Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
Microsoft has said that with effect from Tuesday, January 14, it will stop supporting Windows 7 operating system, according to the company’s website.
This indicates that users who still run on the system won’t get any more software updates, including software patches that could prevent cyberattacks, to millions of computers.
In the detailed statement released on the website, Microsoft claimed that this does not mean the programme will stop working, but users won’t have access to latest updates.
“While you could continue to use your PC running Windows 7, without continued software and security updates, it will be at greater risk for viruses and malware.
“In addition, Microsoft customer service will no longer be available to provide Windows 7 technical support,” the company stated.
Users have been asked based on how long they have had their computers to upgrade to the latest model – Windows 10 for those whose devices are lesser than three years old since date of production.
For those whose computers are more than three years old, Microsoft suggested that they buy a new computer that runs Windows 10, which has better processors and other hardware that help the system run faster as well as other features that include: new security options, such as facial recognition or fingerprint recognition to log in.
The initial stop for the Windows 7 had kicked off in 2015, but in order to give people and large organisations who run the operating system such as ministries, doctor’s offices, financial and other institutions that hold sensitive customer information enough time to work on their security updates and even upgrade to the latest, the company kept on providing mainstream support till Monday.
According to Microsoft, every Windows product has a lifecycle. The lifecycle begins when a product is released and ends when it’s no longer supported. The Windows 7 became available on October 22, 2009 but its end of mainstream support ended on January 13, 2015, with an extension till Tuesday, January 14, 2020.
