The sky is falling! This is what the doom and gloomers wish you to believe when it comes to Windows XP and when support & activation will end. On a site that I read last week, they would have you believe that Microsoft is suspending support for XP effective June 30, 2008. There was also a rumor that activation was going to be suspended in June 2009. Plus the added rumor that the ’secret sauce’ of the power of downgrading is a new policy and a new work-a-round.

First the bad news. Microsoft is in fact not going to extend the June 30, 2008 cut off date for Windows XP. But there is an exception. Microsoft will continue to allow XP to be installed on the newer netbooks that will be hiting the streets soon. Some of the netbooks won’t have the poop to tun Vista, and it seems that Microsoft is not keen on the idea of Linux being used on the systems.

Second, Microsoft will continue support for XP. Think about it. Why come out with a new service pack for XP only to drop support 7 weeks later?

Third there are rumors that you would not be able to activate XP after June of 2009. There is currently no activation dealine in place. You will be able to continue to purchase XP after the June 30th deadline as long as supplies last on the reatil level. That is, retailers can continue to sell XP until they exhaust current supplies in their inventory.

Fourth the downgrade policy is nothing new. It has been in place evern before XP. Businesses have been allowed to downgrade on other versions of Windows as well.

Fifth the XP life cycle is until April 2014.  So far this has not changed.

Comments welcome.

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