In less than 4 weeks, Microsoft will finally put the final nail in Windows 7 coffin, proving that it thinks the decade-old OS has outlived its purpose and must give way to a much advanced Windows 10, which, by the way, will live forever.
The company is preparing the final slog towards the imminent retirement of Windows 7 and within a month the popular OS, which debuted in 2009, will be gone forever. To its credit, Windows 7 has been considered by purists as the ‘last great’ edition of Windows. Microsoft will stop receiving security updates from 14 January, making it officially a liability in organisations that continue to run it.
Windows 7 Users to see Upgrade pop-ups
From January, if you are a Windows 7 user, then you’ll start to get full-screen pop-ups, warning you that it’s time to upgrade.
Many organisations have shied away from upgrading because Windows 7 works and there were some spectacular consequences for the few firms that updated to Windows 8, making the jump to ‘10 seem very risky.
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You can still use Windows 7 as an Enterprise
Microsoft has made exceptions, as it has always been, for its most valued customers. Companies can fork over fees for what Microsoft has tapped as “Extended Security Updates,” or ESU; in exchange of which they’ll receive patches that repair critical and important vulnerabilities.
Extended Security Updates will continue for 3 years, starting in January, in one-year increments. A company that paid for the first year would receive updates through January 2021, at which time it would decide whether to continue another year – for double the price of the previous period – or drop out.
However, that decision looks set to haunt many, as, given Christmas, it seems unlikely that many firms will meet the deadline, meaning they’ll have to either take the risk or pay the fee to extend.
The pop-ups for Windows 7 will double as a shop window for Microsoft to sell you a newer operating system. Alternatively, you can buy a new licence from the Microsoft website. There are special rates for students and the disabled.