Windows XP Licensed sales to end on June 30, 2008
What will happen to sales of Windows XP, on June 30, 2008?
On June 30, 2008, all retail outlets, computer manufacturers and custom OEM computer builders will be unable to obtain any more boxed or shrink-wrapped OEM copies of Windows XP CDs. However, they may sell their remaining stock, as long as the disks already have valid product keys on a fresh hologram sticker. All other OEM XP disks will be unlicensable after the cutoff date, because Microsoft will not issue any more product keys. Those disks can only be used to reinstall already licensed XP operating systems.
If you are thinking about building or buying a new computer with Windows XP, you should do it soon. Microsoft will end OEM and shrink-wrapped sales of Windows XP on June 30, 2008, forcing users to shift to Vista. This will not only affect individuals and small local computer shops, but big companies like Dell, who currently offer business computers with XP Professional, instead of Vista Business. Come June 30 they will no longer have this option.
If you want to avoid being forced to move up to Vista, order your XP Pro licensed computers now. Set up terms if you have to, but don't wait for the licenses to expire and hope to find a copy after June 30, 2008.
Also until the end of business on June 30, 2008 (at 23:59 PST), individuals can buy XP licenses online, directly from Microsoft. Those sales pertain to people who already have a valid XP installation CD and need extra licenses for it, to load the software onto a second or third home or office PC. Once purchased from Microsoft, these additional computers can have XP loaded onto them and be legally validated.
Note, that some Microsoft Licensed System Builders may still be able to obtain Windows XP Professional licenses, for orders of 25 or more PCs, but only if those PCs come with a Windows Vista Business, or Vista Ultimate license as well. Essentially, the customer will be allowed to "downgrade" by using the Vista license for the XP installation. As for enterprise volume licenses, those will also include "downgrade rights," so while Microsoft will stop selling XP licenses, a Vista Business or Ultimate volume license can still be used to activate XP installs, provided you supply your own XP installation CDs.
Hardware and driver considerations
As more manufacturers join the Vista only bandwagon, support and drivers for XP will dry up, just like has already happened for Windows 98 devices. In fact, Vista motherboards are now shipping that do not support most of the plug-in cards that worked perfectly under Windows XP. New audio and video cards, or chipsets, that ship with Vista computers may not even have XP drivers available from the manufacturers. However, as of March 2008, Tiger Direct still has a good inventory of XP compatible motherboards, plug-in cards and peripherals, as well as plenty of XP Home, Media Center and Professional OEM CDs, with legitimate hologram product keys. Use the search box below to find computer cases, power supplies, components, motherboards, CPUs, RAM and most available Windows Operating Systems, at Tiger Direct.
If you are using XP Professional, in a business environment and are willing to allow Vista computers into your network, purchase Vista Business Edition, not a consumer version (or you're asking for trouble). However, if you need DVD multi-media support, you will have to add that on with a third party (commercial or freeware) application, as DVD multi-media support doesn't come with Vista Business or Enterprise (M-M does come with Vista Ultimate).
XP Service Pack Facts
The last version of Windows XP to go to manufacturing was Service Pack 2. Interestingly, XP Service Pack 3 is about to be released. This will undoubtedly be the final service pack for Windows XP. According to Microsoft, "Windows® XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly change customers' experience with the operating system."
In a related issue, to resolve the shortage of new OEM XP licenses, authorized OEM builders who create computers from XP disk images must obtain a special upgrade to level SP-2c, then integrate it, and create a new image from it. Failure to do so will make it impossible for their customers to activate Windows! This is because only this special sub-version - SP-2c - will allow the use of the newly created validation codes.
System builders who use imaging must create new Windows XP Professional images with Service Pack 2c when shipping Service Pack 2c product keys; otherwise end users will not be able to complete installation.
When will Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP computers?
For technical support and Windows Updates, Microsoft will end mainstream support for XP on April 14, 2009, for most editions, and it will end extended support on April 8, 2014 for most editions. This will leave most consumers without critical patches and updates, after that date, because extended support is not available for consumer licenses.
Both mainstream and extended support systems include free security updates (Windows Updates). Hot fixes or other issues are free only during the mainstream support period; non-consumer users wanting hot fixes must buy a hot-fix update plan from Microsoft before July 14, 2009.
XP Home Edition is a consumer product, therefore, it will cease being actively supported on April 14, 2009. After that time there will be no further improvements, patches or updates released via Windows Update Service. The version last released to manufacturing was XP with SP-2. The CD's now available for purchase also contain SP-2, which is several years old and don't have most of the available updates. Even if you purchase an XP CD on the last day, and install it later, it will still not have most of the already released updates. You would have to go online and download them while you can.
There is a good explanation of how Microsoft defines mainstream and extended support on their Lifecycle FAQ's page. This is of huge importance to owners of consumer lines of Windows OS's. Here, in a nutshell, here is the definition of what is included in mainstream support.
Mainstream support means that Microsoft supplies the following:
Paid support (per-incident, per hour, and others)
Security update support
Non-security hotfix support
No-charge incident support
Warranty claims
Design changes and feature requests
Product-specific information that is available by using the online Microsoft Knowledge Base
Product-specific information that is available by using the Support site at Microsoft Help and Support to find answers to technical questions
XP Home users cannot get "extended" support, because Microsoft clearly states this, on their LifeCycle FAQ's page:
* Extended Support is not offered for Consumer, Hardware, or Multimedia products.
Once XP Professional and Media Edition reach extended support all Microsoft will provide is:
Paid support (per-incident, per hour, and others); Security update support; Product-specific information that is available by using the online Microsoft Knowledge Base, or by using the Support site at Microsoft Help and Support to find answers to technical questions.
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