No XP support for IE9, says Microsoft

Microsoft has revealed that the upcoming Internet Explorer 9 web browser will not work on Windows XP systems.

The company confirmed earlier media reports, saying that the performance and security limitations of the operating system would not be able to handle the new version of the browser.

Talk of dropping support for XP began this week after Microsoft unveiled the first preview versions of IE9. The browser will feature support for the new HTML 5 standards and will sport an improved Java engine.

The news comes as Microsoft continues to nudge both business and consumer users away from Windows XP and towards the new Windows 7.

Originally slated to end its support lifecycle in 2011, the company decided to push the deadline back three years due to the prevalence of XP systems and the lack of uptake for its successor, the much-maligned Windows Vista.

Though XP is still supported, the company has advised users to move to Windows 7 systems, citing the added security features of the operating system designed to limit the risk and severity of malware infections.

Those benefits have been underscored by recent patch releases where critical vulnerabilities for Windows XP posed a far lesser threat to Vista and Windows 7 systems.