News

Fifth Windows XP 'Lite' Country is India

Fast on the heels of its announcement that Russia would be the fourth of five countries in a pilot program of a low-cost, limited-functionality version of Windows XP, Microsoft named India as the fifth country.

The Windows XP Starter Edition will be available in India in early 2005, Microsoft said Wednesday. On Monday, the company set a similar timeframe for Russia.

Microsoft confirmed the existence of the much-anticipated program in August, with the announcement that the first three of the five countries in the pilot would be Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Starter Edition in India will come with a Hindi interface that includes Help and training in Hindi.

The low-cost editions give Microsoft a dual-edged weapon to combat piracy and open source alternatives in countries where low incomes make the Windows prices charged in North America and western Europe unrealistic.

On the other hand, the Starter Editions, intended for first-time users, come with substantial limitations. PC users can only have three programs and three windows per program running concurrently. The maximum screen resolution is 800x600, and there is no support for PC-to-PC home networking, sharing printers across a network or establishing more than one user account on a PC.

For more information on the competitive issues and challenges surrounding the Starter Edition, see Russia is Fourth Country for Windows XP Starter Edition.

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

Featured

  • Microsoft Offers Support Extensions for Exchange 2016 and 2019

    Microsoft has introduced a paid Extended Security Update (ESU) program for on-premises Exchange Server 2016 and 2019, offering a crucial safety cushion as both versions near their Oct. 14, 2025 end-of-support date.

  • An image of planes flying around a globe

    2025 Microsoft Conference Calendar: For Partners, IT Pros and Developers

    Here's your guide to all the IT training sessions, partner meet-ups and annual Microsoft conferences you won't want to miss.

  • Notebook

    Microsoft Centers AI, Security and Partner Dogfooding at MCAPS

    Microsoft's second annual MCAPS for Partners event took place Tuesday, delivering a volley of updates and directives for its partners for fiscal 2026.

  • Microsoft Layoffs: AI Is the Obvious Elephant in the Room

    As Microsoft doubles down on an $80 billion bet on AI this fiscal year, its workforce reductions are drawing scrutiny over whether AI's ascent is quietly reshaping its human capital strategy, even as official messaging avoids drawing a direct line.

Most   Popular