Windows Vista users now have less than 30 days to migrate to a newer Windows version, as Microsoft is pulling support for the old operating system on April 11. Windows Vista reached end of mainstream support on April 10, 2012, and the last security fixes released as part of extended support will be shipped in April.

"After April 11, 2017, Windows Vista customers will no longer receive new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content updates from Microsoft," Microsoft explains on a FAQ page for Windows Vista end of support.

Windows Vista's final date for security updates is April 11, 2017, while Office 2007 support ends on October 10, 2017.

Those are the two most prominent in a long list of Microsoft products reaching the end of the line next year. If you are, for some odd reason, still using Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 or Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Database Professionals, the time is now to begin letting go.

These end dates are also mileposts on Microsoft's road to the cloud.

As I've noted before, Microsoft has a well-established support lifecycle for its software products. It's basically an agreement that the company makes with everyone who commits to its core products, Windows (desktop and server) and Office.





