14 DAY TRIAL // The United Kingdom government’s custom Windows XP support deal with Microsoft expired on April 14, and according to a new report, neither the British officials nor the software giant proposed an extension to the original agreement despite thousands of computers that are yet to be upgraded.
Back in April 2014, the British government decided to purchase custom Windows XP support from Microsoft in order to keep computers used by state departments and the NHS fully secure until all of them were upgraded to a newer version of Windows still getting updates, such as Windows 7 or 8. Windows XP support ended on April 8, 2014.
But despite this one-year deadline, there still are thousands of computers running Windows XP right now, and according to V3, an extension to the original deal is not being negotiated.
While state officials have refused to provide a statement and detail their plans for computers still running Windows XP, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the deal expired last April, so no new updates and security updates are being shipped to computers belonging to the UK government.
“On 14 April 2015 the UK Crown Custom Support Agreement for Windows XP, Office 2003 and Exchange 2003 will expire and will not be renewed for a second year,” a Microsoft spokesperson was quoted as saying. “Consequently, support will no longer be offered for Windows XP, Office 2003 and Exchange 2003, all of which are well over a decade old and reached end of support on 8 April 2014.”
Windows XP still the second most used OS worldwide
Despite the fact that support ended in April 2014, Windows XP continues to be the second most used operating system worldwide with a market share of approximately 12 percent.
Windows 7 continues to lead the market with more than 50 percent, but Windows XP is still a popular choice among users who are looking for a familiar working environment boasting traditional elements such as a Start menu.