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Support for all editions of Windows 2000 (Server and Professional) and Windows XP SP 2 ends on July 13, 2010. This transition date marks the natural progression in the support of these products, and is in accordance with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy for Business and Developer products.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

• All machines must be upgraded to supported OS’s to ensure on-going support.  Failure to do so means accepting the risk & responsibility of operating without the assistance of Premier Support or the availability of any patches.  This includes monthly security patches as well as stability, performance, and functional patches.
• Enterprise customers with existing Premier Support agreements may establish a “Custom Support Agreement” to specifically provide support for Windows 2000 or Windows XP SP2.  This is a time-limited cost paid to provide continued support for these products, which also require a pay-per-fix fee in addition to the ongoing custom support fee.  Note:  These agreements are in excess of $100,000/year, and per-fix charges are often $25k+ so this is usually not an acceptable solution for most.  See below for more information.
• There are a number of migration options, resources, and offerings available to customers migrating from Windows 2000 & Windows XP SP2

BACKGROUND:

• Extended Support for all editions of Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Professional (including Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition, and, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server) ends on July 13, 2010. Customers running Windows 2000 will need to upgrade to supported products, such as Windows 7 and/or Windows Server 2008 R2.
• Additionally, support for Windows XP Service Pack 2 also retires on July 13, 2010. After this date, customers will need to be on Windows XP Service Pack 3 (or a supported product, such as Windows 7) to obtain support.
• After this date, public support for these products ends. After public support ends, Microsoft will no longer provide any assisted support or security updates to customers.
• This transition date marks the natural progression in the support of these products. It is in accordance with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy for Business and Developer products, which states that Microsoft will provide a minimum of 10 years of support to Business and Developer products. Windows 2000 has already received over 10 years of support. Windows XP has been supported since its RTM in 2001.

Support Options for Customers after July 13, 2010:

• Self-help Online Support
  All customers will still be able to access Self-help Online Support for Windows 2000, such as online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources, to help resolve common issues.
• Custom Support for Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2
  Custom Support is also available for purchase for those customers who have not been able to complete their migration to a supported product or service pack, and absolutely need additional support from Microsoft.

  Custom Support for Windows 2000 and windows XP SP2 includes security hotfixes for vulnerabilities labeled as “Critical” by MSRC at no additional cost, and access to Problem Resolution Support. Customers may also have the ability to request non-security hotfixes on new issues, for a per-fix fee. Additionally, they will also have access to Microsoft’s existing database of security and non-security hotfixes for Windows 2000 that may be critical to their organizations.

  Note: To enroll in Custom Support, customers must have a Premier Support contract. Additionally, customers are required to have a migration plan in place, prior to purchasing Custom Support.

  Remember, Custom Support should be considered the option of last resort for those customers who are unable to complete their migration off Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2. If you absolutely cannot complete their migration prior to support ending for Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2, we can work with you to create a migration plan and potentially leverage the Custom Support program.
   

• Migration Planning: Help Customers Realize the Potential of Microsoft Software
  The latest, supported products, such as Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 provide greater security, reliability, environmentally friendly features, and a host of other benefits that our customers want to take advantage of. Migration blockers sometimes force customers to delay migration and continue to run legacy products. In such cases they frequently opt for expensive alternatives like Custom Support.

  Microsoft Services is uniquely positioned to help customers overcome migration blockers and adopt these latest, supported products. Work with your account team to identify migration blockers and communicate those to your leadership. There are a number of Services offerings and services that are available to enable customers to migrate off Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2.