Microsoft is highlighting the security strengths of Windows 10 as the company waves an ‘early goodbye’ to Windows 7, with a reminder that support for the old operating system ends in three years’ time.
So, yes, this is a very early goodbye indeed, and the farewell is currently only being waved on a German Microsoft site – but it’s a clear indication that Microsoft still wants to push its newest OS to the fullest extent possible.
The company notes that extended support for Windows 7 expires on January 14, 2020, and as we enter that fresh decade, there will be no further security updates, or indeed OS updates or technical support provided by Microsoft.
Long-outdated security
In the post, the software giant warns that Windows 7 is no longer capable of keeping up with the “increased security requirements” applicable to the PCs of today, and it’s based on “long-outdated security architectures”, adding that organisations using the OS are running the risk of costly incidents due to malware attacks – or indeed increased usage of technical support for things such as driver issues.
Microsoft stated: “Many hardware manufacturers no longer provide drivers for Windows 7, which means that modern peripherals such as printers are no longer recognised.”
At any rate, you get the general message – you’ve only got three years left, but you should upgrade now anyway, or suffer at the hands of ‘outdated’ security compared to Windows 10 (which has, among other things, Windows Hello biometric logins, Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, and more).
In case you thought the free upgrade offer to Windows 10 expired a long time back, in actual fact it’s still possible for individuals to upgrade via two methods.
Apparently using an old Windows 7/8.1 product key still works to get the freebie, as does applying because you need assistive technologies (even if you don’t – as this isn’t verified, although obviously this is a morally dubious route). We wrote about the above loopholes still being available at the start of the year.
Via: Betanews
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