The new Windows lifecycle fact sheet

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Microsoft just posted a FAQ that covers the latest Windows expiration date shenanigans. Translator: “Feature update” = new version. “Service” = gets s
[See the full post at: The new Windows lifecycle fact sheet]

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abbodi86, ch100, Elly, WildBill, Laptop Boy, PhotM, Microfix

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I’ve said this before, the way they treat people on “Home” version of Windows 10. It should be free. Always, forever and never require a key to ‘activate’. As for the the remainder versions we pay for, well we have a laundry list of things they are ‘required’ to change to make it worth paying for.

sigh

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lurks about, Elly

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How to I get Windows Xp back on my Computer? I do not like Windows X Home. Too many problems with it

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Sorry, WinXP is out of service & dead. No chance to go back. If Win10 sucks for you (like it does for lots of others here), grab a copy of Win7 SP1 or Win8.1 & install it. Win7 has 16 months left before it reaches end of extended support. Win8.1 has 52 months left. Don’t hate 8.1 because 8 was Jekyll & Hyde. If Woody’s Windows 8.1 All-in-One is still available on Amazon, Buy It! You can customize 8.1 to act like 7 to your satisfaction. Plus if you Have to have a Menu, get Classic Shell or another product that makes it look like what you want.

Bought a refurbished Windows 10 64-bit, currently updated to 22H2. Have broke the AC adapter cord going to the 8.1 machine, but before that, coaxed it into charging. Need to buy new adapter if wish to continue using it.
Wild Bill Rides Again...

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well actually fresh install windows xp is pretty easy
and despite about the popular belief that
windows xp in not safe to use in 2018 is just bs
I saw a guide on youtube about
How to Stay Protected in Windows XP
The only obstacle is the new hardware
so if you go buy a new video card
then is not going to work in windows xp
for leak of compatible driver

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Translator:

“Feature update” = new version.
“Service” = gets security patches.
“Upon availability” = when our telemetry says your machine should be able to handle it.
“March” = April.
“September” = October.
“Home” = No guaranteed way to block version changes.

You forgot…

“based on your settings” means diddly-squat

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Steve, JCCWsusser, Cybertooth, Great Lake Bunyip, WildBill, woody, Microfix

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Why do September version releases get 30 months, or is that a generous typo?

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Noel Carboni

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I’d expect Enterprise and Education editions to get a longer release version for minimum disruption so, I wouldn’t think it’s a typo.

I choked on the smallprint..

Note: Not all features in an update will work on all devices. A device may not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, lacks current drivers, or is otherwise outside the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) support period.

Controlled PC obsolescence coming soon..

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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radosuaf, BobbyB, Great Lake Bunyip, Elly, woody

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Well, I mean, not being allowed to install updates might not be so much of a bad thing… it means that Microsoft won’t waste their time trying to force an update down your throat against your will.
That is, if they keep to their “claim” that your PC really can’t handle their update (and then it installs “by accident” and works flawlessly… oops!)

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It is scheduled to be a LTSB, long term service branch. But Microsoft does not like to be pinned down to one name, or even one definition for a given word. So your mileage may vary.

What is not made clear though, is the 30 months evaporates if you are not able to declare your desire to stay LTSB. When the next feature update is selected for your machine in only six months.

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Why are September releases considered special in this scheme?

Have I missed a key element here? I haven’t sensed that the past Fall updates have been particularly better than those released in the Spring.

It strikes me that 30 months sounds like a lot – as compared to 18 – but consider it against the 120+ month support lives for the past real Windows versions; you know, the ones that built the computing business world into what it is.

-Noel

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JCCWsusser

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It isn’t because they’re better. See Susan’s explanation of the, er, rationale in the next post.

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Noel Carboni

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Thanks, but unless I’m reading over something for which I have a blind spot (not impossible) I’m just not sensing a reason for treating the Fall updates as though they’re better or more serious or more supportable somehow… It almost seems as if they’re just making it more complicated because that causes people to be ever more inured in the Windows landscape.

-Noel

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I believe you understand it completely.

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Noel Carboni

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My take is that they realize enterprises will deploy each Fall and then jump to the next feature update two years later.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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Noel Carboni

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Noel, the September editions look like the “Second Edition” or “R2” of the release to me.
It fits to some extent with what I posted few times in relation to what I call “reference” editions, which means those accompanied by a full server release and Windows 10 LTSB/LTSC.
So far those versions, desktop and server are 1507 (this is a weird one and first try, the server while stable, was still pre-release at that time, so should be discarded from the counting), 1607 and soon to come 1809.
There is no good reason to postpone 1809 immediately after release, especially for home labs, testing, power users etc. if the intention is to keep it until its end of official life or beyond.
I personally kept up first with the insider edition installed in place since early 2015 until the first official release 1507 and upgraded ever after either immediately after the official release or in some instances few weeks before, which is possible and almost risk-free by following our friends forum at MDL. 🙂
My intention now is to stick with 1809 for a while (18-24 months), but this can change when 1903 will be getting closer…
In summary, the idea is that always follow the LTSB/LTSC and full (GUI) server release and use that version for maximum stability, even if in the current release edition, which is what I do.

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AlexEiffel, Noel Carboni

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ch100 wrote:

Noel, the September editions look like the “Second Edition” or “R2” of the release to me.

I honestly hope you’re right about that, because to be brutally honest v1803 is about the first time I’ve thought that Windows 10 brings enough to the party to begin to consider using it daily in place of my chosen system of Win 8.1.

The implication that v1809 will be all the more stable and polished could mean that I might just go over the speedbump. Might. I’m going to need a new workstation on which to do my main work before 2019 ends, so a nice, stable, hard working Windows 10 Workstation Edition release coinciding with that purchase could be good.

-Noel

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ch100

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1809 will inherently be given more love by Microsoft (in the medium term at least), because they have to support the full server release which will be 1809 too.
Server 2016 (1607) was too buggy for the first few months, but now it is in reasonable shape. Same with Windows 10 1607. It mostly applies to the Enterprise Edition, but the Pro versions (and Workstation version) should be almost the same with the known caveats.

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The fact we don’t have the final build yet and we’re more or less a month before going RTM doesn’t look too optimistic…

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I think Microsoft extends the life cycle on September Updates because they like to give their users an early Christmas present. Such a caring company………………

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I find it strange there is no mention of Windows 10S?
Edit: No doubt part of Education and Enterprise

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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Loved your breakdown chart of the Win10 time frames. Your translations: Spot On! MS also provided a table for Win8.1 & Win 7… meh. Typical end of support list. If you’re so disgusted with Win10 & are considering downgrading, review the paragraph on “Windows downgrade rights”. Pay attention to the MS links & know your processor & chipset setups. Translation: “Don’t be chintzy, don’t keep your old hardware & Don’t try to downgrade. Buy a New machine with Win10 & It’s All Good!” Double meh…

Bought a refurbished Windows 10 64-bit, currently updated to 22H2. Have broke the AC adapter cord going to the 8.1 machine, but before that, coaxed it into charging. Need to buy new adapter if wish to continue using it.
Wild Bill Rides Again...

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In a ZDNet.com article yesterday, Ed Bott suggested:

“For all intents and purposes, Microsoft is adopting a release cadence that is strikingly similar to what Linux users are already familiar with. Ubuntu Linux, for example, has a nearly identical twice-yearly release schedule, offering Long Term Support (LTS) versions in the spring and interim releases in the fall.”

The full article is here:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-extends-support-cycle-for-windows-10-enterprise-customers/

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Ubuntu offers LTS versions every 2 years that are supported for 5 years. Realistically you can use an LTS for 4 years and migrate to the current LTS. Also, Ubuntu allows users to migrate to a new version when they are ready not when Ubuntu wants.

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Elly, WildBill, Cybertooth, MikeFromMarkham

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lurks about #216022 :

Also, I somewhat doubt that Ubuntu — and Linux distros in general — distinguish between “enterprise” users and the common folk. Or its creators are really planning to recast Ubuntu as “UaaS”.

Because if they were to do either thing, most of their users will fairy quickly (and rather painlessly) decamp to other distros. In the Linux world there are many other places for one to be, if one wanted to be elsewhere.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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lurks about, MikeFromMarkham

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You are correct that Linux distros do not differentiate between user types like MS does. Nor, to my knowledge, are any interested in LaaS like W10. A few distros do offer ‘spins’ based on them for more specialized users. These spins differ from the base desktop by having a set of applications that specialist users might want in addition. These spins are offered to anyone who wants them. The main advantage of the spins is one does not have to manually modify as much for the specialist application as one would the base desktop.

Many Linux distros that differentiate between user types have two releases: desktop and server. The differences between them are in the name and refer to the include applications that you would typically expect for a desktop or server. Otherwise there is no difference for each. All desktop releases are intended for anyone who needs typical desktop software.

Some such as Linux Mint have fixed releases and rolling releases. The difference is not the applications included but the release and update methods. Here the target audience is a little different. The fixed release, the more common one, is intended for users of all skill levels. The rolling release is intended for users with more skills as are all rolling releases.

OpenSUSE/SUSE do have an option to create your own ‘distro’ using OpenSUSE/SUSE as a base. Here the user can select the applications they want to include from those available. This tool is much easier to use than the traditional method of creating a custom derivative.

The key difference between Linux distros and Windows is Linux distros broadly separate users into three groups: desktop, server, or specialist. Desktop distros do not differentiate between home and business (a specific distro may be better suited to home or business); both get the same release. Server distros are just that, distros intended to used on servers. Specialist distros are a variety of niche distros that are useful for niche groups (Kali Linux for penetration testing for example).

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Steve, MikeFromMarkham, OscarCP, Jan K.

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lurks about: Thanks for explaining the various ways in which the Linux distros are released. I think it is very illuminating. People unfamiliar with Linux and contemplating to start using it in the not too distant future, as their big parting way of waving by-by to MS, really need to know this.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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Steve

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@woody

where’s Patch Lady’s “PINOCCHIO” scale? it should be displayed for this blog about MS’s new Windows lifecycle fact sheet.

Microsoft’s “new” Windows lifecycle fact sheet for Windows 10 – NOT simple!

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There is a guaranteed way to stop W10 Home updates/upgrades, block/disconnect network access.

This obviously works best if:

• Your machine dual boots (e.g. Linux or an older version of Windows)
• Runs W10 as a VM
• You have another machine with a sane OS installed on it

After my W10 Home laptop and W10 Pro VM repeatedly failed to “upgrade” from 1703 to 1709, I disconnected them from our network.

They’ve run flawlessly ever since.

FWIW, my main PCs run W7 and Linux Mint MATE.

-lehnerus2000

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Sorry, WinXP is out of service & dead. No chance to go back. If Win10 sucks for you (like it does for lots of others here), grab a copy of Win7 SP1 or Win8.1 & install it.

Yes, I know it is out of service. But it is not dead. I work for company that still use it and pays MS service fees to get updates for it. MS release meltdown and spectre for it after pay for it. I wonder if I could take those updates and install on my old XP that is in the basement. Might have to try and see if it works. Windows 10 is a very bad OS. Too many problems with it. This is one of the main reason for wanting to go back to it since the company I work for still use it.

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So no-one noticed that the servicing of versions is of a similar timescale to Moore’s Law (observation made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore) with the exception of Enterprise/ Education. Software and hardware breakthroughs keeping the vision of Moore’s law alive.

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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