Windows XP Support Countdown Timer Begins Now

As of today, you have exactly two years left to get support on your Windows XP-powered computers. The same goes for Microsoft Office 2003. Okay, so it's not exactly time to flip over the sand timer, but it is finally a real milestone that points to the death of an operating system that, for years and years and years, simply would not die. And it means that hordes of companies around the country are finally going to need to upgrade.

Those are the customers that this move really affects. If you own one computer, and you use it on a daily basis, chances are you personally aren't running a Windows XP system. It's the people who have a networked office full of computers that have been resistant to change. But change is good, and XP is becoming very outdated. Of course, talking about this is like beating a dead horse. These are arguments that have been made for years. But Microsoft keeps getting pressured to continue XP support.

Well, not anymore. The company made a firm stance that it will officially stop supporting the XP platform, as well as Microsoft Office 2003, effective after April 8, 2014. "If you haven't yet already, we do hope that you take this end of support countdown as an opportunity to migrate your PCs to Windows 7 and Office 2010 so that your business and employees are more productive and secure," Microsoft wrote in an official blog post today.

[via Windows Team Blog]