By Richard Speed
Publication Date: 2026-01-14 14:45:00
Microsoft has quietly maintained support for an OS that’s nearly 18 years old, but its time has finally passed – the Windows Vista-powered Windows Server 2008 took its last breath this week.
January 13 marked another milestone for legacy systems, as support for the software – codenamed Longhorn Server – expired for customers that bought Microsoft Premium Assurance (PA).
Extended support ended for Windows Server 2008 on January 14, 2020. It was possible to keep the lights on until January 10, 2023, via Extended Security Updates. A fourth year came courtesy of Azure, which took the code to January 9, 2024, but that was it for anyone without PA.
The long-defunct plan was a paid add-on to Software Assurance that kept security updates flowing for 6 years. It was eventually phased out in favor of Extended Security Updates to ease the transition between software versions. However, Microsoft said, “We will honor the…
