CD-ROM distributions of this version could be obtained through mail for machines that don't have DVD-ROM drives. The ability to upgrade an existing Windows installation from versions prior to Windows XP was also removed. This version drops support for the IA-64 architecture and the ability to use boot disks to boot into setup, leaving only the option to boot from optical discs. However, it still runs on 0.07% of computers worldwide as of December 2023. Mainstream support ended on 10 April 2012, while extended support ended on 11 April 2017. It had one of the longest development periods in Microsoft's history starting in May 2001 and continuing through November 2006, with the project's development having undergone a reset in August 2004. It is the seventh operating system in the Windows NT operating system line, succeeding Windows XP and preceding Windows 7. Windows Vista (codenamed Longhorn) is a major release of Microsoft Windows released to manufacturing on 8 November 2006 and made generally available on 30 January 2007.
