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Thread ID: 78377 2007-04-13 01:31:00 Get Your XP While It Exists! SurferJoe46 (51) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
540689 2007-04-13 01:31:00 Microsoft is sticking to its timetable for withdrawing Windows XP, despite mounting proof most users are postponing their Windows Vista upgrade. (www.theregister.co.uk)

The company confirmed OEMs and retailers won't be able to purchase any more Windows XP licenses from the end of January 2008, based on guidelines issued last year.
SurferJoe46 (51)
540690 2007-04-13 09:02:00 Hello, OS black market. There will be people who refuse to use Vista and will seek XP from other sources when it's not sold any more in shops.

Would it be illegal to sell copies of it (legit ones that is) if you had them in stock, or just that you couldn't get them from MS any more?
george12 (7)
540691 2007-04-14 01:52:00 If the withdrawal of an MS OS is as timely as the average arrival, you will be buying new copies without difficulty for quite a while yet.

(I guess MS view an OS like a game - once enough users have mastered it, it is time for a new one.)
R2x1 (4628)
540692 2007-04-14 03:02:00 When did they withdraw Win98? Because up until 18 months ago I could still buy it from my suppliers..........
Ah here:
www.microsoft.com

O/S General OEM and Retail System Builders
Windows 98 SE June 30, 1999 June 30, 2002 March 31, 2004
XP December 31, 2001 January 31, 2008 January 31, 2009

And like a distributor will of course, just throw them all out the day that MS has marked, not.
pctek (84)
540693 2007-04-14 05:35:00 The question I would like to ask is how long Microsoft offered support and updates for these older OS? Is there any info as to how long M/S will support XP for example?
Vista appears to have quite a number of already known flaws yet to be ironed out so what would be the point of changing from one flawed system to another? XP has been out how many years?-yet they are still trying to fill the holes in the seive! I suspect it will only be a matter of time before Vista follows the same fate as XP with patches and updates as soon as the b*****s who find the holes in the seive exploit them. As soon as I have assurances from outside sources that Vista is as safe as it can possibly be then I will consider upgrading-but certainly not on any assurances form Microsoft.
Regards Gordon
Gordon62 (11771)
540694 2007-04-14 05:40:00 Like I said b4...Vista is just another ME....

I hear, maybe wrongly, that XP support ends the end of this year.
SurferJoe46 (51)
540695 2007-04-14 10:30:00 XP support will be around for a while.
It was what, only 2 or 3 years ago that windows 98 support stopped (im not sure exactly, that was a stab in the dark) but the support lifetime is fairly long.
Dannz (1668)
540696 2007-04-14 12:42:00 of course xp has to be dropped, it's vista's biggest competitior.

xp is the better product, and vista has marketing hype. so MS, as per usual, are going to kill the competition rather than innovate and create a better product.

also, as vista sells for so much, they probably make more money this way.

we had better be able to reactivate, or piracy, especially for companies with software/hardware which won't run on vista, will become the only option
motorbyclist (188)
540697 2007-04-14 14:22:00 Win98 lasted untill 2006. It was extended and some final security patches were released. I figure the same would happen for XP. trinsic (6945)
540698 2007-04-14 16:06:00 This doesn't bother me. Vista should be a fully fledged OS by then, and be stable enough for people to trust. Also the speed of the average PC should of doubled aswell, removing any "but vista is a resource hog" claims. Jams (1051)
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