Windows Vista has been the pain in Microsoft’s side for several years now. Microsoft rushed to bring out Windows 7 to crush all the bad media attention that Windows Vista was receiving, and for the most part that has worked. But you still need to remember that Windows Vista had an install base of over 330 million people at one stage, and Microsoft is obliged to continue providing them with support.
Normally Microsoft provides 5 years of support, however in February they quietly announced that they were extending this to 10 years for Windows Vista and Windows 7. Windows Vista was due to lose all mainstream support tomorrow 10th April 2012.
However Microsoft will now be offering extended support right up until 11th April 2017 now. While Microsoft are still providing support, this is a
special “extended” support period. This means that you will still continue to get security updates until April 2017, but going by Microsoft’s general support policy, you will be losing certain benefits. The 3 main things you will be losing out on are as follows:
• No-charge incident support
• Warranty claims
• Design changes and feature requests
Of course, the simple option here would be to just upgrade to Windows 7, or maybe you can hold out for Windows 8?
Either way, Windows Vista’s days are numbered as it holds less than 8% of the market at the moment. I doubt that too many people will be using this “extended” support provided by Microsoft. But just a quick heads up for any of you who may still be using it.
Out of curiosity, are any of our readers still using Windows Vista? Let us know in the comments below
Source: Microsoft
