Product support forum changes on Microsoft Community

thank you Michelle

Hello,

Effective July 2018, the Microsoft Community forums listed below will shift support scope and Microsoft staff will no longer provide technical support there. There will be no proactive reviews, monitoring, answering or answer marking of questions. The forums will still be moderated by Microsoft agents to ensure participants can engage in a safe and positive environment.

Microsoft Community participants are welcome and encouraged to continue to use the forum to ask questions and post answers with each other.

The support for the below products will be discontinued across different forums in the Community.

• Windows 7, 8.1, 8.1 RT
• Microsoft Security Essentials
• Internet Explorer 10
• Office 2010, 2013
• Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, Surface RT, Surface 2
• Microsoft Band – this topic will be locked. Users are invited to participate in Microsoft Band 2 topic.
• Mobile devices forum – Microsoft support will continue in "Other Windows mobile devices" topic
• Zune – this topic will be locked, but will remain available for browsing

Thank you for being part of Microsoft Community!

Re: Previous Windows versions 7 - 8.1 RT and possibly others

Does this mean that previous topics will be removed or simply be up to other users?

I would fear a mutiny of sorts if that just disappeared, my opinion only. Hopefully this won't also render the site frustrating and of little use to vintage users who do not have the resources or capability to progress.

Again, merely a question.

Also, how does this new structure prevent gaming of answers for the Directly participants that has been complained about in the past?

I realize that making Answers less of a contest is good but will moderation be able to keep up with the feared free for all?

It would be such a shame to lose this resource to apathy.

If the supports end for Windows RT does that mean Microsoft will enable the oppurtunity to get rid of Windows RT on the Surface RT?

Or will it be a unsecure dead os and nothing more than a cutting board? 

The HW on the Surface RT is really good especially the display I would like to use it further more even w/o your support. What can I do? What are my options?

BR

Jenkza

Have you ever needed to use support? When was the last time that you actually used support?

Never, nevertheless that was not the question. I want a free bootloader so that my device that I bougth for good money is still safely and usable after Microsoft stops the support and probably the security patches.

End of Security updates as well?

Last updated April 2018

… supports end for Windows RT ...

I think you misunderstand Michelle's post. The change she describes is only to the way that the forums operate at this site - answers.microsoft.com. Until now, there have always been Microsoft-badged staff in the forums to respond to questions and to moderate. This will no longer be the case in the forums listed, so the entire burden will be shouldered by volunteers. It remains to be seen how this peer-to-peer support arrangement works.

> If the supports end for Windows RT does that mean Microsoft will enable the oppurtunity to get rid of

> Windows RT on the Surface RT?

Not the place to ask this question. This forum is only about this web site and changes to it, not about Microsoft's support roadmap.

Perhaps it would help our friend and his confused compatriots if some guidance to a more proper place within the forums might be?

There seems to be a great deal of confusion to them concerning that. I myself understand and need no help.