Microsoft Ending Windows XP SP2 & Vista RTM Support Soon

Those users running the 32-bit version of Windows XP with SP2 or Vista RTM may want to consider an upgrade to Windows 7 or a newer service pack as Microsoft’s support for Vista RTM ends on April 13, 2010, and the support for XP SP2 (x86) ends on July 13, 2010. The 64-bit version of XP SP2 doesn’t lose support until April 8, 2014, as there is no SP3 and SP2 remains the latest version.

Although your system will not stop running once it loses support, Windows Update will no longer provide software updates. As a result, computers that lose support are at risk of not downloading the latest security patches and may become vulnerable to threats. To continue receiving updates, users can either upgrade to Windows 7 (which is fully supported), Windows Vista running SP1 or later, or Windows XP running SP3 (on an x86 system). All service pack upgrades are free to genuine users of Windows, although a system upgrade may cost you. Users who are looking learn more should take a look at Microsoft’s official page. You can also use that page to upgrade your service pack or system.

If you are unsure what version of Windows you are running, Microsoft provides a discovery method here. You can also find out whether your system is 32-bit or 64-bit here.