Microsoft's Mainstream and Extended support

pradeep.pawar

@pradeeppawar-RAMDdD • Oct 19, 2024

Oct 19, 2024

1.2K

Hello people please help me in getting the difference between them.
Thanks in advance.

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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 6, 2013

pradeep.pawar
Hello people please help me in getting the difference between them.
Thanks in advance.
I quickly read Microsoft's official document on their support life cycle and found the following basic difference:-

1. When Microsoft releases any business product, they offer 'mainstream' support, aka full support to the product for about 10 years. But given the faster iteration cycles they have, the promise that the minimum period for which they will support any product is 5 years. So if you buy Visual Studio from Microsoft; you will get support for 5 years. The price of which may or may not be included in the price of the product.

2. When Microsoft releases a new version of the product, Microsoft says that it will offer 'extended' support to the 'earlier' version for about 2 years.

Let me explain with example (may not be 100% correct, but should give you an idea) :-

Microsoft releases Windows 7 and offers 5 years of support with it; called 'Mainstream Support'. But 4 years after the release of Windows 7, Microsoft announces Windows 8. In this case Microsoft will offer 'Mainstream Support' to Windows 8 along with 'extended support' to Windows 7 for 2 more years.

You can read more on following page on Microsoft.com: #-Link-Snipped-# . If you have questions, please post them here so that we can look to solve them.

Update: Here's how these two types of supports actually work for Windows lineup:

#-Link-Snipped-#

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pradeep.pawar

@pradeeppawar-RAMDdD • Jul 7, 2013

Thanks you sir the example i still found correct.
Also one thing to know installing OEM version of windows\on any other assembled machine and not machine like dell or hp is the violation of the license?
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 7, 2013

pradeep.pawar
Thanks you sir the example i still found correct.
Also one thing to know installing OEM version of windows\on any other assembled machine and not machine like dell or hp is the violation of the license?
Don't take my word for this: but I can say with some certainty that OEM packs are bundled in the hardware packages. So my guess is that in 99% of the cases, you won't be allowed to installed in on assembled machines.

On the other hand, you can buy a retail version and depending on the number of installations allowed; you can set it up on a number of machines.
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pradeep.pawar

@pradeeppawar-RAMDdD • Jul 7, 2013

So if I have to install a licensed windows copy then I have to buy a retail version and OEMs are provided by the PC makers to us which cant be installed on another hardware like assembled ones.
Thanks for the clarification😀
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 7, 2013

#-Link-Snipped-# - you should really verify this from Microsoft's official website.

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pradeep.pawar

@pradeeppawar-RAMDdD • Jul 22, 2013

Sure.thanks
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Nayan Goenka

@nayan-Dhpt4N • Jul 24, 2013

for an easier explanation

Any product purchased from any vendor comes with a full support for a stipulated time- lets say 5 years. If that company releases another software within those 5 years which is enhanced version of the previous one, They are supposed to give you some sort of offer to upgrade your product to the better one and get your support transferred to norms of the new one. This is Mainstream support. On the other hand, During the mainstream period, if you wish you can pay extra and extended your support time. like 5+2. this is extended.

When windows 8 was released, all the genuine windows 7 users who purchased it within 6 months were given a heavy discount offer at ₹700-800 to upgrade to windows 8. This was extending the mainstream support. But for the windows 7 users, they can extend their support by paying extra. that is pure extended support
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pradeep.pawar

@pradeeppawar-RAMDdD • Aug 5, 2013

Thanks Nayan😀
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Nayan Goenka

@nayan-Dhpt4N • Aug 5, 2013

pradeep.pawar
Thanks Nayan😀

Pleasure 😁
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