Dead Or Alive? NT Gets Patches Even Though Support's Over

The "Critical" bug in Windows' HTML Help has been patched for NT 4.0 Server SP 6a and NT 4.0 Server Terminal Edition SP6, said Microsoft in documentation accompanying the patch, because "the end-of-life [support] occurred very recently" and "most of the steps that are required to address this vulnerability were completed before this date."

Don't expect a repeat, however, or Microsoft to change its mind about ending all but custom support contracts for Windows NT.

"We do not anticipate doing this for future vulnerabilities that may affect this operating system," Microsoft went on to say.

Officially, support for the OS ended Dec. 31, 2004, but Microsoft is offering an additional two years -- through the end of 2006 -- to customers which sign up for custom support plans. Even so, it again urged customers to give up on NT.

"It should be a priority for customers who have this operating system to migrate to supported operating systems to prevent potential exposure to vulnerabilities," Microsoft stated.