Windows 7 finally gets to an end after 10 years. Microsoft ended its support on January 14th 2020. After this, your computer will still function but Microsoft will no longer provide any technical support. There will be no, software updates and security updates or fixes.
Up to today, millions of PCs are still running on the software. The operating system still runs on a massive 26 per cent of all PCs.
Microsoft end of support to the windows will mean tens of millions of PCs will now be left vulnerable to exploits and security vulnerabilities.
Throughout 2019, Microsoft has been notifying the users about the end of support.
Nevertheless, Microsoft is still trying to convince existing users to upgrade to machines running Windows 10.
Despite the end of support, Microsoft looks like it has some life left in it yet. It could take another year or two to get Windows 7 firmly below 10 per cent market share.
This is because Google is committing to support Chrome on Windows 7 until at least the middle of 2021 and Microsoft might consider an upgrade.
Businesses and education users will be able to pay for extended security updates, but it could be a costly venture for some.
Extended updates for Windows 7 Enterprise is approximately $25 per machine. The cost doubles to $50 per device in 2021 and again to $100 in 2022.
For Windows 7 Pro users, the update starts at $50 per machine and jumps to $100 in 2021 and $200 in 2022. These costs will naturally vary depending on the volume of PCs in use at a business. But they’re still going to be substantial for larger firms.
Additionally, Microsoft is easing these costs with a free year of post-retirement updates to Windows 7. customers with active Windows 10 subscriptions which hasn’t made a big dent in the Windows 7 market share recently.
“We know change can be difficult. So we are here to help you with recommendations for what to do next. We will answer any questions about the end of support” as noted on the Microsoft Support website.
