New Delhi: Microsoft on Tuesday urged its customers to upgrade from Windows 98 as it ended customer support for Windows 98 and Millennium Edition operating systems as part of its 'product lifecycle policy'.
The technology giant said the product was 'outdated' and could expose users to security risks. It has also ceased technical support for Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows Me. Microsoft's website will, however, still offer help and advice for customers who continue using the software.
According to unofficial estimates, over 70 million users of Windows 98 will now no longer be able to avail of telephone customer or technical support from Microsoft, and the firm has stopped providing security updates from Tuesday.
"These products have reached the point of architectural obsolescence," a Microsoft official said.
"It would be irresponsible to convey a false sense of security by extending public support for this old product."
Microsoft said existing support documents and content collated over the lifespan of the software will continue to be available through its Support Product Solution Centre website.
Microsoft had originally planned to scrap Windows 98 and ME support in 2003, but the services were continued on a paid-for basis because of protests from customers.
The software giant is now encouraging users of outdated systems to upgrade to Windows XP and warned that users of the older systems could now be exposing themselves to security risks.
It is believed most large firms will have upgraded their operating systems either by, or soon after, the original 2003 date, but the concern is that many home users and a lot of small businesses are still running Windows 98.
Microsoft Millennium Edition came bundled with laptop computers in the late '90s and many of these computers are not powerful enough to smoothly run the more up to date packages.
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