Windows 7 is teetering on the edge of it’s end-of-life phase. The exceedingly popular OS was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, that year. Since then, millions of PC users have stuck to their guns, and often refuse to upgrade to other, more secure, operating systems. These same users claim Microsoft will have to pry Windows 7 from their dead hands. And it looks like the Redmond-based company will stop just short of that to get people using Windows 10.
After all, it makes sense to use a new OS from a variety of angles. After a certain point, vulnerabilities and exploits will no longer be patched. And newer software and hardware will stop supporting older versions of Windows. I ran into this problem a few years ago with Windows 8.1, which pushed me to upgrade to Windows 10, after a new GPU refused to cooperate with my aging Windows 8.1 home PC. Users who are left in the dust when Windows 7 will be left completely on their own, and Microsoft doesn’t want that. Even just from a security standpoint, older devices are a nightmare.
Microsoft doesn’t want you or your company to get hacked, so they’re going to start pestering you to update devices again soon. The official end of support for the aging OS lands on January 14th, and after this Microsoft will push notifications to users asking them to upgrade on all versions. And with more than 25% of all Windows PCs still running the outdated OS, that’s a lot of people.
There are a couple of exceptions here though. Enterprise and select other environments that have extended support enabled, which is really pricey, will not see the notifications. Also on the security side of things, Microsoft Security Essentials will continue to get major definition updates on Windows 7 platforms.
Here’s the full details on the new batch of nag screens for Windows 7 users:
IMPORTANT Starting on January 15, 2020, a full-screen notification will appear that describes the risk of continuing to use Windows 7 Service Pack 1 after it reaches end of support on January 14, 2020. The notification will remain on the screen until you interact with it. This notification will only appear on the following editions of Windows 7 Service Pack 1:
- Starter.
- Home Basic.
- Home Premium.
- Professional. If you have purchased the Extended Security Update (ESU), the notification will not appear. For more information, see How to get Extended Security Updates for eligible Windows devices and Lifecycle FAQ-Extended Security Updates.
- Ultimate.
Note The notification will not appear on domain-joined machines or machines in kiosk mode.
