Windows 7 is fondly remembered for improving upon (and, to some extent, rebranding) Windows Vista. Linux, another frequently updated operating system that supports a wide range of PC hardware, also exists. PCs shipped with Windows 7 or 8 will mostly be too old to meet Windows 11's system requirements, though an unsupported install is an option. It should still install for free on most properly licensed Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs, it has most of the same system requirements, and it will be supported until at least October 2025. If you or someone whose computer you reluctantly support is still running Windows 7 or 8.1, the easiest escape hatch short of buying new hardware is an upgrade to Windows 10. But these operating systems will no longer receive the routine security updates and bug fixes that keep them relatively safe and functional for years after their release. It's not completely unprecedented for Microsoft to release one-off patches for severe security problems after an operating system's end-of-support date has passed.

Advertisementįurther Reading “Too much and too soon”-Steven Sinofsky looks back at Windows 8, 10 years later For PCs in the Steam Hardware Survey, the number is currently hovering at around 2 percent. Statcounter says that both OSes count for just under 14 percent of all Windows PCs worldwide and closer to 8 percent in the US. Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs are rare and getting rarer, but both are still in relatively wide use given their age. That window has now closed, and Microsoft isn't offering a paid support option for Windows 8.1. Windows 7 support for most people actually ended three years ago, but businesses that still used it could pay for up to three years of additional support while they transitioned to Windows 10 or 11. Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Edge browser updates for these operating systems in a few days, and the remaining third-party apps that still work will eventually follow suit (Google Chrome support, most notably, ends early next month). These older versions of Windows (plus Windows RT) stop receiving all security updates today, over a decade after their original releases. It's the end of the line for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Further Reading Support for Windows 7 and 8 fully ends in January, including Microsoft Edge

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