Windows 7 End Of Life - Are You Prepared?

All good things must come to an end and the life of Windows 7 will be ending soon. Originally released on October 22nd in 2009, users loved Windows 7 and as such it is still widely used today. Ten years though, is a long time in terms of technology and Microsoft is pulling the plug on its aging software on January 14th, 2020.

What does this mean for current users?

After 14/1/20, computers still running Windows 7 will no longer receive updates, patches, new releases or ANY support from Microsoft (free or paid). Of lesser importance, but still critical to know, Office 2010 will also see it’s end of life in the same year.

The implications are far-reaching. If Microsoft does not support Windows 7, you can expect other software vendors to follow suit, with:

No more anti-virus updates for Windows 7 computers.
No printer driver updates for printers connected to Windows 7 computers.
No hardware drivers or updates for Windows 7 hardware.
No updates from other software vendors for Windows 7 applications.

So for current Windows 7 users this really means one thing - it is time to upgrade to Windows 10.

Businesses running Windows 7 may not realize the severity of using outdated software, but it’s critical to migrate. Microsoft has put together some excellent points I’d like to share.

The security, compliance and privacy implications of this event could have significant impacts on your business:

Security Risks
- Without critical Windows 7 security updates, your PC will become vulnerable to harmful viruses, spyware and other malicious software which can steal or damage your business data and information.
- Anti-virus software will also not be able to fully protect you once Windows 7 itself is unsupported.
Software Issues
- Many software vendors will no longer support their products that are running on Windows 7 as they are unable to get the Windows 7 suport they need from Microsoft. For example, the new MS Office leverages the modern Windows and will not run on Windows 7.
Hardware Issues
- Most users still running Windows 7 are using old machines. Running older machines greatly increases the risk of failure and data loss. Now is a great time to move to Windows 10 and also upgrade your computer systems.
No One to Call
- When problems arise, online and phone-based technical support will unfortunately no longer be available to assist you or your IT partner, leaving you on your own to deal with the problem.
Down Time
- The risks of system failure and business disruption could increase because of the end of support, lack of supported software and the increasing age of hardware running Windows 7.

Further information on this is available from Microsoft here.

As an Australian Microsoft Partner, DP Computing have the resources to make sure your move to Windows 10 is successful. Whether it’s a custom build business PC from us or a standard computer from another manufacturer, we are here to help you. We are able to assist with:

New computer procurement and setup.
Data transfer, including system settings, user data, email, etc…
Training and tuition as needed
Ongoing support
and any other migration needs