Redmond, Washington — Consumers and businesses still using Windows 2000 (desktop and server) and Windows XP SP2 will see the end of Microsoft’s official tech support on July 13, 2010. Microsoft will withdraw support which means that Windows XP users can extend support at no cost by upgrading to SP3, but Windows 2000 users have no such option. So now is the right time to ditch the old-school OS for a spiffier Windows 7.
According to Microsoft, the company offers support for its products for five years and extended support for another five years. This means that both Windows 2000 (desktop and server) and Windows XP SP2 will no more receive any security updates, support assistance, or help from paid support.
Microsoft initially issued notice of the expiration back in April 2008 when it released Service Pack 3 for Windows XP. “This announcement is in line with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy for Windows service packs,” the company said. “This policy states that when a new service pack is released, Microsoft will provide 24 months of support for the previous service pack for products that belong to the Windows product family.”
But all is not lost: According to Microsoft, users of both operating systems would still be able to access self-help online support (such as Microsoft online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources) for at least another year.
Although paid support, support assistance, and security updates will be discontinued on July 13. However, the company plans to terminate (aka “retire”) Windows XP on April 8, 2014. Currently memorial services for the popular, die-hard OS have not been confirmed.
For those still using Windows 2000, will need to migrate to a more recent version of Windows — or live with the lack of support from Microsoft. The Redmond software maker has advised Windows 2000 users to shift to the latest Windows 7 or Windows Server 2003 / 2008 / 2008 R2.
Note that if you are running a Windows Vista with no service packs installed, Microsoft support ended on April 13, but you can upgrade for free to SP2 for continued support.
A stitch in time saves nine, it is always better to upgrade to the latest windows version for better support and security.