Microsoft is reminding customers that the end date for support for
Windows XP Service Pack 2, as well as some other versions of the
Windows operating system, is already on the horizon.
The company will officially end support Windows XP SP2, Windows
2000 Server and Windows 2000 Client on July 13, 2010, according to
an official company blog post.
The software maker is encouraging users of those operating systems
to upgrade systems to Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, or Windows
Server 2008 by the cutoff date. It's also reminding customers that
upgrades directly from Windows 2000 to Windows 7 are not officially
supported.
Users in the latter category will first have to upgrade to Windows
XP, and then migrate over to Windows 7.
Microsoft has released a number of tools designed to ease the pain
of upgrading systems to a new OS. "We have created an
End-of-Support Solution Center to help with the planning of your
migration strategy," said Microsoft's Stephen Rose, in a recent
blog post.
The online resources include a Windows XP-to-Windows 7 migration
guide, the Windows 7 Automated Installation Kit, and the User State
Migration Tool.
While seven months might seem like plenty of time for businesses to
prepare for the end of Windows XP support, the fact is that all but
a handful of enterprises are still using the software as their main
OS for end users.
Few upgraded to Windows Vista due to concerns about application
compatibility and performance issues, and Windows 7, on the market
for less than two months, remains too new to instill IT managers
with much of a comfort level.
Surveys show that most corporations weren't planning to move to
Windows 7 until at least a full year after its release—but
with Microsoft's deadline looming, many may now be forced to
reconsider their plans.
Microsoft is likely to continue providing major security updates
for Windows XP and Windows 2000 after ending support, but won't
offer performance patches, service packs or other non-critical
upgrades.