Windows XP SP2 & Windows Vista RTM End of Support Information

April 2010

There are a number of Microsoft support lifecycle milestones in 2010. We need to make sure customers are aware of the milestones and plan system and OS deployments to ensure that they maintain access to Microsoft support and updates.

Windows XP SP2 will no longer be the supported service pack level for Windows XP computers as of July 13, 2010. Customers running Windows XP SP2 or a previous version of the OS will need to upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (or Windows 7).

Windows Vista RTM will no longer be supported as of April 13, 2010. Customers running Windows Vista RTM should upgrade to Windows Vista SP2. (or Windows 7).

Extended support will end for Windows 2000 Server and Professional. Customers running Windows 2000 need to migrate to a supported version of Windows in order to receive updates or support. In many cases the cost in time and effort for migrating to a new service pack will justify business and consumer interest in migration to Windows 7.

Important Dates Product End of Mainstream Support Endf Extended Support
Windows XP SP2 July 13, 2010
Windows Vista RTM April 13, 2010
Windows 2000 Professional SP4 July 13, 2010
Windows 2000 Server SP4 July 13, 2010

What is End of Support? Support for the product ends. The Microsoft Support Lifecycle (MSL) provides predictable and consistent support timelines for Microsoft products, to customers worldwide. The Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy offers a minimum of: Ten years of support (five years Mainstream Support and five years Extended Support) at the supported service pack level for Microsoft Business and Developer products. Five years of Mainstream Support at the supported service pack level for Microsoft Consumer/Hardware/Multimedia products.

Note: Mainstream and Extended Support is ONLY provided at the supported service pack level. Microsoft will support products running at the latest Service Pack level and the prior Service Pack level, 24 months after the release of the latest Service Pack. 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. To find out if you are running the 64-bit version of Windows XP, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties. If you don't see "64-bit" listed, then you're running the 32-bit version and you need to install Service Pack 3. If "64-bit" is listed under System, you're running the 64-bit version.

Mainstream Support Phase

Mainstream Support is the first phase of the product support lifecycle. At the supported service pack level, Mainstream Support includes:

Incident support (no-charge incident support, paid incident support, support charged on an hourly basis, support for warranty claims)
Security update support
The ability to request non-security hotfixes

Support Phase The Extended Support phase is available after the Mainstream Support phase ends for Business and Developer products only. At the supported service pack level, Extended Support includes:

Security update support at no additional cost
Non-security related hotfix support if the customer has purchased a separate Extended Hotfix Support agreement (per-fix fees also apply)

Extended support does not include:

Requests for warranty support, design changes, or new features.
Support for Consumer, Hardware, or Multimedia products.

What do you need to do?

If your has Windows XP SP2 currently deployed then you need to migrate to Windows XP SP3.

Windows XP customers should use Microsoft Update or Automatic Updates to download and install Windows XP SP3. SP3 can be downloaded from Microsoft Update.
Windows Vista customers should use Windows Update to download and install Windows Vista SP2. Customers will need to separately install SP1 before installing SP2. If your you are running Windows 2000 Server or Professional edition then they need to migrate to Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7.

If you would like to migrate to windows 7 please visit:

The Windows Upgrade Advisor will scan a PC and identify if the system meets Windows 7 system requirements. The scan will identify known compatibility issues with hardware, devices, and currently installed applications. It will also provide guidance on what needs to be done prior to migration.
Detailed information about the available Windows 7 editions and how to buy Windows 7. Windows XP customers can purchase Windows 7 using upgrade licensing but it cannot be upgraded in place.