XP Pro & End of Support

Been all over the Microsoft site regarding this, and cannot find definite answer to my questions, so hoping someone here knows for certain:

1. Do I need to buy and install XP Pro prior to the April 2014 deadline? I'd heard rumor that Microsoft either intends to stop activating copies after this, or intends to pull install discs off the market.

2. Will used copies of install discs (them having valid keys remaining) for sale on Ebay, etc., still be installable and useable after the deadline?

Microsoft only seems to be fixated on the EOL, end of updates, and all that....or at least I can't find any direct mention of my concerns on the site.

 

Xp has not been for sale for many years, anything bought online stands a chance to be a counterfeit copy and infected with malware.

What the end of life means, is that as of April 2014, there will be no new security updates for xp, office 2003 or for internet 8,

You may be able to still get all the old updates from the Microsoft download center,

Your license is still good and will still be good after april 2014, it is just that to connect online is a greater security risk.

you can use a sandboxie and separate your online from your computer, there might be an antivirus that will still update for xp, but it might not be free.

 

I wonder how long after the end-of-support date Win XP downloads will still be available.

Are there downloads available for Win ME, Win 98 & Win 95?

It may be wise to find a way to download all the updates and save them so that they can be added in the event you need to do a clean install of Win XP from the distribution CD.

Regards

 

I do not know for downloads, but install discs for Windows 98 & 2000 are still sold online. I had considered buying, but hardware info was too hard to find. If by updates you mean SP1, SP2, etc., these are all over online.

 

Thanks. Will still try to acquire install disc before deadline, but feel not so frantic to do it. Do you know if there is any sort of time limit from the time I buy used install disc, to time I actually install and call to have Microsoft activate it? Can I buy it now and store it for months, then install, or do I have to install/activate soon after I buy it?

 

Activation is keyed to the product key, you can activate anytime.

 

Many thanks for the info...one less thing to worry about!

 

Activation may not be a problem but zero day exploits will be a huge problem.