Some support requests redirect users to the new Answer Desk website which – according to Microsoft – is a premium online support service. It is certainly no coincidence that Answer Desk is also the name of Microsoft’s in-store service.

The service offers 24/7 support for Microsoft products on the Internet. Customers are either charged by the hour or by service that they request. A two hour virus removal and protection session for instance sets you back $99. You get 60 minutes of premium Microsoft software support or advanced PC tune up for the same price, while one hour long personal training sessions are available for $49 each.

Each page lists what the service may include and the answer tech support members available for the session.

A particular support service, like virus removal and protection may include several support related tasks. It may include removal of viruses, spyware and malware, installation of Microsoft Security Essentials, an audit of the PC’s security configuration or a comprehensive PC health diagnosis.

Support sessions will take place over chat or phone, and remote connections to customer PCs will be established should the need arise. Customers need to have a Windows Live ID which they use to sign in on the Answer Tech website.

The service is currently only available to users from the United States. Proxies or vpns may display the site’s contents but it is still not that easy to get tech support as a US address is also required for the service (likely a credit card associated with a US address).

Visitors from outside the United States will receive the following notification message:

Sorry,this site restricted to US visitors only
Dear Answer Desk visitor We believe that your IP address may be from outside the United States. If you think we have incorrectly detected from where you are visiting, please proceed. In order to make purchases, your address will need to reside within the United States.
If you are outside the United States, we welcome you to visit any of the online resources listed below to help you with your Microsoft product questions.
Microsoft Answers:
Microsoft Solution Centers:
Microsoft Fixit Center:
http://answers.microsoft.com
http://support.microsoft.com/select/
http://fixitcenter.support.microsoft.com/Portal
Currently, we are working to expand our service internationally to best support all Microsoft customers.

Sincerely,
Microsoft Answer Desk Team.

It all comes down to how effective the service is. I personally would not mind paying $49 for one hour training sessions or even $99 if I had a pressing problem in a Microsoft product that I could not find an answer for. Microsoft backs the service with a 30-day service guarantee.

While that’s a big issue for Microsoft operating systems, it often does not really affect other Microsoft products such as Office. I know a few people who are still running Microsoft Office 2000 because that’s all they need, and support for that product ended in 2009.

With Microsoft, it is more complicated than just looking up your product’s lifecycle on the official website. The core reason here is that Microsoft makes distinctions not only depending on the country your purchased your product in but also on the edition of the product that you bought.

A basic example: Windows 7 Enterprise mainstream support ends on 13.1.2015, the operating system’s extended support on 14.1.2020. Windows 7 Home Premium support on the other hand ends on 13.1.2015 with no extended support provided. This basically means that Enterprise users can work with the operating system til 2020 while Home users will have to install a different operating system in 2015 if they want to receive security updates for it.

You probably want to know about the differences between mainstream and extended support phases?

Mainstream Support is the first phase of the product support lifecycle.

Mainstream support: Security updates, other non-security updates, complimentary support included with license, paid support

The Extended Support phase follows Mainstream Support for Business and Developer products

Extended Support: Security updates, paid support.

A third phase is often mentioned by Microsoft, the “Self-Help Online Support phase which allows free access to Knowledge Base articles, online product information and online support webcasts.

When it comes to service packs Microsoft usually offers a 24 month support lifecycle. End of general product support will always end support for all the product’s service packs.

The product’s support lifecycle supersedes the service pack support policy

Now that you know about the support lifecycles, it is time to show you how to find the information for products that you have already purchased or plan to purchase.

Visit the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Index (warning it is a huge list) and either click on a letter at the top to be taken to that letter, scroll down manually or use the browser’s search functionality to find the product you are looking for. Please note that you may need to select your country or region first before you get to the list.

Each product is then listed on individual pages on the support website. Information include the products mainstream and extended support end dates (if applicable) and the latest service pack support end date.

With extended support only available in business and professional products, users have one more argument for purchasing those products instead of home or consumer versions. It should not be a big issue on the other hand for users who switch to the latest operating system whenever a new version comes out. Users who purchase products to keep using them for the longest time possible on the other hand might want to consider selecting the more expensive business and professional products instead.

This gives Windows 7 users another option of contacting the Microsoft Customer Service division. How does it work? A new support request or question can be directed at the Microsoft Support team by sending a message to their official Twitter message.

The limitations of Twitter make this a less than ideal method of contacting support for questions that require in depth explanation. It can however be a quick and efficient way to get a response for basic or short questions. Questions that have already been answered include hardware problems (network adapter or video card not working), other errors users encountered in the operating system or software related questions.

The support is currently limited to Windows 7 but Microsoft stated that they are planning to expand the scope of their support over time.