Windows 2000 End-of-Life

Windows 2000

On July 13, 2010, Extended Support for Windows 2000 will end and this product will no longer receive assisted support or security updates from Microsoft. This affects all editions of Windows 2000, including Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server.

Self-help Online Support for Windows 2000 will be available for a minimum of 12 months after the product reaches the end of Extended Support.  Self-Help Online Support includes public Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and is typically provided via https://support.microsoft.com/ and the Microsoft Download Center.

For Premier Support customers who anticipate they will not be able to complete their migration by this transition date and need additional support from Microsoft, Custom Support for Windows 2000 is also available for purchase.

Windows2000

Windows Server 2003

Also on July 13, 2010, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2 will transition from the Mainstream Support phase to the Extended Support phase. During the Extended Support phase:

  • Microsoft will continue to provide paid support (i.e. Premier and Essential support, per-incident telephone/web support, etc.) at the supported service pack level
  • Customers will continue to have access to all security updates and Self-help Online Support options (i.e. Knowledge Base articles, online product information, FAQs, etc.) at no additional cost
  • Non-security hotfixes developed in the Extended Support phase will be provided ONLY to customers who sign-up for an Extended Hotfix Support (EHS) agreement.

The above support transition dates are in accordance with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy which is designed to provide customers with transparent and predictable information regarding the support lifecycle of Microsoft products. By understanding the product support available, customers are better able to maximize the management of their IT investments. The Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy offers a minimum of:

Ten years of support (five years of Mainstream Support and five years of Extended Support) at the supported service pack level for Microsoft Business and Developer products.

Five years of Mainstream Support at the supported service pack level for Microsoft Consumer, Hardware, and Multimedia products.

More information is available on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Web site.