Support ends for Windows XP SP1
Not a very important piece of
news, but no matter, just put it down for those with
SP1.
Colin Barker
ZDNet UK
October 09, 2006, 15:10 BST
Service Pack 1 users need to upgrade now or lose support, says
Microsoft
Microsoft will end support for Windows XP Service Pack 1
(SP1) and SP 1a on 10 October, leaving users no option but
to upgrade to SP2 if they wish to continue to receive support for
crucial components, including security software.
The move to drop support for SP1 is in line with Microsoft's stated
strategy for support. According to its guidelines, Microsoft
guarantees to provide "mainstream support" for a full product for
five years, but will only guarantee to support a Service Pack for
12 months after the launch of the next version of that pack.
Windows XP SP2 was released more than two years ago, on 17
September, 2004. SP1 itself shipped on 9 September 2002.
There's little reason for anyone to still be running SP1, as SP2
contained a range of improvements to XP's security. Users can check
which version they are running by right-clicking on the My Computer
desktop icon and then selecting Properties.
The ending of support for SP1 will help Microsoft to clear
the decks for the arrival of Vista, which is expected to be
released to business customers next month, and to consumers in
January 2007.
In July, Microsoft ended support for Windows 98, 98, SE and
ME.