Windows 7 loses support on Jan 14
December 24, 2019Microsoft will officially end support for Windows 7 on January 14th, 2020. What does that mean for you? Well, if you’ve already taken the plunge and upgraded to Windows 10, then, nothing. But to those who are still running Windows 7 on their PCs or laptops, its a cause for concern.
Machines that are still running on Windows 7 after January 14th, will no longer receive updates or security patches from Microsoft. This was the same treatment dolled out to Windows XP users in 2014. While this might not seem like a big deal right now, there could be some security issues in the ‘not so distant’ future.
Moving forrward, newly discovered bugs and security flaws may not be patched. This in turn, will leave your PC or laptop vulnerable to spyware or malware attacks that exploit said weaknesses. Though you may have a good anti-virus programme, it won’t be able to keep your comprised operating system safe from malicious attacks.
The best thing you can do for your machine is to update to Windows 10, it’s still free for you to do so. Though Microsoft officially announced the end of the free upgrade programme in 2016, the company never followed through with its actions.
Photo Credit: Microsoft.com
If you are running Windows 7 or 8, and want to upgrade to Windows 10, you can. Just head on over to Microsoft’s website, read the instructions and download the Windows Media Creation Tool. Once complete, follow the on-screen instructions to upgrade your PC or laptop to Windows 10.
Admittedly Windows 10 has a propensity to monitor and collect your data, check out this avg article for more information. Certain data collection features can be turned off, but even then, some elements still remain active. It is for this very reason, some have held off from upgrading to Windows 10 until now.
