MaximumPC said:We're not sure why anyone would choose to kick it with Vista, but if you absolutely refuse to step up to Windows 7, you're going to want to make sure you've installed one of the available Service Packs. As of yesterday, Microsoft cut off support for unpatched copies of Vista, putting the original OS out to pasture.
"Under the former service pack support policy, when a service pack reached the end of support, customers were no longer eligible to receive troubleshooting help from Microsoft Customer Service and Support, including assisted telephone support, security updates, or non-security hotfixes," Microsoft said in a blog post.
In the same blog post, Microsoft also announced that it has updated its Service Pack Support policy to provide customers with limited troubleshooting on unsupported service pack versions. This "limited troubleshooting" includes:
On a side note, Microsoft isn't pulling the plug for support on Windows XP SP2 or all versions of Windows 2000 until July.
- Break/fix support incidents will be provided through Microsoft Customer Service and Support; and through Microsoft’s managed support offerings (such as Premier Support).
- There will be no option to engage Microsoft’s product development resources, and technical workarounds may be limited or not available.
- If the support incident requires escalation to development for further guidance, requires a hotfix, or requires a security update, customers will be asked to upgrade to a supported service pack.
Microsoft Euthanizes Original Vista, Better Install that Service Pack | Maximum PC