Editing Windows Server 2003 (section)

==Support lifecycle==
On July 13, 2010, Windows Server 2003's mainstream support expired and the extended support phase began. During the extended support phase, Microsoft continued to provide security updates; however, free technical support, warranty claims, and design changes are no longer being offered.<ref name="lifecycle">{{cite web | url = http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?c2=1163 | title = Microsoft Support Lifecycle | work = Support
| publisher = Microsoft | access-date =April 11, 2014}}</ref> Extended support lasted until July 14, 2015.<ref name="lifecycle"/> Mainstream support for Small Business Server edition ended on April 12, 2011 and extended support ended on April 12, 2016. Mainstream support for Storage Server edition ended on October 11, 2011 and extended support ended on October 9, 2016.

Although Windows Server 2003 is unsupported, Microsoft released an emergency security patch in May 2017 for the OS as well as other unsupported versions of Windows (including [[Windows XP]], [[Windows Vista]] and [[Windows 7]] RTM without a service pack), to address a vulnerability that was being leveraged by the [[WannaCry ransomware attack]].<ref name="verge-highlyunusual">{{cite web|title=Microsoft issues 'highly unusual' Windows XP patch to prevent massive ransomware attack|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/13/15635006/microsoft-windows-xp-security-patch-wannacry-ransomware-attack|website=The Verge|date=13 May 2017 |publisher=Vox Media|access-date=13 May 2017}}</ref><ref name="ms-wannacrypatch">{{cite web|title=Customer Guidance for WannaCrypt attacks|url=https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/msrc/2017/05/12/customer-guidance-for-wannacrypt-attacks/|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=13 May 2017}}</ref>

In 2020, Microsoft announced that it would disable the Windows Update service for SHA-1 endpoints for older Windows versions. Since Windows Server 2003 did not get an update for SHA-2, Windows Update Services are no longer available on the OS as of late July 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=Windows Update SHA-1 based endpoints discontinued for older Windows devices|url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-update-sha-1-based-endpoints-discontinued-for-older-windows-devices-10b58bd9-5ba2-b23d-498b-139ce5c709af|access-date=April 6, 2021|website=support.microsoft.com|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417045726/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-update-sha-1-based-endpoints-discontinued-for-older-windows-devices-10b58bd9-5ba2-b23d-498b-139ce5c709af|url-status=live}}</ref> As of March 2024, many of the old updates for Windows Server 2003 are available on the [[Microsoft Update Catalog]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft Update Catalog|url=https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=windows%20server%202003|access-date=March 6, 2025|website=www.catalog.update.microsoft.com|archive-date=July 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708183625/https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=windows%20server%202003|url-status=live}}</ref> A third-party tool named Legacy Update allows previously-released updates for Windows Server 2003 to be installed from the Update Catalog.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cunningham |first=Andrew |date=2023-07-10 |title=Windows 95, 98, and other decrepit versions can grab online updates again |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/07/windows-95-98-and-other-decrepit-versions-can-grab-online-updates-again/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=[[Ars Technica]] |language=en-us}}</ref>

{{Timeline Windows Server 2003}}