You can obtain Windows directly from Microsoft or from a retail store or your Windows may had come pre-installed from a computer manufacturer (like Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba, or other) or you may purchase the Volume License Key for Windows and install Windows.
If you had purchased your copy of Windows directly from Microsoft or retail store or if you are using the Volume License Key then there is a list of products for which Microsoft had discontinued support. They are
• Microsoft Windows 1.x - 2.x, Windows for Workgroups (WFW).
• Microsoft Windows 2.0 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Windows 3.0 Standard Edition
• Windows 95
• Windows 98
• Windows Millennium
• Windows NT 4
• Windows XP Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 1a
If your copy of Windows is listed above and your copy of Windows came pre-installed from the computer manufacturer then you may try contacting your computer manufacturer for any help options. The computer manufacturer has the technical resources available for troubleshooting issues and also for obtaining any replacement disks or manuals.
Currently Microsoft offers support for Windows 2000, Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, for few editions of Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Mobile 2003.
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Q. If support for Windows XP Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 1a is provided from Microsoft then will I never receive support from Microsoft?
A. You have to upgrade to Service Pack 2. You can obtain Service Pack 2 for free from Microsoft. You have to download it or you can turn on the automatic updates to install Service Pack 2 or you may try contacting Microsoft for obtaining Service Pack 2 on a disk.
Q. Will I receive support for Windows Vista?
A. Yes, Microsoft offers support for Windows Vista till 4/10/2012. In general if your copy of Windows Vista or Windows XP came pre-installed from a computer manufacturer then you may try contacting your computer manufacturer before contacting Microsoft because your any no-charge support options are tied up with your Computer manufacturer and Microsoft will charge you if you have a pre-installed copy of Windows (provided the support for the product is within mainstream or in extended support).
Q. How do I find if my product is in mainstream support line or extended support phase or if it is obsolute?
A. The following web page shows the support period for all Microsoft products:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectindex
After you click on your product, you will see the table with the heading "Products Released", "General Availability Date", "Mainstream Support Retired", "Extended Support Retired", "Service Pack Retired Notes"
If the corresponding date under "Mainstream Support Retired" is a valid one then you will receive free support from Microsoft (for retail copies of Windows). If the corresponding date under "Extended Support Retired" is a valid one then there will be a service charge.
Please note that if you purchase your copy of Microsoft Windows from a retail store or directly from Microsoft then you will be given free support based on that product. For example, if you had purchased Windows XP Home or Professional Edition then you will receive two support incidents. Microsoft will assist free of charge two times and the third time you contact Microsoft, you have to pay for the service (excluding the free services that are offered from Microsoft).
Q. If I have a pre-installed copy of Windows then will I have to pay Microsoft for all the issues?
A. There are few cases wherein Microsoft offers no-charge support. For instance, issues related to pre-installation and post-installation of updates (no matter if you own a retail copy or OEM copy of Windows), issues related to your computer infected by virus, at the time of release of Internet Explorer 7 Beta Microsoft offered free support to all customers. For more information, you may contact Microsoft.
Q. How do I contact Microsoft if I own a Spanish or other language version of Windows?
A. You have to contact the Microsoft local subsidiary in order to receive the support. Information related to contacting your local subsidiary is available at the following web link:
http://www.microsoft.com/worldwide/
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