Microsoft Ends Support for Windows 7 Today

Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 7 from today as the company claims it wants to focus on “newer technologies.”

Consequently, Windows 7 users will no longer receive the all-important security updates and patches that keep their machines safe.

Cyber-security experts have urged Windows 7 users to upgrade their operating system.

One in four Windows users is running Windows 7, according to statistics website StatCounter.

The implication in all this is that Microsoft will no longer bother about the activities of hackers seeking to exploit software bugs in the Windows 7 operating system. If perpetrators find a flaw in Windows 7, Microsoft will not fix it.

Microsoft on its website wrote, “When Windows 7 reaches the end of support on 14 January 2020, your computer will still function but Microsoft will no longer provide the following:

• Technical support for any issues
• Software updates
• Security updates or fixes

“While you could continue to use your PC running Windows 7, without continued software and security updates, it will be at greater risk for viruses and malware. Going forward, the best way for you to stay secure is on Windows 10. And the best way to experience Windows 10 is on a new PC. While it is possible to install Windows 10 on your older device, it is not recommended.”

Rik Ferguson, vice-president of security research at Trend Micro said, “Running an unpatched machine means that the flaws in the code will never be fixed and as exploits for those flaws become known and widespread, your chances of being successfully attacked grow very rapidly.”

David Emm, a senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, added that people need to move to a supported operating system as soon as possible.

Windows-7 users can still use the software after Tuesday but they will be susceptible to risks. For instance, hackers use malware to invade, damage or disable computers. It can also be used to steal personal and financial data, spy on other users without them knowing, and to hold companies to ransom until a payment is made.

Microsoft is urging people to move to Windows 10, a newer operating system that it sells for £120.

“Going forward, the best way for you to stay secure is on Windows 10,” it said. “And the best way to experience Windows 10 is on a new PC.”

It is possible to install Windows 10 on old PCs but Microsoft warns that it may not run smoothly.

In order to run Windows 10, PCs must have a 1GHz processor, 16GB of hard drive space, and 1GB of RAM memory.

Microsoft also added, “While it is possible to install Windows 10 on your older device, it is not recommended.”

That said, Windows 7 users do not need to upgrade if they use their PC offline.