While Microsoft Corp.'s Windows team is laser-focused on Longhorn, many Windows users are more concerned with older versions of Windows, for which the support-clock is ticking away.
Mainstream support from Microsoft for Windows NT 4.0 ended on December 30, and the Redmond, Wash., software maker is set to phase out mainstream support for its Windows 2000 client and server releases on June 30.
Microsoft divides its support lifecycle into two phases: Mainstream and extended. Once a product enters the extended support period, Microsoft charges for support. Microsoft continues to provide security-specific hot fixes for products during extended support, but nonsecurity hot fixes may be obtained for extended-support products only by purchasing an "extended hot-fix agreement."
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