End Of An Era: Microsoft Windows 7

If you’ve been wondering why you keep seeing the same notification on your Windows 7 PC, it’s because Windows 7 will soon be a thing of the past.

After 10 years, Microsoft has announced that support for Windows 7 is coming to an end on January 14, 2020, with Office 2010 following shortly thereafter on October 13, 2020.

Why You Should Make The Switch

You definitely want to upgrade your operating system to Windows 10, unless you’re planning on switching to another OS entirely like Linux. If you choose to stick with Windows 7 or Office 2010 you can do so, but you will no longer receive software or security updates. This can make you vulnerable to security risks, viruses, and hackers who can have the upper hand through Internet Explorer since Microsoft will no long support it either. Maybe even worse, you’ll keep seeing the same notification unless you click on the option “do not notify me again.”

“But, there’s good news— Windows 10 is the most secure Windows ever and Office 365 delivers the latest in personal productivity,” said Matt Barlow, Corporate Vice President of Windows. “Together they make a perfect pair to help you do everything you were doing before—safer, faster and easier.”

According to Microsoft, you can reduce security risk by up to 40% by shifting to Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus. Unfortunately, you can’t upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free, so you will need to purchase a Windows 10 license in order to upgrade.

More than 99% of all Windows 7 and Office 2010 programs are compatible with Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus, so you will be able to keep them, even after upgrading.

How To Make The Switch

You can download Windows 10 from the Microsoft website or from a retailer like Amazon, Best Buy, or Walmart. Before you begin the upgrade process, we recommend you backup all of the contents on your computer to an external drive or cloud storage, just to be safe. You will also need up to 20GB of hard disk space for the download, according to the company.

With that said, for users of Windows 7 Professional or Enterprise, it is highly recommended that you upgrade directly to the latest version of Window 10, but you have other options—although they’re not recommended and come with a high price tag. You can always enroll in Windows Virtual Desktop in Azure. After you enroll, you can get free extended security updates to protect on-premises servers and desktops for three more years. That would be your last resort…

Still Not Convinced?

If security updates just don’t cut it for you and you’re still not convinced, here are a few reasons why it’s time to let go of Windows 7 and make the switch to user-friendly Windows 10.

1. Windows 10 makes it much easier to use for those who like everything open with multiple windows displayed. It’s also much easier to see an overview of all of your open windows with the new thumbnail overview, plus all of your notifications are in one place.
2. It supports multiple desktops, making it easier to work with multiple full-screen monitors.
3. Even though you can’t opt out of the Windows updates on the newest OS, it’s a pretty good thing. The possibility of missing a critical OS patch that fixes a serious security problem will be zero to none.
4. Performance has improved and now supports programs like Skype, Cortana, and a Microsoft’s proprietary browser called Edge, which will see an upgrade to the Chromium browser in the first quarter of this year.
5. With a Microsoft account, any settings or passwords saved on your desktop can be synced to another desktop running on Windows 10.
6. The new OS boots, goes to sleep and wakes up faster, so there’s less waiting around.
7. It supports two-factor authentication for maximum security.

Upgrading Your Hardware

It may be hard to believe, but Windows 7 was released on October 22, 2009 and it still runs on millions of computers today! Saying goodbye to Windows 7 can be a good reason to upgrade your hardware during the new year. Staying relevant and up to date with the new software is much easier when you have up-to-date hardware to pull through the most intensive application workloads. To avoid incompatibility issues in the future, get new hardware!

To accommodate the inevitable technological shift, IT Creations can help you purchase new equipment, as well as refurbished. Don’t worry, we offer up to 5 years of warranty on recertified systems so you can purchase everything you need and set your mind at ease. So, what are you waiting for? Start your migration plan today—time’s ticking!