The staff of Information Technology Services is committed to working with campus technicians to ensure that users are not adversely affected throughout the phasing out of Windows XP scheduled for the end of August.

The process which began earlier this year involved developing an inventory of all XP machines on campus, documenting their location and owners and determining whether they are upgradable to a secure version of the Windows operating system.

“We worked collaboratively with the campus technicians to identify all XP machines on campus,” says assistant director Steven Banyai. “However, as some XP machines are laptops and may not have been on campus when we conducted the inventory, we may have missed them.”

He advises that users concerned their devices may have been missed during the inventory process to contact the appropriate area technicians.

“By the end of August we are confident that we will have upgraded, or replaced all identified University-owned XP machines, which includes those acquired through research grants,” Banyai says. “XP machines that are not capable of being upgraded, or have dependencies because of interfaces to equipment like cameras or instruments, will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.”

He suggests users with personal home computers running XP consult the Microsoft upgrade advisor to decide the best course of action: http://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/download/details.aspx?id=20.

To identify the campus technician in your area, or for any other issues or concerns, contact the Helpdesk at 519-253-3000, ext. 4440, or helpdesk@uwindsor.ca.