Windows 7 SP1 mainstream support ends January 13 - will you upgrade to Windows 10? icrosoft will officially end mainstream support for Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 on January 13, marking the beginning of the 'extended support' period, which will end on January 14, 2020. The popular OS runs on most desktop PCs, while the undead Windows XP slowly fades away from relevancy as Windows 8.x is eating its slice of the pie. The end of mainstream support won't really affect consumers as much as it will businesses, so if you're still on the Windows 7 boat, Microsoft will still be patching it to remain afloat for five more years, but developers will not be adding new features to it, such as the upcoming DirectX 12. Corporate customers dependent on custom-built features for their systems will have to pay for any patches that don't target the security or stability of the operating system. Windows 10 is expected to launch this year, and it has the potential to become more popular than Windows 7. Microsoft is being much more open with the public during the development, and from what we've seen so far, the new operating system may well win the hearts of many Windows 7 users. That being said, Windows 7 users will likely have to pay to upgrade, while Windows 8.x users may receive it for free. Still, Microsoft wants to give users an incentive to buy Windows 10, with plans to create a better web browser, Cortana integration, and a slew of other features and improvements. Do you like the direction of Windows 10 so far, and will you consider upgrading when it comes out? http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-...s-january-13---will-you-upgrade-to-windows-10
- starting NOW Windows 7 MARKED for DEATH by Microsoft Mainstream support ends TODAY 13 Jan 2015 at 06:29, Simon Sharwood Today, 13 January, is the day on which Microsoft's Windows 7 passes from mainstream support into extended support. The milestone is the first on the road to Microsoft pulling the plug on January 14th, 2020. Windows 7 is a widely-admired version of Windows, as it is more stable than its predecessor Windows Vista and did not try to foist a confusing new UI on the operating system as happened with Windows 8. At last count, Windows 7 therefore ran on about 55 per cent of the world's PC fleet, well ahead of Windows 8 and 8.1 combined. All versions of Windows 7 move to extended support today and expire come 2020, save the embedded version which Microsoft's page for support timing says is exempt from obsolescence. The change from mainstream to extended support means Microsoft won't do free support for Windows 7 as of today. Even those with licences paid up, or signed up to licensing programs, will now be charged for Windows 7 support according to Microsoft's support lifecycle policy. Nor will Redmond consider or implement any new features for Windows 7. Security patches will continue to flow until 2020. Cast your mind ahead to that far date: by then it's likely Windows 11 – or whatever Microsoft chooses to call Windows by then – will be upon us. Much speculation suggests that by 2020 Microsoft will have moved away from big-bang Windows releases. Yet Redmond's lifecycle policy provides gives Microsoft a carrot to dangle – free support with more recent OSes - and a stick with which to cajole users into upgrades and/or new licensing agreements. Will Redmond be able to put down those cudgels? You've got either a few months – assuming Windows 10 ships by year's end as planned – or five years to find out http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/13/windows_7_doom_clock_countdown_starts_now/
Actually, Windows 7 is still supported for another 5 years Mainstream support is going away, but that's not really what matters. by Peter Bright - Jan 13 2015, 4:45pm EST Contrary to headlines you may have read today, Microsoft isn't dropping support for Windows 7 today. The operating system is still supported and will continue to receive security updates for at least another five years. Today is the last day of Windows 7's "mainstream support" period, with the operating system now entering "extended support." But the implications of this for most of us are negligible. Microsoft will no longer release new features for the operating system, but there's nothing new there: even during its mainstream support period, such updates were few and far between. No-cost phone support also comes to an end, but this too is essentially irrelevant to most Windows users. OEM preinstalled copies of Windows aren't generally eligible for phone support from Microsoft anyway, as it's up to the OEM to provide that assistance. Paid support options are unchanged, and they'll continue to be available for the duration of the extended support period. http://arstechnica.com/information-...rstechnica/index+(Ars+Technica+-+All+content)
Not now. I'd rather keep my office computer running Win7 in case of any incompatible issues. May try Windows 10 on my home laptop later
