Without any warning, Microsoft stopped use of Windows 7 and 8.1 on new PCs. So, Windows 7 users who thought they will have support until 2020, or Windows 8 users who thought they will have support until 2023, might find this news very unpleasant.
Why? Because Microsoft has declared that radical changes have been made to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
So, Microsoft declared these days that they will stop support for installation of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, if they are installed on upgraded or new computers running the latest chips from AMD, Intel or Qualcomm.
So, this means that customers who are willing to buy a computer that runs the latest Intel Skylake hardware, will not receive support to install Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. However, users can upgrade for free to Windows 10, part of a campaign to lobby businesses to adopt the new OS.
So, at the moment there are more than 200 million active devices that run Windows 10. This proves that Microsoft’s strategy has partially worked.
However, over 55 percent of the world’s PCs run Windows 7, including businesses who claim that this operating system is more stable. Microsoft is patient at the moment, but in the end they want all users to transfer on Windows 10.
However, the question is why Microsoft decided to end support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 on new PCs. The company has declared on their blog that they have to make a great effort to keep Windows 7 running well on the latest hardware.
“For Windows 7 to run on any modern silicon, device drivers and firmware need to emulate Windows 7’s expectations for interrupt processing, bus support, and power states- which is challenging for WiFi [sic], graphics, security, and more. As partners make customizations to legacy device drivers, services, and firmware settings, customers are likely to see regressions with Windows 7 ongoing servicing,” Microsoft has declared.
Who will be affected by these changes? Well, businesses will be affected in the first place, but that’s what Microsoft is going after. The company wants all users to finally transfer on its new operating system.
“In clarifying this policy, we are prioritizing transparency with enterprises on where to find the highest reliability and best supported Windows experience: Windows 10 on any silicon, Windows 7 on the down-level silicon it was designed for, or a device on the support list,” Microsoft has declared.
However, many people are probably asking why Microsoft has left out Windows 8.1. Well, the giant company has tried to clarify this in a blog post:
“Always, what guides us is a customer-first approach – in this case, providing clear guidance to our customers on what they can expect and strong alignment with our OEM partners on our joint commitment to all of our Windows customers.”
So, in the end, Windows 7 and 8.1 users will probably have to worry, because starting with this moment they are really vulnerable when it comes to web security. From now, Microsoft is focusing just on Windows 10.
