Global InformationWindows XP information
| Version of the Windows NT operating system | |
 | |
 Screenshot of Windows XP running the Luna visual style, showing the start menu, taskbar, and My Computer window | |
| Developer | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Source model |
|
| Released to manufacturing | August 24, 2001[2] |
| General availability | October 25, 2001[2] |
| Final release | Service Pack 3 (5.1.2600.5512) / April 21, 2008[3] |
| Marketing target | Consumer and Business |
| Update method |
|
| Platforms | IA-32, x86-64, and Itanium |
| Kernel type | Hybrid (NT) |
| Userland |
|
| License | Proprietary commercial software |
| Preceded by |
|
| Succeeded by | Windows Vista (2007) |
| Official website | Windows XP (archived at Wayback Machine) |
| Support status | |
| Excludes Itanium and some embedded editions: Mainstream support ended on April 14, 2009.[4] Extended support ended on April 8, 2014.[4] Exceptions existed until April 9, 2019, see § Support lifecycle for details. | |
| Part of a series of articles on |
| Windows XP |
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Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and business users and Windows Me for home users, and is available for any devices running Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows Me that meet the new Windows XP system requirements.
Development of Windows XP began in the late 1990s under the codename "Neptune", built on the Windows NT kernel and explicitly intended for mainstream consumer use. An updated version of Windows 2000 was also initially planned for the business market. However, in January 2000, both projects were scrapped in favor of a single OS codenamed "Whistler", which would serve as a single platform for both consumer and business markets. As a result, Windows XP is the first consumer edition of Windows not based on the Windows 95 kernel or MS-DOS. Windows XP removed support for PC-98, i486 and SGI Visual Workstation 320 and 540 and will only run on 32-bit x86 CPUs and devices that use BIOS firmware.
Upon its release, Windows XP received critical acclaim, noting increased performance and stability (especially compared to Windows Me), a more intuitive user interface, improved hardware support, and expanded multimedia capabilities. Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 were succeeded by Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, released in 2007 and 2008, respectively. However, some criticisms of Windows XP were its security issues at launch, and many people believed their anti-piracy schemes had gone too far.
Mainstream support for the main Windows XP ended on April 14, 2009, and extended support ended on April 8, 2014. Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, based on an embedded version of Windows XP Professional, was the last supported version of Windows based on the Windows XP codebase, and received security updates until April 2019. Prior to the main Windows XP's end of support date, unofficial methods were made available to apply the updates to other editions of Windows XP. Microsoft has discouraged this practice, citing compatibility issues. Extended support for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 ended on April 9, 2019, marking the overall end of the Windows XP codebase after 18 years.[5]
Five years since the end of Windows XP's overall support date including the extended support of Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 (as of 2024), a large majority of PCs in Armenia still appear to be running Windows XP.[6][7] Few have also had some significant share, such as Colombia. As of 2024[update], globally, under 0.6% of Windows PCs[8] and 0.1% of all devices across all platforms continued to run Windows XP.
- ^ "Windows Licensing Programs". Microsoft. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
- ^ a b "An Inside Look at the Months-long Process of Getting Windows XP Ready for Release to Manufacturing | Stories". Microsoft Stories. Microsoft. August 24, 2001. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
- ^ Kelly, Gordon (April 16, 2008). "Windows XP SP3 Release Date(s) Confirmed". Trusted Reviews. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
lifecycle-dbwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Seltzer, Larry (May 26, 2014). "Registry hack enables continued updates for Windows XP". ZDNet. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
[UPDATE:] Late Monday we received a statement from a Microsoft spokesperson: We recently became aware of a hack that purportedly aims to provide security updates to Windows XP customers. The security updates that could be installed are intended for Windows Embedded and Windows Server 2003 customers and do not fully protect Windows XP customers. Windows XP customers also run a significant risk of functionality issues with their machines if they install these updates, as they are not tested against Windows XP. The best way for Windows XP customers to protect their systems is to upgrade to a more modern operating system, like Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.
- ^ "Desktop Windows Version Market Share Armenia". StatCounter Global Stats. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Desktop Windows Version Market Share in Armenia – September 2022". September 30, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "Desktop Windows Version Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter Global Stats. Retrieved January 24, 2024.