{"id":4975,"date":"2014-03-07T10:00:07","date_gmt":"2014-03-07T15:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=4975"},"modified":"2014-03-07T10:00:07","modified_gmt":"2014-03-07T15:00:07","slug":"microsoft-isnt-getting-help-from-its-friends-to-kill-xp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/03\/07\/microsoft-isnt-getting-help-from-its-friends-to-kill-xp\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft isn’t getting help from its friends to kill XP"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Microsoft grossly overestimated the loyalty of those it thought were its most steadfast customers when it asked for their help in getting friends and family members to dump Windows XP, a corporate communications expert said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with asking your customers for help,\u201d said Gene Grabowski, an executive vice president at Levick, a Washington, D.C. firm that specializes in crisis public relations and corporate reputation messaging. \u201cBut you have to establish loyalty before you ask them, and even then you have to structure [the request] so there is a distinct advantage to the customer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microsoft neither had the customer loyalty it had assumed it had, nor a plan that made the effort attractive to those it asked for assistance. \u201cEssentially, Microsoft was asking its customers to help it sell more product,\u201d Grabowski said.<\/p>\n

Grabowski was referring to the appeal Microsoft made Feb. 7, when it implored its technically astute customers to help others who are still running Windows XP get rid of the soon-to-be-retired operating system.<\/p>\n

Those same savvy users ridiculed the idea, saying that Microsoft\u2019s pitch\u2014which relied on upgrading Windows XP to Windows 8.1 or purchasing a new computer\u2014was unacceptable because they refused to recommend Windows 8.1. They also criticized Microsoft for not offering a discount on an upgrade, for not suggesting the older but more familiar Windows 7 as an alternative to Windows 8.1, and for not providing an upgrade path from XP to 8.1 that retained settings, files or applications.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem here is that Microsoft is behaving more like the \u2018Sopranos\u2019 than a technology company,\u201d Grabowski said. \u201cThey\u2019re shaking down their customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balk at arm-twisting<\/p>\n

Grabowski was scathing in his evaluation of Microsoft\u2019s long-planned, long-stated decision to stop providing security updates for Windows XP after April 8. That deadline\u2014Microsoft will officially retire the OS from support, although it will still run long after April 8\u2014has prompted the company to urge customers to either upgrade Windows or buy new hardware.<\/p>\n

Once Microsoft stops patching vulnerabilities in XP, users will be in the crosshairs of cyber criminals, Microsoft and security professionals have said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMicrosoft\u2019s warning its customers that if you don\u2019t upgrade, which you have to put sweat equity into\u2014not only do you have to pay, but you have to put in the time\u2014you\u2019re probably going to be hacked,\u201d Grabowski said. \u201cThey\u2019re asking customers to buy an upgrade or suffer the consequences. That\u2019s a shakedown to a lot of customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

While some, including industry analysts, have argued that Microsoft is obligated to secure its customers no matter how old the OS, a larger number have made the point that Microsoft has supported XP far longer than usual, for nearly 13 years rather than the usual ten, and because it\u2019s barraged customers with warnings for years, isn\u2019t honor bound to continue supporting the aged operating system forever.<\/p>\n

To some extent, the argument is moot either way, because many customers have the perception that they\u2019re being exploited, said Grabowski. And customers who feel that way are very unlikely to help Microsoft without a quid pro quo.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s starting to irk a lot of businesses, let alone home users, that Microsoft\u2019s asking them to dig into their pockets and learn a new OS,\u201d said Grabowski. \u201cThat frustrates those customers. Rather than get closer to its customers, Microsoft is alienating them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those miscalculations revealed that Microsoft had neither a clear idea of its customers\u2019 perspective nor a realistic strategy to reduce Windows XP\u2019s global footprint, Grabowski maintained.<\/p>\n

Full Story: Microsoft isn’t getting help from its friends to kill XP | PCWorld<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Microsoft grossly overestimated the loyalty of those it thought were its most steadfast customers when it asked for their help […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,11],"tags":[1134,1236],"class_list":["post-4975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-microsoft","category-windows","tag-upgrade","tag-windows-xp"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-1if","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9932,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2025\/05\/16\/microsoft-makes-70-billion-cuts-3-of-workforce\/","url_meta":{"origin":4975,"position":0},"title":"Microsoft Makes $70 Billion, Cuts 3% of Workforce","author":"NCCT","date":"May 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/L0nyc9O5qYY On Windows Weekly, Paul Thurrott and Richard Campbell try to comprehend the sweeping employee layoffs happening at Microsoft in the wake of $70 billion in revenue. 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