Microsoft to end Windows 98 support on 11 July

Corporate IT Update, July 11, 2006

CORPORATE IT UPDATE-(C)1995-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Around 70m users of the Windows 98 operating system from Microsoft have been urged by the software company to upgrade, as it ends its support for the software.

Microsoft said from 11 July 2006, it will no longer provide users with phone support for problems they may encounter when using Windows 98, which includes Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows Me (Millennium Edition). It will also stop providing Windows 98 security updates from the same date.

The company ended free support for Windows in 2003, but continued paid support and critical security updates, which will now end, although it will keep the support information collected on its website live until at least 11 July 2007. Most users are thought to be home users since the majority of large businesses have stopped using the operating system, although many small companies may still be using the product.

Microsoft claimed support is ending because the products are outdated and older operating systems can present security risks for users. The company suggested customers upgrade to a more secure system such as Windows XP.

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