Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 support will end on January 14, 2020, a little over 16 months away – the clock is ticking!
That does not mean that the Windows 7 operating system on your laptop or PC will cease to work. It means that there will be no support. Which support is actually a pretty big deal.
After January 2020, there will be no more regular security updates for systems running Windows 7. Your system will continue to operate, but you will be more vulnerable to security hacks like Ransomware. Also, customer service for technical support will not be available for any problems that may occur after January 2020.
Microsoft released Windows 7, October of 2009. It has been well received as a strong and robust operating system favored by many. Microsoft’s 10 year commitment to provide support for Windows 7 is what is at issue, ending January 2020.
The XP operating system came to end of support in 2014. The viciousness of the ransomware attacks led Microsoft to produce a patch specifically for the exploited security hole in Windows XP, May 2017, three years after end of support. At that time Windows XP was at 7% of overall OS in use, with Windows 10 at 26% and Windows 7 at 48%.
The chart shows the overwhelming popularity of Windows 7, even over the newest version, Windows 10. You can see that discontinued support for Windows 7 in January 2020, will place a large segment of the PC market in jeopardy. The end of support, January 2020, will affect far more than resisted the same announcement back in 2014 with end of support for Windows XP. Microsoft “strongly recommends” moving to Windows 10 prior to the end of support date, January 2020, so that you can “avoid a situation where you need service or support that is no longer available.
Microsoft is managing internal resources by letting users know that support for the Windows 7 operating system is coming to an end. They seek to focus “investment on supporting newer technologies and great new experiences.” The commitment to provide 10 years of product support is now coming to an end. Over the next 16 months, from September 2018 to January 2020, businesses and individuals need to start making plans regarding this inevitable change.
FAQs which Microsoft includes on its site:
- What does end of support mean for me?
- What should I do?
- Can I upgrade my existing PC to Windows 10?
- What happens if I continue to use Windows 7?
- Can Windows 7 still be activated after January 14, 2020?
- Will Internet Explorer still be supported on Windows 7?
- What if I’m running Windows 7 Enterprise?
- What about Windows 7 Embedded?
These helpful answers will clarify the steps necessary to take as January 2020 approaches. If, however, you would like to speak to Alliant to establish a cost-effective strategy for implementing this update, please call us at (626) 461-1300.
