Beginning this week users of that venerable old operating system Windows 7, willl begin seeing prompts such as this at random intervals. Microsoft has been clear that the day of Windows 7 has passed and its time to begin to plan for the end.
As I work with users of Windows 7, I have certainly heard it all. “I just like Windows 7”; “I don’t want to learn anything new”; “I heard Windows 10 had lots of bugs”; “I don’t want to change”, the list of excuses in endless. But the time for excuses is gone.
What does the end of support mean to you
Ending support means Microsoft will no longer provide updates or security patches for Windows 7. So, as time passes, Windows 7 will likely become the main target of hackers. More and more malware will be targeted at Windows 7. If you are a user of Windows 7 at home, it likely may not mean much to you. If a hacker destroys your operating system you may only lose your music library and all your pictures of your kids. That’s not a problem because you have a good backup, right?? But if you are a business user, the elimination of security patches is critical. You may end up exposing your customers data to hackers, cause a network wide infection, or have your computer crash at the wrong time.
There was a point in time when Microsoft made Windows 10 available for free to Windows 7 users but that time has past and Microsoft has shown no direction to give it away for free again. Your options are clear:
- Update to Windows 10 on each machine for a cost of between $139 and $199 depending on the version you need. And don’t forget the labor cost to install it.
- Replace your computer with a new Windows 10 machine (or maybe a Mac)
- Take the risk that you won’t have any problems
The choice is yours…. Well maybe. If you work with data that must be kept secure such as HIPPA information or SEC data, you may not have any choice at all. Regardless, does it really make sense to update a machine that is a minimum of 5 years old when new replacement office machines may cost between $500 and $700 dollars?
So plan now and beat the rush. January 14, 2020 is the date and the clock is ticking. It’s time to face the final curtain for Windows 7. It was a long run but all good things come to an end.