XP deathwatch, T minus 4 weeks

The march toward Windows XP's retail and OEM June 30 retirement party continues. Four weeks from today is Microsoft Corp.'s deadline for mainstream computer makers to stop selling new PCs with the old OS, and the date that the developer will stop shipping boxed copies to retailers.

Mark it as T minus four weeks and counting.

We follow up on last week's inaugural FAQ with more questions and answers, including clarifications on inventory and news of one online retailer dropping XP's price by more than 10%.

Must retailers stop selling XP after midnight of June 30?

No, says Microsoft. Although it's calling June 30 the retail and OEM availability end date, the demarcation between selling and not selling won't be razor sharp, the company said last week.

"The exact cut-off day for selling Windows XP is determined by OEMs and retailers, who can keep selling standalone versions as well as PCs with Windows XP preloaded by OEMs distributed prior to June 30, 2008, as long as their supplies last [emphasis in original]," a Microsoft spokeswoman said last week in an e-mail.

In other words, unless a retailer has pared its XP inventory to the bone, expect to see copies still selling into July, perhaps longer. Likewise for already-built machines that have XP installed, since dealers won't be required to yank them off shelves on July 1 but can clear their inventories at their own pace.

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