Windows Vista RTM and Windows XP SP2 End of Support

Hi All,

Here’s a reminder for people running Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista RTM or SP1. Service packs are important for many reasons. They are a rollup of previously released Windows updates, and they typically contain software improvements that aren’t released in a stand-alone update. Service Packs are a part of Microsoft’s support policy. When a new Windows Service Pack is released, Microsoft will provide 24 months of support for the previous service pack. When support ends, we typically do not release new updates for the unsupported platforms. This includes Security Updates.

On April 13th 2010, support ended for Windows Vista RTM (no service pack installed). To continue getting updates and support, Windows Vista users need to install Windows Vista SP1, and we strongly recommend installing Windows Vista SP2. On July 13th 2010, support ended for Windows XP SP2. To continue getting updates and support, Windows XP users need to install Windows XP SP3.

What do you need to do? Vista users should install Windows Vista SP1 & SP2 using Windows Update (WU). Windows XP customers should install Windows XP SP3 using Automatic Updates (AU) or the Microsoft Update site. You may need to install other available updates before a Service Pack is offered to you in WU or AU. Service Pack installation is always recommended through Windows Update, due to AU/WU’s ability to reduce the size of the download and manage the download process. Windows XP SP3 requires a 316mb download through the Microsoft Download Center and the typical download through AU/WU is ~70mb.

Thanks!

The MU Team