The Business of Broadband

Still running Windows XP SP2 and thinking of a million reasons to purchase a new computer? Here’s your chance!

Microsoft’s Support Lifecycle is slowly starting to turn its wheels again and is ending support for some of its most cling-worthy products.

Your customers need not fret because Microsoft has suggested alternatives; however, you will need to ensure that your customers are prepared and not scrambling for last minute updates, patches, hot fixes, cold fixes, warm fixes, fuzzy fixes, or any of the computing giant’s eclectic names for ‘security issue resolutions’.

No Views Over the Vista?

It seems like yesterday that everyone was simultaneously rejoicing and cringing at Microsoft’s newest marvel, Windows Vista, but perhaps the ‘newness’ of Vista has worn off more rapidly than anticipated.

Microsoft is set to end support for Vista RTM with no service packs on April 13, so it’s not a permanent farewell to the Aero feature, which I thought was pretty cool although a little Apple-esque. Since running Vista efficiently requires robust system components, your customers should be able to easily upgrade to Windows 7, but if that’s not in the budget, downloading Windows Vista Service Pack 2 from Windows Update is available for the whopping price of free. Windows Update in Vista is more simplified and should prove to be a less time consuming task on which to educate your customers.

Get Your XP Fix

Breathing in a sigh of relief, Windows XP users can continue their computing experience with the tried and true operating system and receive support from Microsoft with of course one caveat: They must be running Service Pack 3.

Beginning on July 13, Microsoft will cease providing support for all versions of Windows XP prior to SP3*. The most immediate ‘fix’ for current users is to simply run Windows Update to get the latest service pack although most or your customers will probably already have SP3. Providing instruction to them on how to access the Windows Update site is relatively easy, but there will always be a few that will somehow end up on the Weather Bug site or installing some type of sparkly widget in a last ditch effort to ‘iven up their desktop before making ‘irreversible’ changes.

Windows XP will users also have the capacity to upgrade to Windows 7, system components permitting.

Windows 2000, How Nostalgic

There will always be die-hard, complacent users chanting the mantra ‘if it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it’ that are continuing to use Windows 2000 [insert crickets chirping]. Yes, there are a lingering, minuscule few who indulge in Windows 2000 and all its after millennium glory, but unfortunately, extended-phase support will be no longer available for this product and all of its 75 service packs (it really only has 4) as of July 13.

Just as some of the most beloved Disney Classics, Microsoft is placing Windows 2000 in the vault. You can recommend that your customers complete a clean install of Windows XP SP3 and then make a further upgrade to Windows 7 keeping in mind what system components are available on their computers. It would probably be beneficial for them to just get a new computer altogether and broaden their technology horizons.

Change is Inevitable

Providing your customers with the needed information and suggestions on getting their PC tune-ups will allow them to make the transition to the operating system of their choice. They need to be informed on as many available options as possible and directed to sources, preferably free, that can assist in making the updates and/or changeovers. For further information on product support and dates please see http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifesupsps.

Resources

• Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy
• End of Support: Windows XP2 and Windows Vista RTM
• Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

*There is no Service Pack 3 for the 64-bit version of Windows XP. If you are running the 64-bit version of Windows XP with Service Pack 2, you are on the latest service pack and will continue to be eligible for support and receive updates until April 8, 2014.