Microsoft to continue support for older Windows systems

WASHINGTON: Microsoft has decided not to discontinue technical support for some older Windows operating systems, such as the popular Windows 98 because some of its customers in the Third World may not be aware of the change.

Support for Windows 98 and Windows 98 S.E. was scheduled to expire on 16 January and for Windows Millennium Edition on December 31 this year. Under the new decision, Microsoft will maintain paid phone support for the operating systems and review security threats to determine whether it will provide customers with security patches through June 30, 2006.

“While we’ve done an excellent job communicating our life cycle policy for most of our products, we have found that we could use more time to communicate those guidelines in a handful of smaller markets,” including Kazakhstan, the Ivory Coast and Slovenia, Microsoft spokesman Matt Pilla told the Associated Press.

About 20 percent of all Windows-based computers still run Windows 95 or 98, according to International Data Corp., a technology market research firm. Support for Windows 95 ended in 2001. Since October 15, 2002, Microsoft has offered seven years of support for its new products. Before that, it offered four. —Khalid Hasan

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