty of support left for Windows XP.  If you read any stories that say otherwise, don't believe them.  :) 

Have you seen any posts that don't tell the full story about Windows XP support?  What has been your experience with understanding the Windows XP Support Lifecycle policy?  What are your thoughts on the length of support for Windows XP?  Please leave us some comments and tell us about it!

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

Published Friday, April 25, 2008 3:56 PM by Jared Proudfoot
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# microsoft » Blog Archive » What???s happening to Windows XP on June 30th?

Friday, April 25, 2008 10:35 PM by microsoft » Blog Archive » What???s happening to Windows XP on June 30th?

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# re: What’s happening to Windows XP on June 30th?

Saturday, April 26, 2008 12:15 PM by lukasbeeler

One of the question that i've never seen answered in clear, detailled letters is the following.

For small businesses, which do not have the necessary resources to buy an extended hotfix agreement, should they switch to a version still in mainstream support before the end of mainstream support?

The whole US-timezone thingie (which didn't impact us europeans as much) showed that running an OS without mainstream support and without an extended hotfix agreement can be pretty bad. But IMHO there is not enough "official" urge from Microsoft for SMBs to move toward a Windows version still in mainsteam support.

Could you clarify?

# Microsoft: June 30 not end of Windows XP support

Friday, May 02, 2008 5:22 PM by Bink.nu

Concerned that customers are confusing the impending end of Windows XP retail availability with the end

# Поддержка Windows XP будет продолжена

Wednesday, May 07, 2008 2:40 AM by ITC_Yakutia

«Основная» поддержка операционной системы Windows XP продлится до 14 апреля 2009 года, - сообщил Джэред...

# What does Windows XP SP3 Release mean for the Support Lifecycle of XP?

Monday, May 12, 2008 10:02 PM by beqiraj.net

What does Windows XP SP3 Release mean for the Support Lifecycle of XP?

# re: What’s happening to Windows XP on June 30th?

Thursday, May 22, 2008 1:07 AM by Jared Proudfoot

@lukasbeeler:

Whether a company chooses to stay on products within the Mainstream Support phase is really a decision that should be made based on their individual needs.  Customers need to assess their IT environment and understand the business impact and potential risks of running products that have transitioned into the Extended Support phase.  This decision process shouldn’t be much different whether it is a small business or an enterprise customer…

Companies first need to understand what type of support they traditionally use and whether they have history of requiring non-security hotfixes.  Companies who typically leverage Microsoft’s Software Assurance support benefits would probably want to stay on products within the Mainstream Support phase.  Similarly, companies may want to stay on products in the Mainstream Support phase if they have a history of requesting numerous non-security hotfixes.  If, on the other hand, the company primarily uses other paid support or doesn’t have a history of requiring new non-security hotfixes, continuing to use products in the Extended Support phase may be great option.

The results of this assessment are going to vary between customers.  For a significant portion of SMBs, it may make sense for them to stay in products within the Mainstream Support phase.  After all, this is where the most support options are available.  It’s difficult to make a broad recommendation, however, since there is such a variation in the IT and business needs of our customers.

The conversation is a little different for Daylight Saving Time (DST), though.  If you don’t mind, I want to save the DST part of this discussion for a future blog posting.  It’s a great question and may require some additional space to explain.  I’ll try to get this posted within the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for the question...  I hope this helps!

# Windows Vista: Did you know?

Tuesday, June 03, 2008 7:59 AM by The blog of Rob Margel

Windows Vista now supports 77,000 printers, cameras, speakers and other devices. Over 2,700 software

# More info on Windows XP support, downgrades from Windows Vista

Friday, June 06, 2008 12:32 AM by Satisfy Me

I've had a number of discussions over the past week over customer support and downgrade rights to Windows

# re: What’s happening to Windows XP on June 30th?

Thursday, June 26, 2008 11:21 AM by john.dallman

What's happening to Windows XP x64 edition support? The obvious deduction is that since it's sold as another "edition" of XP, and is replaced by the same product (Vista) it should have the same dates for start and end of Extended Support as ordinary XP.

However, since it's technically a different build of Server 2003, it might share those dates instead, or some other scheme. We have been selling 64-bit Windows software for workstations for some years, and would appreciate knowing.

# re: What’s happening to Windows XP on June 30th?

Monday, July 07, 2008 4:20 PM by s1000tech

Thanks for Clarification. I have been searching for the fact since the announcement of decommissioning win XP.

Sriram

www.support1000.com

# Upcoming Support Transitions for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003

Monday, October 06, 2008 7:26 PM by MICROSOFT SUPPORT LIFECYCLE BLOG

The past couple of months have been very busy for the Support Lifecycle team… Unfortunately, due to other

# When does activation/WPA/WGA sunset?

Tuesday, February 03, 2009 7:49 AM by quux

Somewhere on the MS website there *used* to be a statement something like:

'When the extended support phase of XP runs out, we will likely issue a patch that disables WPA/WGA'

I can no longer find that page. Where is Microsoft's official policy regarding WPA/WGA once a product goes into self-support phase?

Please note, I am hoping to see an *offical policy* published; not just a blog entry. Not that I'm one of the haters or anything; just that a definitive answer needs to be available to us customers.

Thanks!

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