Windows 7 was released in October 2009, and its successor Windows 8 arrived almost exactly three years later. In 2013, Microsoft decided to release a slightly improved version of Windows 8.1, which corrected the biggest flaws of the “Eight”. Now all three systems are officially ending their lives.
This is the end of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. Microsoft has cut off support
Throughout this time, Microsoft has maintained technical support for each of these versions of windows. In the first years after the release, these were also packages with news, and in the last few years only security patches. In the era of much more modern Windows 10 and 11, probably no one expected that Microsoft would maintain old releases indefinitely.
In the case of Windows 8.1, in January 2018, the so-called basic support, and on January 10 this year. also extended. Extended support for Windows 7 ended three years ago (January 14, 2020), but Microsoft still offered entrepreneurs using the Professional and Enterprise versions of the so-called 7 ESU (Extended Security Updates) license extending support for another three years.
January 10 this year this additional support for companies has also ended. The aforementioned Windows 8 was abandoned even earlier, and its users had to switch to Windows 8.1. To sum up, from Tuesday, Microsoft supports only two releases of systems for personal computers – Windows 10 and 11.
Will a Windows 7 or 8 computer stop working?
According to NetMarketShare data, Windows 7’s market share is still around 11.2 percent. When you add the modest shares of Windows 8 and 8.1 (3.26 percent in total), this translates into millions of computers running unsupported systems. What does it mean?
Of course, these computers won’t suddenly stop working. Microsoft has only cut them off from security updates, which means they will become a much easier target for hackers. Logging in to any accounts on such an unsecured computer is therefore very risky, and the only solution is to obtain a Windows 10 or 11 license.
Source: Gazeta
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
