Windows 7 End of Support
Did you know that Microsoft has ended support for Windows 7?
Effective January 14th, 2020, Microsoft has discontinued its extended support for Windows 7. What this means for you is very simple. As of January 15th, 2020, your computer will no longer receive updates that will allow your computer to be secure on the internet. This isn’t a big deal for users who do not use the internet as you’re not able to get compromised. But, once that computer is on the internet, you open yourself up to being compromised.
Now, keep in mind, Windows 7 first came out on October 22nd, 2009, It’s more than 10 years old. Microsoft announced stopped selling Windows 7 more than 4 years ago!
Windows 10 came out in July of 2015, it’s already coming up on celebrating its 5th year of service.
| Client operating systems and updates | Date of general availability | Retail software end of sales* | End of sales for PCs with Windows preinstalled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 8.1 | October 18, 2013 | September 1, 2015 | October 31, 2016 |
| Windows 8 | October 26, 2012 | October 31, 2014 | June 30, 2016 |
| Windows 7 Professional | October 22, 2009 | October 31, 2013 | October 31, 2016 |
| Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate | October 22, 2009 | October 31, 2013 | October 31, 2014 |
| Windows 10 version history | Date of availability | End of service for Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations editions | End of service for Enterprise and Education editions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 10, version 1909 | November 12, 2019 | May 11, 2021 | May 10, 2022** |
| Windows 10, version 1903 | May 21, 2019 | December 8, 2020 | December 8, 2020 |
| Windows 10, version 1809 | November 13, 2018 | May 12, 2020 | May 11, 2021** |
| Windows 10, version 1803 | April 30, 2018 | November 12, 2019 | November 10, 2020 |
| Windows 10, version 1709 | October 17, 2017 | April 9, 2019 | April 14, 2020 |
| Windows 10, version 1703 | April 5, 2017* | October 9, 2018 | October 8, 2019 |
| Windows 10, version 1607 | August 2, 2016 | April 10, 2018 | April 9, 2019 |
| Windows 10, version 1511 | November 10, 2015 | October 10, 2017 | October 10, 2017 |
| Windows 10, released July 2015 (version 1507) | July 29, 2015 | May 9, 2017 | May 9, 2017 |
What can you do?
While you have an abundance of options, the number one choice is to very simply, get up-to-date with Windows 10. Sadly, you missed the deadline for upgrading to Windows 10 for FREE, that ended back in 2016. You can still upgrade your existing computer if the hardware is compatible, and we can help you with that process.
Direct from Microsoft, Windows 7 will no longer be supported for security update.
You may read exactly what Microsoft is saying about this here.