Manufacturers will no longer be able to pre-install Windows XP Home on new netbook PCs, according to a recent Windows Blog post. While Microsoft has warned of an end to the operating system in the past, this post promises users that as of October 22, 2010, all new computers will now feature Windows 7.
Microsoft explains that a majority of customers will not be affected by the change, as many PC makers have already been actively manufacturing and selling a broad set of Windows 7 netbooks since the new operating system was released in October 2009.
According to NPD’s Retail Tracking Service by April 2010, of netbook units sold at retail in the United States, 81 percent came with Windows 7 preinstalled.
But does this mean the end of XP? Not really. However, for users who wish to continue to run the nearly decade-old operating system, an upgrade is in order soon—as of July 13, 2010 Windows XP SP2 will no longer be supported.
Of course, current XP users are encouraged to upgrade to Windows 7, but they also have the option of obtaining the latest Windows XP (Service Pack 3) available via the Microsoft Update website (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/default.aspx) so that they may run a supported version of Windows.
This update will buy die-hard XP users a few more years, as support for Service Pack 3 will continue through April 2014.
