One of the most successful operating systems of all time is retiring at the end of the month. Microsoft will stop selling and licensing Windows XP to PC manufacturers.

I am sure the news could not come at a better time, after all we have been through a lot together with Windows XP. The average computer user has spent over 8000 hours using Windows XP and is the system most used to the connect us to the Internet.

If you are not prepared to go down the path of upgrading to Windows Vista, what are you options after the cut-off date other than switching to Mac OS X or Linux?

Tech Support For Your XP Problems

In terms of getting support for the numerous technical issues that XP users come across everyday, some form of support from Microsoft will exist until at least 2014, so that gives you another six years, although the support may be more difficult to get hold of.

You may want to purchase a premium tech support service to get around this problem or purchase software to keep your registry in tact. Or you can search on tech forums as there is a good chance if you have a problem that other users will also have the same problem, far easier than asking Microsoft for support.

XP On Brand New Machines

Despite Microsoft denying that you won't be to purchase a machine with XP after June 30th , the reality that you can as the situation a little more complicated than that.

PC manufacturers who have an inventory of unused XP licenses will still be able to sell machines with XP and the same also goes for other PC retailers as well , who have surplus stock to sell.

Switching Operating Systems

Downgrade rights are the second way for you to get your hands on a new computer with XP. If a manufacturer has downgrade rights from Microsoft, they'll be able to sell you a PC that started on Vista, but which they downgraded to XP before they sold it to you.

If this is the case, you'll be supplied with the discs for XP and it's drivers, as well as the same discs for Vista, so you can re-upgrade at a later date if you decide to. Dell have confirmed that they will make this option open to customers, but it only lasts out until January 31st next year.

'Limited Hardware Capabilities'

There is an alternative legal way of getting your hands on XP. That is purchase a PC that has 'limited hardware capabilities,' a term that Microsoft has phrased for machines that lack the muscle power such as slow processor or limited memory, to run Vista. Laptops such as the Asus EEE lack both processor power and hard-disk space to run Windows Vista. Instead these machines must run XP.

XP is Still Hanging On

To tell the truth, XP lives on. You can still buy it until at least June 2010, which will probably be extended, and you'll still get support until 2014. That's a long time to say goodbye to your favorite operating system, although you need to be aware that eventually you're going to have to make the switch.