Windows 98 to be Retired!

[Golem2176]

I just found out about this yesterday on The Sreen Savers!

 

[Psychotic Dreamer]

Yeah I've been hearing about this for the past six months or so. What it sounds like right now is they are just no longer selling it. At some point in the next six months or so they will probably stop providing support for it, too.

 

[Psionicist]

Uhmm yes, it is over 5 years old. You cannot support such old software forever.

 

[Skade]

I thought support had long ago been done away with. You would think by this time if a person were still using 98 (such as the work machine I am posting from) they would have seen all the errors by now and know how to deal with them.

 

[Psychotic Dreamer]

My understanding is that when they say no more support that also means no new security fixes and such also. I could be wrong.

 

[Hand of Evil]

My understanding is that when they say no more support that also means no new security fixes and such also. I could be wrong.

You are right, no more anything!

 

[KenM]

someone have a link to story?

 

[Henry]

Uhmm yes, it is over 5 years old. You cannot support such old software forever.

I wish you could, though.

Man, was 98 SE some stable stuff!

I'm still running a small backup server / fedex ship station off of a copy of it right now, and it runs for 24-7, with a reboot about once every month.

But seriously, had it not been for Windows XP, I would never have left 98, due to various large and small problems with ME and 2000.

I will miss honest-to-God boot disks in the future, though, instead of those jet-engine affairs that XP turns out.

 

[Jhamin]

From the Microsoft Website:

Windows 95
Product Availability: August 15, 1995

Mainstream Support: August 15, 1995 - December 31, 2000

Extended Support: December 31, 2000 - December 31, 2001 (This product has reached the end of its life cycle; no support is available.)

Upgrade Information: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/default.asp


Windows 98
Product Availability: June 30, 1998

Mainstream Support: June 30, 1998 - June 30, 2002

Extended Support: June 30, 2002 - January 16, 2004 (Extended hotfix support ends June 30, 2003. After January 16, 2004, this product will be obsolete and assisted support will no longer be available from Microsoft. Online self-help support will continue to be available until at least June 30, 2006.)

Upgrade Information: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/default.asp


Windows 98 Second Edition
Product Availability: June 30, 1999

Mainstream Support: June 30, 1999 - June 30, 2002

Extended Support: June 30, 2002 - January 16, 2004 (Extended hotfix support ends June 30, 2003. After January 16, 2004, this product will be obsolete and assisted support will no longer be available from Microsoft. Online self-help support will continue to be available until at least June 30, 2006.)

Upgrade Information: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/default.asp




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Legend
Product Availability: The duration of the product's availability.
Mainstream Support: The period of availability for standard support offerings (e.g., no-charge incident support, paid incident support, support charged on an hourly basis, support for warranty claims, hotfix support, and online self-help support information).
Extended Support: An extended period of assisted support, which may be charged on an hourly basis and can include hotfix support. Microsoft will not accept requests for warranty support, design changes, or new features during the extended phase.

Note that Win98SE is already nearing the end of it's Extended Support phase. Hotfixes are on a "when we have time" basis already.

 

[MarauderX]

I guess it's time to suck it up and buy some upgrades... then again, why did we switch from Basic D&D? Security?