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MSE Support policy question


caymanfleck

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Just wondering if anyone has any information on what the support policy is on Microsoft Security Essentials...How long will definition updates be available? It seems like they could (in theory) be available indefinately...but I wonder if there will be an 'artificial' cut off date, like XP extended support cut-off. Any thoughts?

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like XP extended support cut-off

You make it sound like dropping support for any product is unexpected. XP is a decade old and 2 versions out of date, that's why support will eventually end. Expect the same out of other products. If MS eventually discontinues MSE (or replaces it with something newer), then eventually support will vanish too (just like every company does)

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All cut-off dates are artificial, because the vendor doesn't want to keep paying people to support something once there are multiple newer versions out - Microsoft has the longest OS support cycles of anyone in the industry, and they're 100% transparent about cut-off dates (Windows 2000 has been supported since early 2000, and will end 10 years later in July of this year for 10 full years of support, and Windows XP will be supported until 2014 from 2001, so 13 years!). Given the way Microsoft handles things like IE6 on Windows 2000, or IE7 and IE8 on XP (they follow the OS lifecycle, don't have one of their own), I would wager a guess that as long as Microsoft continues to make security essentials, they'll support it on the OS it's installed on until the support for that OS ends. It's how they handle things like IE, Windows Media Player, etc - so it would at least seem most likely that they would follow that tact with MSE as well - support the current version until a new version is released (and then likely 12 months for the "old" version until it expires), and supported on the OS it installs on until that OS support ends.

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All cut-off dates are artificial, because the vendor doesn't want to keep paying people to support something once there are multiple newer versions out - Microsoft has the longest OS support cycles of anyone in the industry, and they're 100% transparent about cut-off dates (Windows 2000 has been supported since early 2000, and will end 10 years later in July of this year for 10 full years of support, and Windows XP will be supported until 2014 from 2001, so 13 years!). Given the way Microsoft handles things like IE6 on Windows 2000, or IE7 and IE8 on XP (they follow the OS lifecycle, don't have one of their own), I would wager a guess that as long as Microsoft continues to make security essentials, they'll support it on the OS it's installed on until the support for that OS ends. It's how they handle things like IE, Windows Media Player, etc - so it would at least seem most likely that they would follow that tact with MSE as well - support the current version until a new version is released (and then likely 12 months for the "old" version until it expires), and supported on the OS it installs on until that OS support ends.

That's what I figured, but MSE seems to be a slightly different case. It is the same program that runs on several platforms (XP, Vista, 7) so the definitions are the same for all. This was making me think that definitions would continue to be available past XP's cutoff, on the basis that the same definitions will be available for the other platforms.

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That's what I figured, but MSE seems to be a slightly different case. It is the same program that runs on several platforms (XP, Vista, 7) so the definitions are the same for all. This was making me think that definitions would continue to be available past XP's cutoff, on the basis that the same definitions will be available for the other platforms.

We are not in any way affiliated with Microsoft, all we can do here at MSFN.org is make guesses based on past history. The only true answer we can give is that we do not know when definitions will stop.

Do use the program or do not, there is no try guarantee. Yoda_Emoticon_by_jaredm.gif

I guess you have to weigh the price you paid (free) versus the possibility of it no longer being supported 4 years in the future. Is it worth it to install this product if you only have 4 years before it will be discontinued. Will you still be running XP in 4 years or will you own a new machine by then ?

Or will Microsoft create new product to replace this in the next 4 years, while discontinuing this one. Guess we can only wait and see.

Edited by MrJinje
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That's what I figured, but MSE seems to be a slightly different case. It is the same program that runs on several platforms (XP, Vista, 7) so the definitions are the same for all. This was making me think that definitions would continue to be available past XP's cutoff, on the basis that the same definitions will be available for the other platforms.
It's actually not that different from one of my examples, Internet Explorer - specifically, IE8. It also runs on XP, Vista, and Win7, and will be supported on XP until XP's support EOL's in 2014. Hence why I think it will likely see the same support boundaries (it's not specifically listed on the lifecycle yet, only the MSE OEM pack is).
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