Be Aware Folks! – Microsoft is Ending Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 Support Next Week!

While both the Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 userbase is now quite significantly diminished, there are still a fairly significant number of people still utilising the operating systems. Yes, while the figure might be less than 15%, if you are still residing on one of those platforms then you need to pay attention as on January 10th, Microsoft will officially be ending generic consumer support for both operating systems!

Put simply, for those of you still on Windows 7 or 8.1, you have a bit of a decision to make!

Microsoft to End Windows 7/8.1 Support Next Week

Support for both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will officially be ending on January 10th meaning that Microsoft will no longer provide any regular security updates or patches to the operating systems. Additionally, this also means that further updates and support from software manufacturers will also be coming to a close in the very near future with Google already on record saying that Chrome V109 will be the last browser update released on these platforms.

Why is this important though? Well, with the lack of support, security risks will start to increase the longer people remain on these operating systems. – Overall, like it or not, if you are on Windows 7 or 8.1, you really need to start at least thinking about moving to something newer.

And yes, although some extended support is being offered, this has primarily only been offered to businesses. General consumers (people like you and me), however, won’t be able to get this option without paying a pretty hefty price!

Windows 10 or Windows 11?

Presuming you have a system running on 7 or 8.1, the chances of it being compatible with Windows 11 seem pretty slim. With that being said, however, the requirements for 10 are fairly benign by modern standards meaning that making the transition to the newer operating system shouldn’t be too problematic for the vast majority of consumers. Albeit, with that being said, support for Windows 10 will be ending in 2025 meaning that you’re only going to really be buying yourself another 2 years before having to make a choice again.

If you would, however, like to learn more about this end-of-life to the Windows 7 and 8.1 operating system, you can check out Microsoft’s official blog on the subject via the link here!

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!