[turn 5]

Windows XP will be pulled off your local retailer's shelves soon and sales must stop at years end.So now would be a good time to upgrade your machine before it's to late.

Your machine will not be able to run Vista so XP is your only choice if you want to get up to date with the rest of the world.

If you don't your machine will be stuck with 10 year old software that many new programs will not run on. Besides it's a small price to pay for not having to buy a new PC.

Windows 95 users are more than likely out of luck as most of the computers made in that time frame will not be able to run XP.

http://www.bestbuy.c...d=1083713449105

Edited by turn 5, 27 January 2008 - 02:33 AM.

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Looking into this matter has made things about as clear as mud. A Microsoft representative had this to say when contacted by e-mail:

I am not surprised by the confusion as there are a number of factors that Microsoft does not control in the retail chain. All we can control is the availability of licenses for retail sale and the availability of support. The availability of retail licenses for Windows XP retail is the same as OEM per the product lifecycle chart on microsoft.com. That date is currently June 30, 2008. Does this mean that Windows XP can sold beyond that date? Sure, it does. The retailer, in fact, is likely to continue selling it until their stock of licensed product runs out. It’s the same with OEM licenses.

Just to confuse things more <smile>, it is also possible that Microsoft could readjust this date, depending on market conditions and OEM partner negotiations. It is likely? I honestly wouldn’t know and the folks who do probably aren’t in a position to say.

For most people, a more useful figure is the support lifecycle for Windows. How long you will receive support at certain levels (direct assistance, self-help articles, etc) is probably a better measure of purchase value than just availability. That discussion is a bit more detailed and best handled once you understand the levels of service on the support lifecycle site.

I hope this didn’t muddy the water more than they are already. Bottom line is not to simply use retail availability as a key determiner for purchase (I assume that is the goal here). Better determiners are usage needs, environmental requirements, and support availability over expected worklife.

There is more information on the XP phase out actions HERE and HERE.

I'm sure this will clarify things a little.

[wannabe1]

Looking into this matter has made things about as clear as mud. A Microsoft representative had this to say when contacted by e-mail:

I am not surprised by the confusion as there are a number of factors that Microsoft does not control in the retail chain. All we can control is the availability of licenses for retail sale and the availability of support. The availability of retail licenses for Windows XP retail is the same as OEM per the product lifecycle chart on microsoft.com. That date is currently June 30, 2008. Does this mean that Windows XP can sold beyond that date? Sure, it does. The retailer, in fact, is likely to continue selling it until their stock of licensed product runs out. It’s the same with OEM licenses.

Just to confuse things more <smile>, it is also possible that Microsoft could readjust this date, depending on market conditions and OEM partner negotiations. It is likely? I honestly wouldn’t know and the folks who do probably aren’t in a position to say.

For most people, a more useful figure is the support lifecycle for Windows. How long you will receive support at certain levels (direct assistance, self-help articles, etc) is probably a better measure of purchase value than just availability. That discussion is a bit more detailed and best handled once you understand the levels of service on the support lifecycle site.

I hope this didn’t muddy the water more than they are already. Bottom line is not to simply use retail availability as a key determiner for purchase (I assume that is the goal here). Better determiners are usage needs, environmental requirements, and support availability over expected worklife.

There is more information on the XP phase out actions HERE and HERE.

I'm sure this will clarify things a little.