If you use Windows 2000, better mark your calendars. On June 30, Microsoft will stop its mainstream support for this operating system.
Microsoft divides its support lifecycle into two phases: Mainstream and extended. Once a product enters the extended support period, Microsoft charges for support. Microsoft continues to provide security-specific hot fixes for products during extended support, but nonsecurity hot fixes may be obtained for extended-support products only by purchasing an "extended hot-fix agreement."
Windows 2000 is still the operating system of choice for a large number of businesses, especially those in the small and midsize business space, according to industry watchers. This cut-off date applies to both Windows 2000 client and server packages.
Late last year, Microsoft said it planned to provide a primarily security-focused "update rollup" for Windows 2000 in lieu of issuing a Service Pack 5 for the product. Microsoft officials said the rollup is on track for delivery in mid-2005, but declined to provide further information on the beta stage that the rollup is in. The rollup will require Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 as a prerequisite. It is still not known if that rollup release will be released before June 30.
Microsoft, for its part, is continuing to encourage Windows 2000 users to upgrade, by steering them towards Windows XP on the client and Windows Server 2003 on the server. The company is pushing its File Server Migration Toolkit and Application Compatibility Toolkit, as well as tools and services from third-party partners, as keys to helping customers transition to more current versions of Windows.
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