Microsoft Extended Support Definition

According to Microsoft Support, the term "extended support" refers to the phase of assistance offered by Microsoft for software following the end of the warranty and support period provided on the date of purchase.

Support

Microsoft support is offered on all Microsoft products purchased. Mainstream support is offered for five years following the date of purchase or for up to two years following the release of a products successor. According to Microsoft Support, extended support continues for a further five years or two years after the release of a second successor product, following the end of the mainstream support period.

Covered

Arts Technica reports extended support from Microsoft reduces the options for free advice and updates from Microsoft. Extended support does not include no-charge hot fixes and charges by the hour for incident support. The extended support phase does include security updates for no charge.

Use

Microsoft extended support is only available for business and developer software, according to Microsoft Support. Consumer and hardware products do not have the option of being covered by an extended support phase.

References

• Microsoft Support: Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ
• Arts Technica: Microsoft Announces Extended Support for XP

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish