Microsoft warns support ending for popular Windows products

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Myna

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Jan 16, 2014
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As the second half 2014 rolls in, Microsoft is stepping up its warnings for approaching support deadlines for some of its key products, including Windows 7.

A few definitions worth knowing: Mainstream support is the typically five-year period when Microsoft provides free patches and fixes, including but not limited to security updates, for its products. When a product exits the mainstream support phase, Microsoft continues to provide a period (also often five years) of extended support, which means users get free security fixes but other types of updates are paid and require specific licensing deals.

"End of support" means there will be no more fixes or patches -- paid or free, security or non-security -- coming for specific products. (There are some temporary work-arounds, as Windows XP users have discovered, but as a general rule, end of support means, for most intents and purposes, the end.)

Mainstream, free support is ending on January 13 for a number of major Microsoft products, including all versions of Windows 7 (Enterprise, Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate and Starter). Extended support for Windows 7 lasts until January 14, 2020, so users can expect to continue to receive free security updates, but not feature updates, for Windows 7 until that point. For those running Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 applied, the end of mainstream and extended support dates are the same -- January 13, 2015 and January 14, 2020, respectively -- given there is no Windows 7 SP2.

Some industry watchers have speculated that Microsoft will end up pushing out Windows 7's support dates the way the company did for XP, given Windows 7's popularity and pervasiveness, but so far, there's been no word from Microsoft officials that this is the plan.

Mainstream support also ends on January 13 for all versions of Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 andall editions of Windows Storage Server 2008. Mainstream support for Dynamics C5 2010, NAV 2009 and NAV 2009 R2 ends on January 13, as well.

Complete end of support for Windows Server 2003 is approaching next year, as well. On July 14, Microsoft's extended support period for that product cuts off, which means the company won't be issuing patches, updates or fixes of any kind for that operating system (unless users have pricey Custom Support Agreements in place). A number of small businesses are still running Windows Server 2003. Microsoft officials are hoping to convince them to move to Windows Server 2012 R2 and/or Azure.

"With the average Windows Server taking over 200 days to migrate, now it is the time to act and start planning for your migration," Microsoft officials warned Windows Server 2003 holdouts recently. "With the Architectural changes in 32 bit to 64 bit technology - everything changes in Windows Server 2012."

On the more immediate front, there are some other end of support dates worth noting.

Support for Office 2010 with Service Pack 1 ends this October 14, as does support for SharePoint 2010 with SP1. Support also is ending for Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010 with SP3 and Visual Studio 2012 Remote Tools, Test Professional, and Express for Web, Windows 8 and Windows Desktop.

"Customers should migrate to the next available Service Pack to continue to receive security updates and be eligible for other support options" for these service pack releases, Microsoft officials said.

Windows Phone 7.8 mainstream support also is ending soon -- this September 14.

This story was first published as "Microsoft warns of pending support deadlines for Windows 7, Office 2010 SP1, Windows Server 2003, and more" on ZDNet.
 
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Deleted member 21043

If I had a tutorial on how to dual-boot with windows 8.1 I'd use linux, but sadly I don't know how to do that.
Download the Ubuntu desktop web installer, it automatically dualboots for you to the C:\ drive. When you boot your PC, you can choose Windows or Linux Ubuntu. To remove it, you can use the install to remove it from Windows ;) No partitioning rubbish, just a quick install (takes about 10 minutes), enter your desired password, reboot and setup Ubuntu and it's all set. Max 30 minutes at the most.

Microsoft are so terrible it's making me laugh.

The only reason they end support is either because they don't care about what they're customers like/want like when they ended support to XP, and they just care about money because their selfish, greedy and irritating, or they don't know how to create further updates because they hit the "line" to what the product can support and don't/can't be bothered to work out how to add something.
 
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Oxygen

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Feb 23, 2014
3,316
Download the Ubuntu desktop web installer, it automatically dualboots for you to the C:\ drive. When you boot your PC, you can choose Windows or Linux Ubuntu. To remove it, you can use the install to remove it from Windows ;) No partitioning rubbish, just a quick install (takes about 10 minutes), enter your desired password, reboot and setup Ubuntu and it's all set. Max 30 minutes at the most.
Does it ask me what I want to boot to every time I boot?

Care to link me to the web installer, thanks.
 

Oxygen

Level 44
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Feb 23, 2014
3,316
Tons of youtube video's on how to dualboot.

I watched some videos and now I'm on linux :D I love this

X6vCOpM.png
 

Oxygen

Level 44
Verified
Feb 23, 2014
3,316
Awesome! Click the application manager and type "update" the updater will appear, click it, just looking at Firefox, i can see you have not run them yet ;)
Could you tell me how to Install flash tho it keeps showing this message o_O
 
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illumination

Could you tell me how to Install flash tho it keeps showing this message o_O
You will have to forgive my mutli tasking over looks.. You have not installed ubuntu yet, just live testing from the pic..
You have to install it.. The icon right above the file cabinet is the installation..
 

Oxygen

Level 44
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Feb 23, 2014
3,316
You will have to forgive my mutli tasking over looks.. You have not installed ubuntu yet, just live testing from the pic..
You have to install it.. The icon right above the file cabinet is the installation..

I'm installing it now, but I feel as I don't know what to do here

I'm afraid it will erase my windows 8.1 :(

7HdlOyQ.png
 
I

illumination

I'm installing it now, but I feel as I don't know what to do here

I'm afraid it will erase my windows 8.1 :(

7HdlOyQ.png

That is not a good sign that it is not detecting your windows operating system, i would back out.. How exactly did you get to this point "list steps"
 

Oxygen

Level 44
Verified
Feb 23, 2014
3,316
That is not a good sign that it is not detecting your windows operating system, i would back out.. How exactly did you get to this point "list steps"
Too late already clicked erase disk.... if it deletes windows 8.1 then I guess I could reinstall it since it is OEM
 
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illumination

Too late already clicked erase disk.... if it deletes windows 8.1 then I guess I could reinstall it since it is OEM
If you erase disk, windows 8.1 will be gone..
You can always put windows 8.1 back on though..
 

ismethere

Level 8
Verified
May 9, 2014
396
yep,, M$ will force windows users..migrate at least to Windows 8, 8.1..they will launched Windows 9.....
 

RmG152

Level 12
Verified
Jan 22, 2014
577
I think it's acceptable update policy.

Windows 7 it's a mature OS, doesn't need to lose time with new functions. But security updates are essential ( 6 years more it's ok in my opinion).

PD: 70% of my friends have W7 yarrr edition without updates and without problems.
 

WinXPert

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Jan 9, 2013
1,457
I already switched to Linux when support for XP ended last April, well as far as my netbook is concerned. I still use Windows when analyzing malware and writing manual removal instructions, but for general usage, it's Linux because it's faster on this aging machine.
 
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Deleted member 178

Small example i had:

Windows:

- download the latest updates, install went fine , reboot required, executed then "unable to complete updates, rollback changes" o_O
Ok...redone the process 4 times, same issue... used various fixes but none works , so finally format and reinstall Win ...(anyway i planned to do it but it was annoying)

- Linux: download the updates, installed , done.

I dont get with Linux much issues like i get with Windows.

The difference with Linux is longer you use it , less it is vulnerable.

With Windows i always felt i bought a "Lego" OS, and i have to add new bricks to one day maybe complete it.
 
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