WinXP End of Service Agreement

Discussions around the setup, operation, replacement, and disposal of clerk computers, not to include using MLS
darkstar64
New Member
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 1:42 pm

Re: WinXP End of Service Agreement

#11

Post by darkstar64 »

I am the ward clerk for my ward but the SP and I have been close friends for many years and we talk about many things, some church-related and some not church-related. He asked me after the Priesthood session of conference how work was going and I related how we are busy upgrading/replacing when necessary about 250 workstations (roughly half of the workstations in our building alone, company wide the number is in the thousands) because of the XP end of service next April 2014. When he heard this, he grew concerned about the situation in our Stake in which every machine is an XP machine. This led to the question that I posed here.

I will relate everything I have heard here and ease his mind about the matter.

Admittedly, much of my concern was because the company I work for is very pro-active when it comes to technology which is why we will we done replacing our machines way before the deadline.
russellhltn
Community Administrator
Posts: 34418
Joined: Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:53 pm
Location: U.S.

Re: WinXP End of Service Agreement

#12

Post by russellhltn »

I got curious about a few things, so I looked it up. Win7 was generally available on October 22, 2009. Computers ordered after that date should have a Win7 license on them, even if they were delivered with XP.

I think the April 2014 date is the last "patch Tuesday" for WinXP, so unless a major flaw is found, it won't really get stale until the following month. So that leaves about a 5 month gap where new computers ordered by the church won't have a Win7 license sticker and won't hit their 5th birthday before May 2014.

I found that the 5-year replacement program was announced on March 5, 2004. (A cover letter is dated June 30, 2004). So late 2009/early 2010 is about where I'd a major wave of computer replacements to hit. I'm not sure how many got their replacements then as that was around the time that FM tried to stagger things. Seems like FMG might have done us a favor in the long run.

So those who replaced promptly in 2009 might be in a bind. Somehow I don't think it's cost-justifiable to buy Win7 to extend a machines life for a few months. So unless the computers get replaced early, the choices are:
  • Live with WinXP and trust the combination of Sophos, the firewall and user restraint to keep things safe.
  • Use Vista (Which I don't think is supported by Local Unit Support.)
This should be interesting.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
Post Reply

Return to “Clerk Computers”