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Joe St Sauver, Ph.D.
Director, User Services and Network Applications
joe@uoregon.edu
Occasionally we run into UO users who may still be using obsolete versions of Microsoft Windows, such as Windows 3.11, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, and Windows NT Workstation.
Because Microsoft is no longer supporting and patching those systems, those antique versions of Windows can no longer be safely used on the network. Those old systems need to get replaced or turned off.
Microsoft has officially announced[1] that support and/or critical security updates will no longer be available for those operating systems as of the following dates in the United States:
Without vendor support to patch identified bugs and vulnerabilities, you simply cannot safely continue to allow those systems to be connected to the Internet. If you're running Microsoft Windows, you should be running Windows XP or Windows 2003 Server at this time.
Because of the hardware demands associated with current versions of Windows, and because basic replacement desktop systems running Windows XP are available for as little as $300,[2] and basic Windows XP laptop systems are available in the $500-$550 range,[3] it is usually not cost effective to try to upgrade an old system running an obsolete version of Windows. You're almost always going to be better off replacing that obsolete system outright.
If you've been holding off buying a new system until Microsoft's new version of Windows has been released, please note that Microsoft Vista will not be available for business users until November 2006, and the broad base of consumers must wait until January 2007.[4]
Finally, you should also be aware that the Fall 2006 Windows Duckware and associated software distributed by the UO will not have support for obsolete versions of Microsoft Windows.
Microsoft ended Windows 2000 Mainstream support on June 30, 2005. Extended support will be available through 7/13/2010, but you should carefully review the Microsoft Support Life cycle Policy FAQ[5] to understand what's available (and not available) for products in the Extended Support phase of the product life cycle. While migration from Windows 2000 is not as urgent as migration from other versions of Windows, systems running Windows 2000 should still be receiving replacement planning attention soon.
[1] "Microsoft Support Life cycle," http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselect/
[2] "Budget Desktop Systems, Are They Right for You?" http://cc.uoregon.edu/cnews/spring2005/budget.htm
[3] "Year of the $400 Budget Laptop," http://cc.uoregon.edu/cnews/winter2006/budgetlaptop.htm
[4] "Microsoft Updates Windows Vista Road Map"
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/mar06/03-21WindowsVistaDeliveryPR.mspx
[5] "Microsoft Support Life cycle Policy FAQ," http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy/