Windows2000 End-of-life Information

Windows 2000 End-of-life Q&A

As SCS Computing Facilities begins to phase in support for Windows Vista, support for Windows 2000 is being phased out. Beginning August 1, 2008 SCS Computing Facilities will only offer full support for Microsoft Windows XP and Vista.

Thus plans need to be made for existing Windows 2000 systems. Most, if not all, of these Windows 2000 systems do not meet our recommended minimum hardware requirements for Windows Vista. That being the case, we are advising users that wish to keep these systems to migrate to Windows XP.

Is my system too old to run Windows XP?

Most systems that are running Windows 2000 will support Windows XP.

My hard drive is almost full. Can I still migrate?

Since this migration comes at our recommendation, SCS Computing Facilities will work with you regarding your space issues, even going so far as to upgrade your hard drive if necessary.

Will I lose any of my data and/or programs?

The PC Engineering Team is strongly recommending that users allow us to perform a clean installation of Windows XP. This will involve moving all user data and reinstalling all of the SCS Baseline software.

Software on an existing system that is not part of the baseline will need to be reinstalled by the user.
Systems running Office 2000 will be upgraded to Office 2003 (or Office 2007 by request.)

I really don't want to reinstall all of my extra software, is there anything else I can do?

It is possible to upgrade a system from Windows 2000 to Windows XP without doing a clean installation. This method greatly increases the likelihood that there will be immediate or future problems with the system (non-functioning hardware, upgrade failure, etc.) It is also likely that upgrades will take significantly longer than clean installations due to the fact that a comprehensive backup of the system would be made prior to this process. But for those few who may opt for an upgrade, software settings (email, etc.) and installations (Adobe Acrobat Professional, eMacs, etc) would be preserved. Again, due to the number of risks involved, we strongly advise against opting for an upgrade.

Why are you doing this again?

Microsoft has announced the end of advanced support for Windows 2000. This means that soon Microsoft will no longer develop and issue security patches for this operating system.

Do I have to do this?

In short, the answer is no. However systems running Windows 2000 after August 1, 2008 will no longer be eligible for hardware or software support by SCS Computing Facilities. Network support will still be offered. However users should be aware that they will be responsible for maintaining the security of these computers (patches while available, etc.) on their own. Any system found to have been compromised will be removed from the network per network usage policy www.cs.cmu.edu/~help/networking/net_use.html

I am also responsible for a Windows 2000 Server. Is this affected as well?

During this phase of our Win2k operation, we are only working on PCs. Given that migration of servers is much more complex and likely requires extensive planning, this process will be addressed separately. However, it is probably a good idea to start making a note of the impact this pending migration will have on your operations.