Does anyone know if Microsoft releases a final service-pack or rollup when it finally pulls the plug on a version of Windows (or for that matter, Visual Studio or Office)?
For example, currently, if you install XP with SP3, there are still plenty (100+) of critical updates listed in Windows Update. When Microsoft discontinues releasing updates for XP altogether, will they release SP4 or some other rollup that includes all of these updates so that a user can download it, then install the OS and apply the last update (without needing to go online), and be fully updated such that Windows Update indicates no updates available?
I recall that the last service-pack for NT was 6.0a, but does that mean that installing 6.0a and going to Windows Update shows that there’s nothing left to update? If so, will they do the same thing for XP; if not, how is a user supposed to be completely up-to-date without going to Windows Update?
Best Answer
It's unlikely. For Windows 2000, Microsoft released Update Rollup 1 Version 2 for SP4 on September 13, 2005. They ceased security updates on July 13, 2010, almost five years later.
There is little point to rolling up newer updates anyway because as soon as a hacker finds another vulnerability, Microsoft would not patch it, and the system would remain vulnerable, e.g. have the shortcut (.lnk file) buffer overflow exploited by Stuxnet to spread to systems having AutoRun disabled.