OK, it isn’t quite that dire, but if you are using Windows XP Service Pack 2, support for that version of the operating system will end in July 2010. If you plan to stay with Windows XP a while longer then it’s a good time to upgrade to service pack 3 if you have not
OK, it isn’t quite that dire, but if you are using Windows XP Service Pack 2, support for that version of the operating system will end in July 2010. If you plan to stay with Windows XP a while longer then it’s a good time to upgrade to service pack 3 if you have not already done so. It is a good idea to upgrade before you have to so that if you discover any serious problems you can revert back and figure out a solution.
The end of support for Windows XP SP2 means that you may very well not be able to get critical security updates (patches) if you don’t move to SP3 or a newer operating system. Without such security updates your system becomes more and more exposed to compromise. If you have been using automatic updates then you should already have service pack 3. If you aren’t using automatic updates you probably should be.
In addition to XP SP2, support will be ending for Windows 2000 server and clients. Microsoft has more information and recommendations to help with upgrades at http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/springboard/archive/2009/12/06/windows-2000-server-windows-2000-client-and-windows-xp-sp2-support-ends-july-2010.aspx
Randy Abrams
Director of Technical Education
