Are You Ready for Windows 7 End-of-Life?

Are You Ready for Windows 7 End-of-Life? M icrosoft recently announced that it will officially begin the Windows end-of-life phase on January 14, 2020. On that day, the company will stop supporting Windows 7 on laptops and desktops and will no longer patch it with security updates. Of course, that might cause some concern with consumers and enterprise users alike. Windows 7 is still a wildly popular operating system that, even 10 years after its release, is still relied upon by millions across the globe. But – alas – all good things must come to an end. And soon enough, Windows 7 will be put out to pasture, leaving those who stick with the operating system at potentially higher risk of being targeted by hackers. So, to alleviate some of those fears and answer some questions you may have about Windows 7 end-oflife, we’ve compiled the following FAQ. What is Windows 7 end-of-life? End-of-life is the term that Microsoft uses to identify Bryan Burns | Information Technology Kentucky Rural Water Association

the period when the company will no longer support an operating system or application. In this case, it means that, as of January 14, 2020, Microsoft will move on from Windows 7 and no longer patch security holes in the operating system. And if things go awry and bugs develop, you won’t be able to call on Microsoft to fix the problem.

How many people are still using Windows 7? You might be surprised to learn that Windows 10 only became the most popular Windows version in the world at the end of the fourth quarter of 2018, taking the crown from Windows 7. At that time, Windows 10 captured 39% of market share, compared to 37% for Windows 7. To put that into perspective, there are more than 1 billion Windows users around the world. So, hundreds of millions of people are going to be affected by this change.

What does Windows 7 end-of-life mean for my security? Well, this is where things become difficult. One of the nice things about not being in end-of-life is that the operating system or software package is fully supported and patched. In Windows 7, all that support will go by the wayside after January 14, 2020.

In years past, when Microsoft has put software into end-of-life, the company has offered up some hefty patches in the run-up to the date, to secure the operating system as much as possible. And while that was a welcome decision, it also meant that hackers had free rein after the endof-life period hit. The fact is, the sooner people can get away from Windows 7 and switch to Windows 10, the better.

How do I move to Windows 10 from Windows 7? Like it or not, even if you don’t want to move to Windows 10 initially, eventually you’ll have little choice. PC makers will be bundling Windows 10 into their machines, with no option to downgrade to Windows 7. Also, you won’t find Windows 7 anywhere for purchase aside from eBay, Craigslist and other places outside of standard retail channels.

If you want to upgrade to Windows 10, you can do so free of charge and with a full Windows 10 license if you have a PC that meets all the requirements needing to run the operating system.

Can I keep using Windows 7 if I like it? There’s no one stopping you from staying with Windows 7 if you really like it, but you’ll be using an operating system that is no longer supported nor comes with security updates.

Windows 7 will operate after the end-of-life date just as it does now, so you shouldn’t see any problems with your computer’s functionality. However, over time, you could start to see more security problems.

Offering multi-discipline engineering, land planning and recreation, and consulting services

mcgillassociates.com 865.540.0801