VAR sends Windows Server 2003 into space

Databarracks launches disk into stratosphere with balloon

Microsoft partner Databarracks has launched a Windows Server 2003 disk into the stratosphere in a bid to give the product a good send off.

Windows Server 2003 reaches the end of its life next week, ending a year-long migration campaign.

To mark the occasion, Databarracks decided to attach a Windows Server 2003 disk to a balloon and send it up into the stratosphere (pictured) while filming it (see full video below).

The Microsoft partner teamed up with the University of Surrey's Electronics and Amateur Radio Society to launch the disk, which it estimated went as high as 100,000 feet.

Commercial aircraft tend to fly at an altitude of between 30,000 and 40,000 feet, it said.

Peter Groucutt, managing director at Databarracks, said: "Windows Server 2003 has been such a reliable workhorse for organisations for the last decade.

"The unparalleled levels of stability it has offered have earned it a special place in the hearts of IT managers worldwide - ours included.

"There's almost a feeling of nostalgia when we think about Server 2003 reaching end of life. For us as a company especially - we were founded in 2003 and so [it] has been integral to us from the start.

"We wanted to give it a fitting send off."

Video and photo courtesy of Databarracks