Poor old Windows XP has been given yet another reprieve as Microsoft extends the deadline for users to downgrade from Vista on systems supplied by large manufacturers to 31st July, 2009. 

Retail XP Professional shipments ceased at the end of June this year, but companies including Dell and HP are still shipping factory 'downgraded' systems to business users.
 
"As more customers make the move to Windows Vista, we want to make sure that they are making that transition with confidence and that it is as smooth as possible," said a Microsoft spokesperson. "Providing downgrade media for a few more months is part of that commitment."

Windows XP Home will continue to be available on mini notebooks until the middle of 2010 and the company promises to provide automatic security updates for all flavours of XP until 2014, or even longer.

With Vista's successor, Windows 7, due at the beginning of 2010, it looks very much as if poor old XP will be kept on life support for the foreseeable future, perhaps even beyond the demise of Vista.

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