14 DAY TRIAL // The end is here for Windows Vista RTM, released over three years ago, at the end of January 2007. Today, April 12, 2010 is the last day when customers still running Vista with no service packs installed will benefit from support from Microsoft. As of April 13th, the Redmond company will completely cut support for Vista RTM users. This, of course, is not the end for the Windows Vista operating system. Customers still running the RTM Build only need to upgrade to SP1, or, better yet, Service Pack 2, and continue to be running the platform fully supported. Eric Ligman, Global Partner Experience lead Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group, explained what End of Support (EOS) meant for Vista RTM.
“Once your version of Windows reaches the EOS date, it is classified as an 'unsupported version' of Windows. An unsupported version of Windows will no longer receive software updates from Windows Update. These include security updates that can help protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, which can steal your personal information. Microsoft provides free security patches for supported products, but not for unsupported products. Windows Update also installs the latest software updates to improve the reliability of Windows—new drivers for your hardware and more,” Ligman stated.
Theoretically, there’s nothing stopping users from continuing to run Vista RTM. Despite hitting the End of Support mark, Vista RTM’s functionality won’t be affected in the least, with the exception that updates will no longer be delivered, or available for the platform version. The biggest risk by far to customers is in terms of security. Without patches, users will be exposed to all attacks using exploits targeting vulnerabilities discovered after April 13th.
The obvious solution for users is to upgrade. Service Pack 2 is available for free from Microsoft and it is the best solution for those that can’t move straight to Windows 7. By downloading and installing the Platform Update for Windows Vista, customers will even be able to enjoy Windows 7 components such as DirectX 11. Of course, Windows 7 remains the best solution when it comes down to upgrading from older versions of Windows.
“From a problem resolution perspective, problem resolution services are provided for supported products. In the event that you encounter an issue/outage in your environment on an unsupported product, our engineers may not be able to help resolve this until you have upgraded to a supported level,” Ligman added.
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 - Five Language Standalone (KB948465) is available for download here.
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 - Five Language Standalone for x64-based systems (KB948465) is available for download here.