MICROSOFT: “WINDOWS 7 SUPPORT ENDS IN 2020”

“All good things come to an end. Even Windows 7”. This quote comes directly from the official website of Microsoft. And that is unfortunately no joke or exaggeration. From 2020, Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 7. Are you curious what this means for you as a Windows 7 user? And do you want to know what solution there is for this problem? You will discover it quickly in this article!

When does Windows 7 support expire?

Microsoft has announced that the extended support for Windows 7 expires on January 14, 2020. The mainstream support had already expired since January 13, 2015. The mainstream support includes functional support, such as incident support, support for security updates and the possibility to request non-security updates.

The expiration of the extended support of Windows 7 has other consequences. As a result, the paid support expires and the free support for security updates expires. This has major consequences for you as a Windows 7 user.

You can expect these problems as a Windows 7 user

Will you continue to use Windows 7 after the support expires? Then you will face some major consequences. You can expect the following problems:

No more security updates

To begin with, you will no longer receive any security updates after this date. Your Windows 7 operating system will then become just as unsafe as outdated versions such as Windows Vista and Windows XP. This means that when a (safety) vulnerability is discovered, Microsoft will not come up with a solution.

Hackers and other online criminals can then continue to make endless use of this vulnerability. This puts your personal files, passwords and documents at great risk. From January 14 (2020) you must take measures yourself to resolve these vulnerabilities. Do you want to continue using this operating system after this period? Then reliable antivirus software is indispensable.

By the way, security updates will still be available after January 14. Only these updates are only available for (large) organizations. For this purpose, these organizations must conclude a special “service contract” with Microsoft.

No support from other software suppliers

When the support for Windows 7 stops from Microsoft, this is also often a sign for other software suppliers. Software that they have already released or that they will develop in the future, will usually no longer be focused on the Windows 7 operating system. This means, for example, that the software simply no longer works with Windows 7. Or that you will encounter all kinds of bugs and errors, since the (new) software does not function 100% correctly with this operating system.

Hardware is no longer compatible

Not only can software no longer function correctly with Windows 7. Even hardware can no longer work properly when the Windows 7 support expires in 2020. In most cases, new hardware components are developed based on the latest Windows software.

The latest Nvidia video cards and Intel processors, for example, no longer work with Windows XP or Windows Vista. Are you planning to buy a completely new computer in the near future? Then it is almost impossible to install Windows 7. And hardware developers can even decide to stop supporting this OS, making it possible that Windows 7 no longer works with your current hardware.

When does Windows 10 support expire?

You may be wondering when Windows 10 support will expire. This latest operating system of Windows 10 is the successor and perfect replacement of Windows 7. Rest assured, you can use this Microsoft operating system for many years to come. Microsoft will offer support for Windows 10 until at least October 14, 2025. Certain Windows 10 versions are even supported until at least January 9, 2029.

End of support for Windows 7: FAQ

One of the questions that is regularly asked is whether a Windows 7 license can still be activated after the support expires in 2020. This is certainly possible! Although the support ends from Microsoft, it still remains possible for consumers to continue to use Windows 7 ‘in a normal way’. However, it is very much advised to buy and install the future-oriented OS Windows 10.

Furthermore, support for Internet Explorer will also be stopped from January 14, 2020. This means that this browser can be confronted with bugs, errors and compatibility issues from that moment on.

End of Windows 7, upgrade to Windows 10!

The expiration of the (extended) support causes major problems for Windows 7 users. This has not gone unnoticed since the announcement. In 2018, around 24 percent of users still had Windows 7 as their operating system. At present, this number is only around 15 percent.

Do you also want to be sure that you can use your Windows computer safely from January 2020? Then choose a Windows 10 license. At SoftwareLicense4U you can easily find a 100% original license at the lowest price. Moreover, you will receive the product code via e-mail within 5 minutes. This allows you to use this best operating system ever from Microsoft almost immediately!