Windows XP, R.I.P. -- except on low-cost PCs

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Windows XP, R.I.P. -- except on low-cost PCs

Microsoft says it will provide Windows XP Home for low-cost computers for at least two more years, but it's sticking to its June 30 cutoff date for sales of the older operating system for mainstream PCs -- rebuffing calls to keep offering Windows XP as a Windows Vista alternative.

That means XP soon won't be available on store shelves or pre-installed on PCs, unless they're part of a category that Microsoft is defining as "ultra low-cost" machines, such as the Asus Eee PC and Intel Classmate PC. Those PCs generally lack the hardware needed to run Windows Vista adequately.

The company is making the announcement today, the same day Intel is unveiling its latest Classmate PCs. Microsoft is focusing primarily on its decision to extend Windows XP's life for those low-cost machines, but the other part of the announcement is likely to get lots of attention, particularly among people who have been lobbying for the company to continue selling Windows XP. See, for example, InfoWorld's "Save Windows XP" petition. Those efforts reflect the general wariness over Windows Vista and its shaky reputation.

Microsoft previously extended Windows XP's life by five months, to the current June 30 cutoff. More details about today's announcement ...

The official word from Microsoft is that it will sell Windows XP Home for ultra low-cost PCs through June 30, 2010, or one year after general availability of the next Windows version, whichever is later. Is that a sign that Windows 7, the code name for Windows Vista's successor, might launch sometime in 2009, rather than the 2010 time frame the company previously gave? If it is, the company isn't admitting it.

"The answer is no," said Michael Dix, a Windows general manager, in an interview today. "We're sticking to our proclamation that we're shooting for three years after general availability of Windows Vista for the next version." (Windows Vista debuted in stores Jan. 30, 2007.)

The upcoming June 30 date isn't as hard-and-fast as it might seem. That's when Microsoft will stop selling Windows XP Home and Professional to PC makers and retailers for mainstream machines, but those companies may continue to distribute and resell copies that they've purchased from Microsoft before that point, Dix said. PC buyers, for example, may continue to see XP as an option for some period of time beyond that date.

Windows XP's end-of-mainstream-sales date doesn't apply to system builders, people and companies that create individual PCs from scratch. That cutoff is Jan. 31, 2009.

Would it really kill Microsoft to just keep selling Windows XP as an option? "What we're hearing from (computer makers) is that they're comfortable with this change, and that it serves the needs of their customers," Dix said in response to that question. "The partners want to make sure that they're simplifying their support, and by transitioning over to Vista with the industry, and making sure that everybody has their focus on that -- on building the best experiences for Vista -- it's really going to serve customers well."

How will Microsoft decide which machines qualify as "ultra low cost" computers that can continue getting Windows XP? "We've established, in partnership with (computer makers), some guidelines that are part of our agreements with them, that we're not publicly disclosing," Dix said. "That's really just defining, through hardware specifications, the category."

Update, 4:21 p.m. In the comments, one reader is asking about what this means for Windows XP support from Microsoft. Here's what a company representative sent along when I asked: "Customers will receive mainstream support for Windows XP until April 2009, and will be able to receive extended support from Microsoft under our extended support policy until April 2014." This site explains more about what that means. The company says the Windows XP support timeline didn't change with today's announcement.

Posted by at April 3, 2008 11:00 a.m.
Categories: Windows, Windows Vista at 1 Year

Comments

#114349

Posted by unregistered user at 4/3/08 11:38 a.m.

Brilliant - I try to be compliant when rolling out new PCs but if I can't get the downgrade/upgrade disc for new PCs to upgrade them from Vista to XP I'll be forced to use illegal copies of XP just to get a decent OS or I'll spend more time evaluating ubuntu and other OS alternatives. Balmmer really must want to bring MS stocks down.

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#114353

Posted by J.P. Patches Pal at 4/3/08 11:59 a.m.

I built a PC over the weekend. What OS did I install on it?

XP Pro.

If my Microsoft Programmer-Friends don't have faith in Vista then why should I?

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#114354

Posted by bike4me at 4/3/08 12:01 p.m.

Unregistered, if you want to use an unlicensed copy of Windows XP, prepare for "Genuine Advantage" nagulator to pop up forever. What you can do is buy a copy of OEM Windows ($120), and run Windows in Parallels ($50) on Linux (free). This way you can always have compatibility in the future.

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#114355

Posted by D.A. Cox at 4/3/08 12:02 p.m.

Sounds like yet another opportunity for Linux to gain more market share...

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#114357

Posted by J.P. Patches Pal at 4/3/08 12:07 p.m.

What you can do is buy a copy of OEM Windows ($120), and run Windows in Parallels ($50) on Linux (free). This way you can always have compatibility in the future.
----------------------
You can't swing a dead hard drive in this area without hitting a Microsoft Employee. Give them 30 bucks and they will pick up WinXP for you.

If you live outside this area, oh well.

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#114358

Posted by BeenHereAWhile at 4/3/08 12:08 p.m.

What does this mean regarding XP updates? If a virus is found after the cutoff date, will Microsoft still ship a patch? I have all the copies of XP I will ever need, I can just transfer those installations to any future machines I might buy. It's the date that Microsoft plans to stop shipping software updates I would think most users would worry about.

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#114370

Posted by unregistered user at 4/3/08 12:46 p.m.

BeenHereAWhile: XP will still be supported for awhile with bug fixes (especially security related) after it stops being sold to the masses. That has been MSFT's practice in the past. When they do stop supporting it with bug fixes, I'm sure they'll make sure people know well in advance.

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#114396

Posted by FightTyranny at 4/3/08 1:48 p.m.

I just read a story on CodeProject that showed Vista adoption in the Enterprise business space running at about 6% and XP adoption running at almost 90%. The study authors stated that much of the 6% was due to upgrades from Windows 2000. What should that tell Microsoft (and the rest of us)?

I'm running Vista Ultimate on two high-end, expensive Dell laptops. Works great if you've got a powerful machine with lots of RAM and disk space and if you stay on top of disk cleanup and defrag. Otherwise Vista will just eat your free disk space with backup after backup.

What really raises my ire, though, is the spyware that Microsoft forces on us through their EULA. Did you know that Vista not only requires activation upon installation but reactivation (or reauthorization or whatever you want to call it) every now and then? Try building out a machine with Vista, activate it, and then leave it disconnected from the internet. After a period of time (haven't nailed down exactly how long that is but it seems to be around 60 days) Vista will refuse to boot up, giving instead a message telling the user that they are using an illegal copy. I'm not a fan of online activation but this is going a big step too far! I'll probably switch back to Linux soon...

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#114406

Posted by unregistered user at 4/3/08 2:28 p.m.

"We've established, in partnership with (computer makers), some guidelines that are part of our agreements with them, that we're not publicly disclosing," Dix said. "That's really just defining, through hardware specifications, the category."

Yeah, it was easy. They just took all machines formerly classified as Vista "Capable". :-)

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#114451

Posted by BeenHereAWhile at 4/3/08 4:08 p.m.

#114370, thanks for the info. I hope you're right that Microsoft will continue to provide WinXP patches and updates for a reasonably long time. At least until they can get the kinks worked out of Vista. :-)

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#114458

Posted by unregistered user at 4/3/08 4:22 p.m.

I've owned Microsoft stock since the late 90s. It's been a good ride... Why the powers that be ignore their customer base is beyond me. I used Apple in college for a short duration in the early 90s, but switched to pc later. All four of my pc's' are XP. I'm not impressed with Vista. I've been thinking of adding a Mac Pro to my arsenal for some time, guess the time is now.

Sounder_chick

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#114498

Posted by unregistered user at 4/3/08 7:11 p.m.

Of course, M$ has lots of money to pay programmers to patch the unpatchable beast (VISTA). XP is a much better OS, they could make it even better and concentrate on the next better version. But why would they care what users think?

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#115490

Posted by unregistered user at 4/8/08 3:44 a.m.

After there are no drivers available for XP anymore i will definitely switch to linux. For now, i think i stick with XP. But Vista i definitely don't wanna have.
Sorry Microsoft but you have screwed this up.

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#132308

Posted by unregistered user at 5/25/08 10:09 p.m.

i heard that vista has problems with some kind of copyright thing that wont let you copy your music. i always buy my music legally cause i want to be fair and pay the musicians. but i don't want microsoft sticking their nose in my computer to tell me to do the right thing that i am already doing! movies too! and why should i have to go out and buy vista to play the latest games with directx 10 when alot of games don't use dx10 anyway... MY XP AIN'T BROKE WHY FORCE ME TO FIX IT? i'd like to complain more but the whole internet couldn't hold all my complaints about Veeeeessssstaaaaaaaa!

thank you

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