Windows XP
Extended Support Begins for Windows XP—Support for XP Continues Until 2014
Recently there has been a fair amount of press coverage regarding the end of Mainstream Support for Windows XP. Released at the tail end of 2001, Windows XP has been a solid hit in the marketplace and there has been some concern about what the move from Mainstream to Extended Support means for customers.
To be clear, Microsoft will continue to support Windows XP until 8 April 2014 – about five years from now. So what are the differences between Mainstream and Extended?
Microsoft divides support for Business and Developer products (including the Windows XP operating system) into two distinct timeframes: Mainstream Support and Extended Support. In a nutshell, Mainstream Support provides both consumers and enterprise customers with a full offering of support including complimentary support, design change requests, security updates and other kinds of updates for the product.
Extended Support does alter the range of support a bit, but for the vast majority of customers the essential core remains the same. For example, customers will continue to receive free security updates and can call in for paid support until the second Tuesday in April of 2014. Enterprise customers with Premier Support who may need non-security hotfixes (such as design change requests) should consider enrolling in an optional support program named Extended Hotfix Support (EHS). EHS is required by very few customers as the product has matured to the point where design changes are relatively infrequent. For more information on obtaining Extended Hotfix Support, enterprise customers should contact their Microsoft account representative.
Customers who purchased Windows XP pre-installed on their machines will continue to receive support from the manufacturer of their PC (often called the Original Equipment Manufacturer or OEM). Each OEM determines how long they will support products pre-installed on their machines. Therefore, the April 14th transition from Mainstream to Extended Support is most relevant for customers who purchased Windows XP through retailers or volume licensing, a relatively small piece of the XP installed base.
Recommendations for users of Windows XP
To receive support and security updates, you must be running on a supported product and on a supported service pack version. For Windows XP this is currently SP2 or SP3.
Visit Windows Update regularly and confirm you have installed all available security updates. These are critical to keep your machine free from malware.
Rest easy knowing that Microsoft will continue to support Windows XP for another five years!
Thanks for your continued questions and comments. More information on Microsoft’s support policies can also be found on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website. At Microsoft, we value our customer’s experiences using our products and providing industry-leading support is just one aspect of that commitment.
Source- MSDN Blog
Windows Service Pack Blocker Toolkit
Here’s an update for those of you who have installed the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista. This code temporarily prevents the installation of a service pack through Windows Update, typically for one year after general availability of the service pack. The expiration date for the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows Vista SP1 is April 28, 2009; for Windows XP SP3 the tool expires May 19, 2009.
For more information on the Service Pack Blocker Tool, please see the FAQ available through the Springboard Series on TechNet.
Source- Technet Blog
Microsoft Extends XP Availability For Distributors
Microsoft system builder partners who’ve been feeling queasy about the impending Jan. 31, 2009, deadline for selling PCs with Windows XP pre-installed can now breathe a bit easier, as Microsoft is giving them a way to obtain XP licenses through distribution after the deadline.
In an e-mail to ChannelWeb, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the existence of a flexible inventory program that will allow distributors to place their final orders for Windows XP OEM licenses by Jan. 31, 2009, and take delivery against those orders through May 30.
Previously, distributors had planned to purchase as many XP licenses as they could afford before Jan. 31, 2009, and sell them after the deadline. But once that inventory was gone, they’d have no choice but to turn away XP-seeking customers.
Distributors have until Dec. 31 to submit their XP license demand forecasts to Microsoft, and system builders are reportedly being asked to provide their own forecasts to distributors.
It’s yet another sign of the market’s resistance to Windows Vista, and of the growing realization within the channel that many customers have decided to simply skip Vista and wait for the arrival of Windows 7. Microsoft says that’s slated for late 2009 or early 2010, but some reports have suggested it could come as early as mid-2009.
Source: ChannelWeb
Windows XP Common Criteria Administrator Guide 3.0
The Microsoft Windows XP Evaluated Configuration Administrator’s Guide was used in the Common Criteria security evaluation of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
This guide provides sufficient guidance to allow an administrator to securely operate Windows XP Professional in accordance with the requirements stated in the Windows 2003/XP Common Criteria (CC) Security Target (ST).
The Windows 2003/XP CC ST, henceforth referred to as the Windows 2003/XP ST, provides a set of security requirements taken from the CC for Information Technology (IT) Security Evaluation. The Windows XP Professional product was evaluated against the Windows 2003/XP ST and found to satisfy the ST requirements.
This guide is targeted at the administrator and provides a description of how to perform the administrative security functions needed to securely operate Windows XP Professional in accordance with the ST requirements.
Source- Technet Blog
New Community Technology Preview (CTP) for Windows Embedded Standard (XPE)
The Windows Embedded Standard team (previously known as Windows XP Embedded) have been busy working on an updated Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Windows Embedded Standard (WES) - the CTP can be downloaded from the Microsoft Connect Site.
The CTP Refresh includes an improved setup experience and migration support from previous versions of Windows XP Embedded. Additionally, it now includes .NET 3.5, additional device drivers, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) Client Prereq Macro, and various other updates based on direct customer feedback.
Today we also posted a CTP of Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Windows XP Embedded. This is a rollup of hot fixes and security updates Microsoft has released since the RTM of Service Pack 2. SP3 also includes select out-of-band features and enhancements. SP3 provides a new baseline for customers deploying Windows XP Embedded.
Source- MSDN Blog
Windows Embedded Server Products Evaluation
Finally you can download evaluation versions of Windows Embedded products like Storage Server, normally only approved OEMs could get it. Now after a simple registration form you can download:
- Windows Server 2008 for Embedded Systems
- Windows Server 2003 R2 for Embedded Systems
- Windows Storage Server 2003 R2
- Microsoft Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 (32-bit)
- Microsoft Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 (64-bit)
- Windows Home Server
- Microsoft Server Appliance Software Version 3.1 Evaluation Download
- Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager
- Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006
- SQL Server 2005 for Embedded Systems
So now you can evaluate Windows Storage Server as iSCSI Target on your own NAS or on a VM. Register and then download at source
June 2008 XP Optional Updates Are Now Available
The June 2008 Windows XP Embedded Optional Updates are now available on the Mobile & Embedded Communications Extranet (ECE) for Microsoft® Windows® XP Embedded Service Pack 2, Feature Pack 2007 and/or Update Rollup 1.0.
For Windows XP Embedded with SP2, Feature Pack 2007 and/or Update Rollup 1.0 installed:
· KB 953400 - Missing security template files have been added as file resources to the Windows Security Configuration Client Engine component.
· KB 953784 - The Test Application Compatibility Macro component is a new macro component that adds all the other technology macro components to an image to assist customers with troubleshooting missing dependencies in their runtime configurations. Adding this component will have a significant footprint impact to the configuration.
The June 2008 Windows XP Embedded Optional Updates are available at the following link on the ECE:
https://ece.partners.extranet.microsoft.com/ece/ProductSupplements/DownloadCenter/Embedded/XPE/XPEMonthlyUpdates/DisOEM-Jun08XPEmbOptUpd.htm
Source- MSDN Blog
Microsoft offers free Vista-to-XP downgrade help
Microsoft has said it would offer free technical support to small businesses that buy new PCs with Windows Vista in the next three months, its latest attempt to convince users that moving to Vista is a good idea. And if those efforts are for naught, Microsoft will help those users downgrade from Vista to Windows XP, the same maneuver several large computer makers, including Dell and Hewlett-Packard, have used in recent months to continue offering the older operating system to buyers.
The offer, dubbed Windows Vista Small Business Assurance, is available to businesses with fewer than 50 employees or 25 PCs, and it provides free telephone support through the end of October to companies that buy new PCs with Vista Business or Vista Ultimate between now and Sept. 30, according to details posted on the Microsoft Web site. Only businesses buying new hardware can take advantage of the free support; companies upgrading existing computers from, say, Windows XP, don’t qualify.
Source: The full story @ InfoWorld
