In a posting on PC World, Microsoft publicly responded to affirm that Windows XP activation will be unaffected by the Windows XP support end date.
This feature will still exist according to Microsoft. Will XP Still be Capable of Activating After April 8, 2014? The bottom line? Using XP after April 2014 is an “at your own risk” situation for customers.
Third party solutions arise to get around these driver issues, but they are not always 100% guaranteed for all scenarios. Customers who purchase new hardware even for otherwise fully capable systems may start to run into compatibility issues. Microsoft has publicly stated that no new patches will be released for the OS after April 2014 (outside of very critical security flaws found.) Just as is the case for Windows 98 and Windows 2000 now, driver releases for new hardware that comes out will start to become non-existent for XP likely around or slightly after the April 2014 timeline. But it’s the unknown that users should be warned about to the fullest extent. They will continue to work as normal and there will not be any kind of limitations imposed on the OS crippling its usage. What Happens to Customer PCs on XP After April 8, 2014? By no means is Microsoft offering this as a green-light to continue using the OS this long for normal day-to-day production however as users will be open to all known security risks April 2014 beyond. Microsoft extended this date as a courtesy to business customers who have definite business requirements for the OS.
Will XP activation be available even after support ends? What will the driver situation be like in the future? How do I make sense out of all the dates that Microsoft has been releasing to the public surrounding XP’s future? Many questions come to mind involving such an entrenched user base. As consultants to our customers, we need to take their circumstances into account and give them the best possible advice when it comes to using a Windows XP-based system going forward. While all new PC systems are currently being shipped with some flavor of Windows 7, the real problem lies with the droves of users we still support on XP. Computer repair technicians definitely have a challenge in getting customers to make the move to the more solid Windows 7 or yet-to-be released Windows 8. In practical terms, this means that over 4 of every 10 PC users is still working on the aging platform. Even as of June 2012 Windows XP had a strong 43%+ of the OS market, which is remarkable for an OS that is over 10 years old already.
But seeing as Vista has an installed user base of just over 6% remaining, I don’t think there is much discussion warranted for how to handle its remaining faithful. Mainstream support for Windows Vista happened to pass us by without more than a wink just a few months back. Usually the end of an operating system era is not that much of a big deal. I loved Windows XP in its heyday, but love Windows 7 that much more. Windows XP, the cornerstone of most PC users for the past 10+ years, is being officially phased out as Microsoft “sunsets” support for the product in all respects. This is the date in which Microsoft says all extended support will end for one of the best operating systems the company has ever released. The end of a long overdue era comes to an unofficial end on April 8, 2014.