Arstecnica
This is the last line of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Both of these older versions of Windows (and Windows RT) have stopped receiving all security updates today, more than a decade after their initial release. Microsoft will also stop providing updates to the Microsoft Edge browser for these operating systems in a few days, and the remaining third-party apps that continue to work will eventually follow suit (especially Google Chrome support). ends early next month).
Support for Windows 7 for most people actually ended three years ago, but businesses still using it are asking for up to three years of additional support while they migrate to Windows 10 or 11. could pay. Paid support options for Windows 8.1.
Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs are rare and increasingly rare, but both are old and still relatively widely used. According to Statcounter, both OSs make up just under 14% of all Windows PCs worldwide, and nearly 8% in the US. For PCs in the Steam Hardware Survey, this number is currently hovering around 2%.
It’s not entirely unheard of for Microsoft to release a one-off patch for a critical security issue after an operating system’s end of support date has passed. However, these operating systems no longer receive regular security updates and bug fixes that keep them relatively secure and functional years after release.
If you or the computer you’re begrudgingly supporting are still running Windows 7 or 8.1, the easiest workaround, short of buying new hardware, is to upgrade to Windows 10. Most PCs shipped with Windows 7 or 8 are too old to meet the system requirements for Windows 11, but unsupported installation is an option.
There is also Linux, another frequently updated operating system that supports a wide variety of PC hardware.
Windows 7 is fondly remembered for its improvements (and to some extent rebranding) of Windows Vista. Windows 8 and 8.1 weren’t all that popular and tried to force a touchscreen-centric user interface on people who didn’t need or want it, but a lot of work went into improving Windows’ touchscreen support. I did Designed like Microsoft’s Surface or Lenovo’s foldable Yoga convertible laptop. The Arm version of Windows 8, Windows RT, shipped without any compatibility layer for desktop Windows apps and also helped lay the foundation for the current Arm version of the operating system.
