Microsoft say ,Windows 7 was released almost ten years ago. Those are human years; in technology years that is roughly the length of the Mesozoic era, when dinosaurs ruled the earth.There’s no crisis. You’re not required to throw away your Windows 7 computers tomorrow. I understand that you’re comfortable and you don’t want to change anything and you want those kids to stay off your lawn.
The prize for confusing the everyman goes, this year, to Microsoft. There are six versions of Windows 7: Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate, and it predictably transpires that confusion surrounds them, like fleas on a manky old cat.
Windows 7 was a huge success for Microsoft. Windows tends to come in good-bad cycles, and after the much-reviled Vista, its successor arrived as a breath of fresh air. Then came Windows 8, which few people cared for, and though Windows 10 was a major improvement, Microsoft‘s new update-driven model and integrated ads turned many users off from Microsoft‘s latest OS.You can bet Microsoft will be pushing users to switch as that date approaches. That said, it’s only free support that’s ending. After that date, Microsoft will provide security updates at a cost for three more years, with prices increasing each year.
Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 7 on January 14, 2020, one year from now. That means no new features, no support for new hardware, and most importantly no new security updates.
If there’s a big outcry, Microsoft might extend that in some way, perhaps releasing critical security updates occasionally. As of today, though, the plan is for Microsoft to abandon your copy of Windows 7 in less than a year.
If you can’t count on being secure with Windows 7, you have to change computers or upgrade to Windows 10 – full stop, end of story.
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Large enterprises still have a huge installed base of Windows 7 computers. Microsoft will continue to support enterprise computers with Windows 7 until 2023 if the companies send wheelbarrows of money to Microsoft for Extended Security Updates. You don’t have a wheelbarrow full of money and Microsoft won’t take it anyway because you’re not a big company. (To be more precise: the extension is only available to enterprise and education customers with Windows volume licenses or software assurance.)
