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Microsoft throws extended support lifeline for folk stuck on car-crash Windows 10 1809

Also: 2010 server products to survive into 2021 as overstretched admins given more breathing space

Reports of the death of The Update Of The Damned (aka Windows 10 1809) appear to have been premature as Microsoft flung a lifeline to those with a little too much on their plate.

A number of Microsoft products got a life extension late yesterday, but the most eye-catching is the move from 12 May 2020 to 10 November 2020 for Windows 10 1809's end of support. The delay affects the Home, Pro, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations, and IoT Core editions of Windows 10 1809 and is in light of Microsoft's evaluation of the public health situation and its impact.

Indeed, one IT administrator, welcoming the move, told The Register that hastily flung up remote-working infrastructure might struggle to handle a large update for thousands of machines, and a failure might leave a user with a borked workstation and no easy way of fixing it.

The rethink means that the OS, which was infamously pulled after a multitude of sins (including deleting user data), will continue to receive updates with the last occurring on 10 November 2020.

A number of Microsoft's 2010 server products also had a sip from the Redmond fountain of life. Sharepoint Foundation and Server 2010 saw its end of support moved from 13 October 2020 to 13 April 2021 as did Project Server 2010.

Microsoft's explanation was simple – IT teams were likely overloaded with other requests at the moment to deal with migrating off the legacy products while others might have found the move from on-premises to cloud trickier than first thought.

While Windows Server 1809 (Datacenter and Standard) has also had its support extended to 10 November 2020, there has been no such largesse for the company's already snuffed products. Those still running on the likes of Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 are advised to either migrate or pony up the cash for Extended Security Updates.

Similarly, while the disablement of Basic Authentication for Exchange Online has been postponed until the second half of 2021, the end of support for Exchange Server 2010 and its Office ilk is unchanged.

"We recognize," said Microsoft, "this is an evolving situation. We will continue to listen to our customers."

Except, presumably, those still clinging to Windows 7. ®

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