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Windows XP SP2 Support Ends Tomorrow

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the better-get-patching dept.

Vectormatic writes "As can be seen on the product page for Windows XP, support for SP2 ends tomorrow, while the majority of Windows XP users still haven't upgraded to SP3. This could open up millions of users/businesses to exploitation, since security updates for SP2 will stop coming in while security fixes to SP3 may clue hackers in to vulnerabilities."

10 of 251 comments (clear)

  1. Note by segin · · Score: 5, Informative

    It should be noted that XP SP2 x64 has support until whenever XP SP3 x86 runs out. There is no XP SP3 x64

    1. Re:Note by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

      Luckily, XP x64 was always basically immune anyway. It's pretty hard to get 0wn3d when you can't find a NIC driver...

  2. Oh Noes!!! by B5_geek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The sky is falling!!!

    If these people/companies don't care enough to have upgraded to SP3, they won't care that support for the OS has ended either.

    --
    "The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." ~Plato (427-347 BC)
  3. xp and _win2k_! by aradnik · · Score: 5, Interesting

    what's more important is that win2k support is withdrawn as well... and quite a few major organization still rely on it...

    1. Re:xp and _win2k_! by PPalmgren · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Liability. Its kind of hard to say "we tried to be as secure as possible but got owned anyway" when you're using an outdated OS out of its support cycle. Now they can shift the blame back on Microsoft's swiss-cheese.

      Could you imagine the damage done if said company makes headlines for losing tons of sensitive customer data, and then has a follow-up headline showing their security practices?

  4. Astonishing by jsnipy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is amazing that an service pack would even be supported up to 2 years after the next service pack.

    --
    -- if you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine
  5. Huh? by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "while the majority of windows XP users still haven't upgraded to SP3"? Citation needed. SP3 is delivered via Windows Update. I had it before I switched to 7, my company it using it. It's been out for quite a while. I don't see why the majority of XP users would not be using it...

    1. Re:Huh? by malignant_minded · · Score: 5, Insightful

      While I can't vouch for the majority of windows xp users I know a bunch of companies that are still at SP2. Also I would guess that many home XP users have found their computer infected enough times to find that it was cheaper to buy a new one than it was to pay a shop three hours to clean it up, thus they ended up with Vista or 7 eliminating them from the statistic. This leaves companies that are making a decision to stay at XP and IE6 since it breaks their hack code Intranet, many of those may be for similar reasons at SP2.

    2. Re:Huh? by fyngyrz · · Score: 5, Funny

      "you can't firewall stupidity"

      --
      I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
  6. Microsoft base system release lifecycle by DragonHawk · · Score: 5, Informative

    I wish MS updated their base system more than once every 10 years.

    Win95 (1995) -> Win98 (1998) [3 years] -> Win98SE (1999) [1 year] -> WinME (2000) [1 year]

    NT 3.1 (1993) -> NT 3.5 (1994) [1 year] -> NT 4.0 (1996) [2 years] -> Win 2000 (2000) [4 years] -> XP (2001) [1 year] -> Vista (2006) [5 years] -> Win 7 (2009) [3 years]

    Even the longest release drought, XP->Vista, was 6 years, not 10. The mean is 2 years; the median 2.5 years.

    (I detest FUD, even FUD directed at a target I happen to dislike.)

    --

    dragonhawk@iname.microsoft.com
    I do not like Microsoft. Remove them from my email address.