Windows 7 is Expiring Soon

You might be wondering who would be using Windows 7? Windows 7 added user share for the second straight month in March 2019, gaining a whopping 1.2 percentage points to rebound to 38.4% of all PCs and 43.9% of those running Windows as their OS, this shows almost half of windows users are on windows 7 and Microsoft can not just ditch them

Microsoft has developed a patch to warn Windows 7 users that security updates are due to end soon.

Windows 7 Upgrade Warning

The patch was released on Wednesday, which includes warning regarding the deadline for updates, that is February 14, 2020, afterwards users will no longer get fixes for vulnerabilities and security issues. The is about 10 years after Windows 7 first launched in 2009, more than half a decade before the introduction of Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 operating system.

The move by Microsoft to stop issuing security updates is part of the company’s continued endeavor of driving users to its most recent software, which provides a more secure base and enhances attack reduction.

Users will receive warnings about the cut-off from Windows 7 beginning April 18.

According to Net Applications, Windows 7 still controls around 40% of the desktop market. 300 days of consumer security support available for Windows 7 while so many users still on the same OS puts Microsoft in a difficult position.

Although, Enterprise customers can get extended security updates up to 2023 by paying.

Windows 7 Upgrade to Windows 10

Over the years, Windows 7 users were allowed to upgrade free of charge to Windows 10 to try. With these free upgrade incentives gone, many will have only the lack of security updates to look for, which will jeopardize business information and systems.

For Microsoft, patching end-of-life software is almost impossible. Microsoft released rare Windows XP security patches in 2017 to prevent the spread of WannaCry, a ransomware developed from the National Security Agency leaked hacking tools.

The outbreak of Ransomware took offline schools, companies and hospitals.