The Tech News Blog
Microsoft Windows XP Support Ends in 365 Days
Microsoft wants its Windows XP users to get with the program, and is giving them 365 days to do so.
One year from today, Microsoft will shut down extended support for its 12-year-old operating system, in favor of newer platforms like Windows 7 and 8.
In 2002, Microsoft launched its Support Lifecycle policy, allowing 10 years of combined mainstream and extended support for Microsoft Business and Developer products, including Windows OSes. To that end, Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will lose that support on April 8, 2014.
"If your organization has not started the migration to a modern desktop, you are late," Stephen Rose, senior product manager for Windows Commercial, wrote in a blog post. He revealed that it takes an average company 18 to 32 months to reach full deployment, and urged businesses to begin planning and application testing "immediately," to avoid issues later.
But don't think that a simple upgrade from XP to Windows 7 or 8 — a "modern operating system," according to Rose — will do the trick.
"You will need to do a clean install," Rose said, meaning user data must be migrated and applications reinstalled on the new OS. More details on testing hardware and apps can be found on the Windows blog.
Weeks Before Windows 8, Windows 7 Finally Tops XP
Just weeks before the release of Windows 8, Microsoft's Windows 7 has finally topped Windows XP as the most popular global desktop OS.
According to data from Net Applications, Windows 7 captured 42.76 percent of the market in August, just barely beating XP, which had 42.52 percent. In July, XP had a slight lead over Windows 7 at 42.86 percent vs. 42.21 percent, respectively.
In August, Windows Vista had about 6.15 percent of the market, followed by the three most recent versions of Apple OS X, which had just over 6 percent altogether.
Microsoft's next operating system is scheduled to hit shelves on Oct. 26. Those running PCs with Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $39.99.
Windows 7 debuted on Oct. 22, 2009 with a "simpler, faster, more responsive" system. Vista debuted in 2006, while XP has been around since 2001. On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will officially end support for Windows XP and Office 2003.
Microsoft Pushes for Demise of Windows XP
Those of you still holding on to Windows XP have two years to spend with the now-antiquated OS before Microsoft pulls the support plug.
On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will officially end support for Windows XP and Office 2003, the software giant reminded business users in a blog post this week. "If you still have some PCs running Windows XP and Office 2003 in your organization, now would be a good time to start migrating them to Windows 7 and Office 2010," wrote Microsoft's Stella Chernyak.
Chernyak warned against waiting for the next Windows and Office update. "Not only is it important for companies to complete deployment before support runs out, but they should also be aware that by upgrading to Windows 7 and Office 2010 today they can gain substantial results today while laying the foundation for future versions of these products," she wrote.
Chernyak outlined a number of upgrade options in the blog post, including Windows Intune and Office 365.
With 400M Windows 7 Licenses Sold, Microsoft Pushes for Demise of XP
Microsoft announced Monday that it has now sold 400 million Windows 7 licenses and encouraged users to start ditching Windows XP in favor of its more advanced operating system.
Microsoft also touched briefly on Windows 8 at its annual Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, but more details are expected at September's BUILD conference.
Since its October 2009 release, Microsoft has sold 400 million licenses for Windows 7, CEO Steve Ballmer said during a keynote at today's event. On the one-year anniversary of Windows 7 last year, the company said it had sold 240 million licenses.
If Microsoft has anything to say about it, that number will continue to grow in the coming years. In a post on its business blog, Microsoft announced that customers now have 1,000 days until the company stops supporting Windows XP. Like its push to eliminate Internet Explorer 6 usage, Microsoft is also pushing for the demise of XP.
At 18 Months, Windows 7 Still Living in WinXP’s Shadow
On the 18-month anniversary of the launch of Windows 7, Microsoft reported Friday that its flagship operating system has sold more than 350 million licenses. Its market share, though, still pales in comparison to Windows XP.
In a blog post, the company emphasized the business cases for companies to transition over to the new operating system, and launched a dedicated customer showcase page to highlight customers like Tsingtao, Energizer, and the City of Miami, and their success stories with their transitions over to Windows 7.
The numbers for Windows 7 at the 18-month mark show that Microsoft's sales of Windows 7 have plateaued somewhat; at the one-year mark, Microsoft announced that 240 million licenses of Windows 7 had been sold. Microsoft did not release sales figures for the first siz months of Windows 7.
Windows 7 Beats Windows XP’s U.S. Desktop Share
Someone get the party balloons and slap a big "7" on them, for Windows 7 has finally overtaken its younger brother, Windows XP, in desktop market share. For those keeping score at home or running an office betting pool, the milestone comes just under two years since the release of Windows 7, and a bit over one year since Windows 7 passed Windows Vista's desktop market share.
According to new statistics from Statcounter, Windows 7 now commands 31.71 percent of all U.S. desktops—that's based on the aggregated visitor statistics tracked across approximately three million websites during the month of April. Windows XP now takes up second place in the U.S. desktop market at 31.56 percent, with Vista trailing third at 19.07 percent. And for Apple fans only, OS X currently hovers at a desktop market share of around 14.87 percent.
Windows 7 Surpasses Vista in 7 Months & Is #2 In Usage
Windows 7 is perhaps Microsoft's best operating system out the gate. Its relative lack of traditional compatibility issues and slick features come thanks to a disciplined program of public beta testing and stricter hardware partner requirements. Amazingly few people have much bad to say about Windows 7. Even rival Apple has been forced to turn down the rhetoric andembrace Windows 7 on Boot Camp.
The operating system is already the key factor driving Microsoft profits over the last two quarters, and the fastest selling operating system in history. Now it has reached a very impressive mark. Windows 7 has passed Windows Vista after only 7 months.
Recent Posts
- Yahoo Board Reportedly Meeting to Consider $1.1B Offer for Tumblr
- Report: Samsung Galaxy S 4 Shipments Top 6M
- AT&T Unveils New ‘Sleek’ U-Verse On Demand Hub
- Apple iOS Devices Approved for Use on Military Networks
- Unreleased Nintendo Wii U Games Coming to Best Buy During E3
Categories
Shop & Compare Prices
Be Social With TRS
Follow @TechSource