The time has come. After 10 years of service, Windows 7 has finally been put to rest by Microsoft. From January 14 2020, Windows 7 users will no longer receive technical support, security and software updates. It’s time to move on.
It’s been a long time coming, a bit more than 10 years to be exact. Windows 7 was was made generally available in October 2009 as a way for Microsoft to right the wrongs of Vista, which was fraught with performance issues. But after a decade of service, Microsoft has finally allowed best boy to enjoy retirement.
Microsoft admits you can still definitely keep using Windows 7 for as long as you damn well desire but “without continued software and security updates, it will be at greater risk for viruses and malware.” Instead, it recommends jumping on board the Windows 10 bandwagon, which isn’t really a bandwagon anymore seeing as it was released nearly five years ago in July 2015.
If you’re not ready to let go of your old PC or laptop, you can opt to upgrade to Windows 10 using the installation media client. Some have reported you can upgrade to Windows 10 for free despite that offer supposedly expiring in July 2016.
But if your device is nearing its digital death, Microsoft recommends just buying a new one as it might struggle with performance and compatibility issues.
So if you’ve been putting off upgrading to Windows 10 for years, now might finally be the time to cave. It’s a scary cyber world out there and the comfort of an unprotected Windows 7 OS will never be worth the potential ransom and malware infections.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/05/everything-you-can-do-in-the-windows-10-may-2019-update-that-you-couldnt-do-before/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/elxba0kfvzuy9oo35r7n.jpg” title=”Everything You Can Do In The Windows 10 May 2019 Update That You Couldn’t Do Before” excerpt=”Right about now you should be seeing the latest major update for Windows 10 hitting your computer”and here’s an overview of all the new features and settings that you can start playing around with once the installation is finished, from launching apps in VR to pausing Windows updates.”]