Windows 7 mainstream support ends today
Just finished migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7? Microsoft discontinues mainstream support today
The long-planned winding down of support for Windows 7 comes nine months after the company ended support for Windows XP and Office 2003, and comes ahead of a cessation of support for its popular Windows Server 2003 server operating system - which is still widely used to run major applications today.
The end of mainstream support for Windows 7 means that the company will stop rolling out improvements to the operating system, but will continue to provide security patches as and when they are required. This extended support will continue until 14 January 2020.
Globally, some 55 per cent of PCs today are estimated to be running Windows 7, compared to its widely panned successor, Windows 8, with just 12 per cent.
The unpopularity of Windows 8 has been blamed for depressing sales of desktop and laptop PCs, which both Intel and Microsoft hope will be reversed with the rushed release of Windows 10, which will return the overall look and feel of Windows to be more like Windows 7. However, evidence from Asian component manufacturers suggests that a combination of Windows 10 and new Intel microprocessors won't cause a significant spike in PC sales.
Windows 8 was widely criticised for unsuccessfully trying to span both touchscreen PCs and tablet devices and more traditional mouse-and-keyboard input. It also tried to impose the "Metro" interface alongside a desktop interface, which confused and enraged many users.
Microsoft's own Windows XP end of life web page, however, still advises users to migrate to Windows 7 or Windows 8 - despite the end of mainstream support for Windows 7, although many organisations have persisted with Windows XP despite the cessation of support, especially in the public sector.