The End of Windows 7 Pro Nears
Microsoft will stop updating Windows 7 Pro starting January 2020.
Microsoft announced yesterday that it's going to start notifying Windows 7 Pro users about its plan to stop updating the operating system on January 14, 2020.
Windows 7 Home users started to receive those notifications in March. Now they'll start to reach the operating system's professional users--or at least some of them. Microsoft said in yesterday's announcement that "devices that are domain-joined as a part of an IT-managed infrastructure will not receive the notifications."
Like we noted in March, these notifications include a "learn more" button that leads to a page on Microsoft's website about Windows 10 and the devices that run it. The company's basically combining the carrot (a new operating system) and the stick (no longer supporting the current operating system) to get Windows 7 users to upgrade.
The notifications should help Microsoft ensure that Windows 7 users can't act surprised when the operating system stops receiving updates in a few months. (Although we established earlier this week that many people will manage to be surprised even if they were notified of a company's plans years in advance.)
Windows 7's had a long run: the base version debuted in 2009, was supported until 2015 and then saw the Service Pack 1 release that's still around today. Nearly 11 years isn't bad for an operating system--especially when its successor has more than 900 million users--but soon it'll be time for Windows 7 to go to Windows Heaven.
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Nathaniel Mott is a freelance news and features writer for Tom's Hardware US, covering breaking news, security, and the silliest aspects of the tech industry.
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Uniblab Reply
Why so happy? Cant be bothering you. I dont get the exuberance.Mandark said:yay. it's about time nail the coffin shut and bury it at sea forever. -
And you can go on wondering if you cannot figure it out. You have no way of knowing what you said is even accurate so why are you saying it? You have no idea how it affects me and I don’t have to tell you anything so you can go on wondering all you want toReply
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adamboy64 Windows 7, hey..Reply
What a stalwart of an OS.
That was the one with the 'Home Basic' edition, right?
I don't think I ever saw that in the wild. -
bit_user Reply
I wouldn't be sad to see it go, except Windows 10 is spyware-infested and their updates are always breaking stuff.Mandark said:yay. it's about time nail the coffin shut and bury it at sea forever.
If they gave us a real successor to Win 7, I'd have upgraded long ago.
As it stands, the only thing even keeping me on Windows is my employer and their dependence on the MS ecosystem. Most of my real work happens on Linux.