A Decade After Its Release Microsoft Ends Support for Windows 7
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Its officials. Microsoft ended support for its Windows 7 operating system, which it released in October of 2009.
After ten years of supporting what was a hugely popular OS used by scores of consumers and businesses around the globe, it ended Tuesday (14 January.) That's a blow to many people given millions of PCs are still running the OS despite Microsoft's best efforts.
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Users will no longer have any protections
"Microsoft made a commitment to provide 10 years of product support for Windows 7 when it was released on October 22, 2009. This 10-year period has now ended, and Microsoft has discontinued Windows 7 support so that we can focus our investment on supporting newer technologies and great new experiences," the software giant wrote on its website.
"Technical assistance and software updates from Windows Update that help protect your PC are no longer available for the product. Microsoft strongly recommends that you move to Windows 10 to avoid a situation where you need service or support that is no longer available."
The end of support for Windows 7 means that if you are still among the scores of people still using it you won't have any protection from any bugs or glitches in the software. Don't expect any patches or help from Microsoft if any issues arise.
Microsoft offered a free upgrade way back when
Microsoft has been trying for years now to get users to upgrade to Windows 10. It had offered a free upgrade until July of 2016 but not everyone took advantage. Now they have to purchase Windows 10 or buy a device that has it preinstalled.
Businesses and education users can purchase extended security updates but it won't be cheap. According to TheVerge, it costs about $25 per machine for extended updates for Windows 7 Enterprise. That jumps to $50 per machine in 2021 and $100 a machine in the third and final year, reported TheVerge.
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