Today marks the day that Microsoft ends mainstream support for Windows Vista. Extended support goes another 5 years, until April 11th, 2017. For those without an extended support contract, it may be time to look ahead and upgrade to Windows 7 or wait it out and upgrade to Windows 8 on release. XP has already passed the Mainstream support period and is nearing it’s final death toll, ending the extended support in 2014.

Every Windows product has a lifecycle. The lifecycle begins when a product is released and ends when it’s no longer supported or sold. Knowing key dates in this lifecycle helps you make informed decisions about when to upgrade or make other changes to your software. Here are the rights and limits of the Windows lifecycle.