This week marked the end of an era: Microsoft finally ended support for Windows Server 2008 , the operating system based on Windows Vista. The server operating system, codenamed Longhorn Server, had lasted nearly 18 years.
On January 13, support expired for customers who purchased Microsoft Premium Assurance, a paid program that extended security updates for six years.
Extended support for Windows Server 2008 officially ended on January 14, 2020, but several extension programs have extended the system’s lifecycle. Initially, Extended Security Updates allowed updates until January 10, 2023, then Azure added an additional year, until January 9, 2024. However, for Premium Assurance holders, support continued until this week.
The Premium Assurance program has long been discontinued and replaced with Extended Security Updates, but Microsoft has fulfilled its obligations to those who managed to purchase it.
With the release of the final patch, support for the entire Windows Vista source code ended. This operating system was distributed to manufacturers in 2006 and went on sale in 2007 , while the server version based on it was released in 2008. Online users have noticed a curious fact: updates for Vista take longer to arrive than for Windows XP , despite the operating system being much less widespread.
Meanwhile, in Windows 10, with the January 13 patch, Microsoft removed the drivers for several legacy modems: agrsm64.sys, agrsm.sys, smserl64.sys, and smserial.sys.
Hardware based on older Agere chipsets will no longer work with Windows. The company explained that these drivers contain vulnerabilities, and given their outdated nature, removing them is a more reasonable solution than releasing patches.
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