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Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers

By | October 18, 2011, 1:13am PDT

Summary: According to Gartner, 2012 will be a pivotal year for the more than half of companies still running on Windows XP.

You’d think that Microsoft’s Windows XP would be dead and gone by now in the enterprise, but the outdated OS continues to live. In fact, more than half of corporations are likely to be on Windows XP still.

Gartner analyst Michael Silver on Monday highlighted how Windows XP is being pushed out the door by Windows 7, but the progress isn’t exactly speedy.

Note the following chart:

Companies are replacing Windows XP with the attrition method—new PCs come with Windows 7. But Microsoft cuts XP support off in April 2014.

For XP lovers, that 2014 deadline might sound comforting, but Silver said the end of 2012 is worrisome. Independent software vendors have stopped testing new versions of applications on XP. Silver’s advice: Get off Windows XP by the end of 2012. This move means ensures business apps will run on most user PCs and if you run late you still have a good window before Microsoft cuts off security patches.

Run past 2014 and you’ll need custom support from Microsoft. Silver estimates the minimum for custom support is $200,000 for the first year if you have software assurance. If you don’t have software assurance the price tag is more like $500,000.

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Topics

Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Software, Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic.

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Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan has nothing to disclose. He doesn’t hold investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic. He was most recently Executive Editor of News and Blogs at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial services industry since 1995, publishing articles in WallStreetWeek.com, Inter@ctive Week, The New York Times, and Financial Planning magazine. He's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and the University of Delaware.

For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.

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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
vahnx 31st Oct
Whats Windows XP? :S
View in thread
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title
tramps 18th Oct
content
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Re: title
ldo17 19th Oct
reply
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Microsoft's Custom Support price tag
Rabid Howler Monkey 18th Oct
This is the first article on the Windows XP countdown I've seen that has mentioned Microsoft's Custom Support along with the associated costs. A question: any idea how much Microsoft's software assurance costs?

Also, these options are available for enterprise customers only. And, depending on the size of the enterprise along with other situational factors, the cost of custom support may or may not be a significant mover.
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There's an old saying. It goes:
ye 18th Oct
@Rabid Howler Monkey: If you have to ask you can't afford it. happy
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Yeah ...
Rabid Howler Monkey Updated - 18th Oct
@ye I figured it wouldn't be cheap. But, is it worth the price?
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
dazzlingd 18th Oct
@Rabid Howler Monkey
Well, your choices are to either use the software forever, but know that you won't get security updates and patches after 10 years from GA, or buy software assurance and always have access to the latest stuff with full support.
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Only you can make that determination.
ye 18th Oct
@Rabid Howler Monkey: But, is it worth the price?

As it's very situational dependent.
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Isn't support built on the basis of asking questions...
cosuna 18th Oct
LOL!!!
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Cylon Centurion 18th Oct
@Rabid Howler Monkey

Is it worth the price? Are you kidding?
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Bates_ 18th Oct
I would love for my company to move to W7, too bad 90% of our software isn't compatible with it.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Rick_R 18th Oct
@Bates_

That's what XP Mode in Win 7 Pro is for. And, yes, I know it's not 100% the same as real XP, since we use it at work. But if 90% of your software isn't compatible even with XP Mode, your company has much bigger problems than just upgrading computers.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
JonSawyer 18th Oct
@Rick_R It's actually not called XP Mode, but Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V)
wink

The difference is that users of MED-V don't get administrator rights on the VM, but that the group policy still applies.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
ScorpioBlue 18th Oct
Nero 6 doesn't work in compatibility mode. I've already tried it.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
LarsDennert 18th Oct
@Rick_R Tell that to our bank whose remote deposit machines don't work on anything x64
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"your company has much bigger problems than just upgrading computers"
ldo17 19th Oct
@Rick_R The problem is that Microsoft is offering no help at all for these problems. Its only answer to "we're having problems with your old product" is "buy our new product".
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Cylon Centurion 18th Oct
@Bates_

@Rick_R has it. Time to look for new vendors, IMO.
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nero 6?
spdragoo@... 18th Oct
@ScorpioBlue

Scorpio, that's not Windows 7's fault. Trust me, I had Nero 6 work just fine...up until XP Service Pack 2 was released (possibly SP3). In either case, Nero 6 hasn't worked on my WinXP PC for a couple of years now. Expecting it to work in XP Compatibility Mode in Win7 is a pipe dream, unfortunately.
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I wouldn't necessarily disagree with you
ScorpioBlue Updated - 18th Oct
@spdragoo@...

@Cylon Centurion was touting the merits of compatibility mode around here. As if that's the panacea for getting old software to work on Windows 7. I merely pointed out that Nero 6 doesn't work through compatibility mode as an example of it not being an end-all, be-all.

On a side note, I used Nero 6 for the whole time I was using XP, up to and including SP3. The trick was not to update to newer versions of it that were buggy and produced errors. The AfterDawn forums had a big write up concerning Nero 6 and Nero Recode which I don't feel like looking it up for you right now. Google it and look for yourself if you want.
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Good to know
spdragoo@... 24th Oct
@ScorpioBlue

It's been a few years, so I don't remember if I updated Nero at the same time as whichever XP update caused the problem.. I know the same thing happened to our Print Shop program (version 6): we bought it with our Win98 machine, then when we bought the WinXP machine it worked for a couple of years but stopped working after a Windows update (possibly even after a Service Pack upgrade).
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On the contrary, 90% + of software is compatible with Windows 7
Gruffydd Updated - 18th Oct
@Bates_ Sorry, I do not believe for a minute your assertion about software compatibility with Windows 7. I even doubt that you or your "company" have hands-on-experience on Windows 7. Like many an IT "expert" you seem to be one of those who base your opinions and decisions on reading blogs and listening to other "experts" who, in turn, read other blogs, watercooler talk, and the like. In other words, just rumors, not the hard facts. Speaking of Windows XP mode, this is a great tool available FOR FREE to any user of Windows 7 and, as I have verified personally, it works fine. You can even run 16-bit applications (circa 1985). Windows XP mode runs seamlessly within Windows 7, in a virtual PC and by using "System Integration" features. It's probably the one thing that may talk a lot of hesitant Windows XP users into upgrading. If you care to know, I am using Windows 7 seven since 2009 and Windows XP since 2002 and know both systems extensively.
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Re: On the contrary, 90% + of software is compatible with Windows 7
ldo17 19th Oct
@Gruffydd If 90% compatibility were sufficient, companies could simply continue running their stuff under WINE on Linux. The problem is it isn't. Mission-critical stuff really does need 100%+ compatibility. They can't get that if they move off Windows XP. Companies like Microsoft just don't seem to understand how important this is to their customers.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Michael Alan Goff 20th Oct
Even the stuff that WINE runs, it doesn't run well.

WINE is a joke.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
ScorpioBlue 20th Oct
WINE is a joke.

How do you know? You've never used it.

And I'm still waiting for you to post your full biography here. wink
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Michael Alan Goff 20th Oct
How would you know if I've used it?

And why do you want my full biography?
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
ScorpioBlue 22nd Oct
How would you know if I've used it?

Because you made a generalized statement and talk from ignorance, that's why.

And why do you want my full biography?

Well you already supplied your made-up story in another thread. Or did you forget that?

Or are you just playing dumb like you've done many times before? Ya know...when you're playing your petulant little self.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Michael Alan Goff 23rd Oct
Actually, I wrote that particular post before I looked back at the other tab and started to write out my small life-story. I should have edited that part out, but I didn't think you would make any big deal about it. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

I will admit that there were likely times in the past that I spoke out of ignorance. We all have. There isn't a person who posts here that isn't ignorant about a subject.

Also, I humbly request that you stop misusing the word petulant. As I said in my other post, there are a lot of ways to insult me. Petulant is not on that long list, however.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
ScorpioBlue 24th Oct
Also, I humbly request that you stop misusing the word petulant. As I said in my other post, there are a lot of ways to insult me. Petulant is not on that long list, however.

Well then stop being petulant. That way I won't say it.

Duh.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
james.vandamme 25th Oct
@Bates_ Try running it on Wine.
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Lies and FUD
xp-client 18th Oct
"Independent software vendors have stopped testing new versions of applications on XP." Really? Only Microsoft is doing that. Everyone else in the industry is supporting XP. Stop spreading FUD.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Cylon Centurion 18th Oct
@anonymuos

I think what they're saying is that there is no guarantees XP will run the new software at all. With XP final days quickly approaching, vendors looking to stay in business will be focusing more on Windows 7 compatibility, than XP. Now that Windows 7 is on a majority of the world's computers, it only makes sense.
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Yup. Windows XP (35.21%) of installed base
Telexer 18th Oct
@anonymuos
Exactly. What business is going to concede 35% of installed base?

Stats from Wikipedia
Windows XP (35.21%)
Windows 7 (31.21%)
Windows Vista (11.27%)
Mac OS X (7.31%)
iOS (3.38%)
Android (1.30%)
Linux (1.11%)
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They're still a lot of XP versions of software out there
ScorpioBlue 18th Oct
And they aren't gonna end it all at a drop of a hat.

@Cylon Centurion, you really need to start blaming Microsoft for once. They were the ones who abandoned Longhorn back in 2003-2004 and caused their OS development to be three years behind, further monopolizing the XP ecosystem to a point where it's now downright difficult and expensive to upgrade.

XP was around for too long, so you need to ask yourself who caused that situation. The truth about that just might set you free.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
michaellashinsky@... 21st Oct
@ScorpioBlue

I agree that MS is to blame for a lot of the problems.

I do not agree that XP has been around too long. XP wasn't very good before sp2, so as far as I am concerned, the XP clock only started running after SP2. It was buggy and annoyed me to no end. I wasn't happy using XP until after SP2. Furthermore, I prefer mature software. (Like after SP2...) Let other people work out the bugs. I will buy in when it has become stable.

I am of the opinion that we don't need 7 and we certainly didn't need Vista. XP does everything I want, and does it well. (*I do like the windows handling in 7, but I don't think that justifies a new OS.) I would personally prefer that MS continue to refine and improve XP for years to come. Of course, MS doesn't see that as a money making strategy, so it won't happen. Well, at least the consumer is second on Microsoft's list. (Third? Fourth? Are we in there at all?)
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Cylon Centurion 18th Oct
If there's any one reason to drop XP ASAP, it's this.

Even with incompatible software, there simply is no reason to still be using XP on company machines for that reason alone. It's not too hard to virtualize nowadays. I think the ROI on the security and stability upgrades would speak for its own.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
ScorpioBlue 18th Oct
Even with incompatible software, there simply is no reason to still be using XP on company machines for that reason alone.

Sure there is. It's called money. If they don't have to spend the money now, they will in 2014.

I predict there will still be 25% usage by the time MS cuts XP off. That's huge. But then XP has been around a lot longer than any OS. You can blame MS for that.

It's not too hard to virtualize nowadays.

That requires additional hardware cost to run that and I doubt they'll pay for it until it's time to replace the machines. You'll be surprised how many P4s and Core Duos are still out there.

I think the ROI on the security and stability upgrades would speak for its own.

The short term quarterly overhead is what counts to the bean counters. Many won't change until the last minute when they have to.
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RE: the ROI on the security and stability upgrades would speak for its own
fatman65536 Updated - 18th Oct
@Cylon Centurion

I will tell you what "spoke" to me at a potential employer, that caused me NOT to accept their job offer. It was: "We can't afford to spend money on replacing computers and software that are still working".

I happened to notice what kind of car he drove (a new BMW); and suddenly realized what their priorities were - executive perks first .

It was a good thing that I did not accept their offer, because I heard through the grapevine that one of their clueless lusers had gotten their entire network infected; and the cost to clean it up was not cheap.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
michaellashinsky@... Updated - 21st Oct
@Cylon Centurion

I am running XP at home with an OLD version of Symantec AV, (it still updates,) and it keeps chugging along fine, doing everything I need to do at home. The AV occasionally finds some infected files and prompts me, and I delete them and keep on running fine.

My Windows 7 machine at work just got hit with something and screwed it up pretty bad. I do this for a living, and I don't know what it was or how it got in. It ran buggy before that, so after cleaning the machine, I backed up my work files and reformatted. I reinstalled 7 last week, and installed most of the utilities and settings all the way I need it to get work done. This morning my computer wouldn't start, instead spending the next two hours going through self repair functions and several reboot attempts before I could use it again. It's a good thing I have a reliable XP machine next to it. That is what I did my morning's work on.

I have been running 7 for a few months now, and I have had to fuss over it way more than I have ever fussed over an XP machine. There may still be other factors in play I haven't identified yet, but I am not finding Windows 7 to be the rock solid bullet proof power user's system it is supposed to be. Maybe when they get to Win7 SP2, it will be better for me.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
paul2011 18th Oct
I am still using XP on 5 year old computer at work and it really sucks. I do not understand why some people love XP so much. Maybe they are like rats in a toilet. It stinks and all but the world outside seems very unfriendly happy
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They'll have to pry it from my cold dead fingers
GrimmReaperSound 18th Oct
So what is so wrong with wanting to keep XP? It works well and I don't need Win7's new features. Give us an open license number so that we can activate a fresh install or keep selling it (without support of course)...but that would be too easy and not evil enough for Darth Balmer.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Cylon Centurion 18th Oct
@GrimmReaperSound

So, you're more than willing to run a 2001 OS on 2011 onward hardware? You're more than willing to continue using an OS that is no longer updated? Sure, you have Chrome or Firefox, but even with the latest releases, you're not getting the performance or features (especially proper hardware acceleration) that Windows 7 users are getting.
And, you're more than willing to continue selling an OS that has more security issues than not? You're doing a huge disfavor to your customers there.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
michaellashinsky@... 27th Oct
@GrimmReaperSound

Darth Balmer! LOL! Balmer's head is way shinier than Vader's helmet.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
gregebert 18th Oct
To-date, I've recycled 3 systems that became uselessly slow with the piles of XP patches, and moved them to Ubuntu where they are working beautifully, with plenty of speed & memory to spare.

As an experiment, I did a fresh install of XP with the original system disk, and (no surprise) the system worked very well. Of course, I would never use it this way because it's so vulnerable to attacks.

I had a similar experience w/ Vista; it had been running just fine for about 2 years, then it got very slow so I had to upgrade to Win7.

So I wonder: When is there going to be a class-action suit against Microslop for sabotaging their aging OS's, thereby forcing you to buy an upgrade, or buy a new system (which includes an OS purchase) ?
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
croberts 18th Oct
@gregebert

I guess I'll point out the obvious logical assumption that the reason the system is slower is because the patches and fixes add complexity which, had it been there at the start, would have made XP run at the same speed all along.

But of course if you believe otherwise, I'm sure you can find aluminium foil at your grocery store.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
michaellashinsky@... 21st Oct
@gregebert

I think it is more than just the patched and updates that slow the system down. I believe that if you did a clean install, then fully patched one of those old machines, it would still be faster than it was before the reformat. Software often doesn't uninstall properly, the registry gets mucked up, etc... there are a lot of things that happen on a PC over the years besides the patches from MS.

Also, I am not saying that MS wouldn't sabotage XP with patches or other methods to force an upgrade. I have seen them do lots of unethical things over the years.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
loupcweek@... 18th Oct
Problem with many SMB's is the purchased PC with XP and it still works fine and there is no $$ replace them all.
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RE: there is no $$ replace them all
fatman65536 Updated - 18th Oct
@loupcweek@...

Or, sir, they will not be replaced UNTIL they fail; and then only those that have actually failed. A SMB can decide to either keep its cash, or hand it over to the hardware vendors and M$; and many are not willing to part with their $$$$.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Cylon Centurion 18th Oct
@fatman65536

Someone needs to revoke your $$$ privileges.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
jamesm@... 18th Oct
You say "Independent software vendors have stopped testing new versions of applications on XP." I think this is horseshit and total fear-mongering.

No intelligent software vendor ignores 50% of the market. This is the sort of hurry up and buy FUD and fear-mongering once used on dim managers in large corporations, by the likes of IBM and AT&T.

A real STUPID statement like that exposes your rah-rah sales pitch. Good By, you are the weakest link.
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They do with cars, though.
spdragoo@... 18th Oct
@jamesm@...

While I can walk into a nearby Wal-Mart or Meijer & pick up an air filter or new headlight for my relatively-new 2002 Chevy Malibu, I can't do the same thing if I owned a 1968 Mustang. Why? Because the parts aren't being mass-produced anymore. Except for a few specialty manufacturers that cater to a somewhat exclusive clientele, there's no profit in most vendors making the parts anymore.

Or to put it into pespective...when was the last time you walked into Best Buy & saw a brand-new game being released for the Nintendo Gamecube? Sega Dreamcast? Sega Genesis? Nintendo 64? Super Nintendo? Nintendo NES? Atari 2600? Coleco's Colecovision system or Adam computer? Years, if not a decade or so for the older ones, *because they're obsolete*. Just like Windows 95/98 before it, Windows XP is quickly becoming obsolete, which means that developers will start shifting from developing XP-compatible apps to Vista/7-compatible apps, because the XP market is *shrinking*. Shrinking market = fewer future customers = lower future profits if you don't shift. Any vendor that ignores that will find themselves out of business.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
Regats 18th Oct
XP works just fine.
I don't need the bloat and useless features of W7
and everything is running smoothly.

I downloaded some "security updates" and they severely slowed down my machine. As always, I did a Sys Restore save before the "updates" and was able to get my machine back to its normal speed.

So as of now, I will refuse any more alleged security updates. I don't trust these guys.
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RE: Clock ticks on Microsoft's Windows XP stragglers
vahnx 31st Oct
Whats Windows XP? :S

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