Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on which side of the fence you find yourself, there is a recourse: The Lemon Law. YOu can read my post here: The Final Services Date for the Form 1+ is Coming Up - #3 by Dudemeister
Microsoft sells software, not hardware, so the rules are different, however, Windows XP was introduced in 2001, and mainstream support ended in 2009, 8 years (extended support ended 2014, almost 13 years)