Microsoft Starts Planning for the End of Windows 7 Support

Windows XP will reach end-of-life status in April 2014, something that Microsoft has long urged customers to prepare for. While most users have already upgraded to more modern versions of Windows, it’s time to also start long-term planning for the death of Windows 7.

As noted by Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley, the Redmond company has started to reveal its long-term plans for the popular desktop operating system. With the launch of Windows 8 in October 2012, Microsoft let Windows 7 coexist for about a year, ending retail boxed sales of the operating system on October 30, 2013. OEMs, backed by their all-important business customers, will be given a bit more time, however, and will be allowed to continue offering Windows 7 pre-installed on new PCs for at least another year, with Microsoft still working to establish a specific cut-off date.

That doesn’t mean Windows 7 will suddenly disappear late next year, of course. The relatively negative reception of Windows 8 by consumers and businesses alike indicates that Windows 7 will remain the operating system of choice for desktop PC users for years to come. With that in mind, and with the hope of avoiding a repeat of customer reluctance to abandon Windows XP, Microsoft is also starting to talk about the end-of-life for Windows 7.

Microsoft states that “Mainstream” support for Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 will end on January 13, 2015 (support for versions of Windows 7 prior to the SP1 update ended in April 2013). “Mainstream support” refers to free updates from Microsoft that cover new features, compatibility improvements, and other non-essential changes, in addition to security patches.

Those looking to use Windows 7 long-term will be more interested in the end of “Extended” support for the operating system, which is now listed as January 14, 2020. Technically, extended support is a paid service offered by Microsoft to business and enterprise customers. It offers a more limited and security-focused approach to keeping older software running well. The good news for consumers is that Microsoft, similar to its Windows XP strategy, will continue to release security patches for free to consumers through the end of the extended Windows 7 support phase.

It should be noted that the dates mentioned for Windows XP and Windows 7 are simply support dates. Both operating systems will continue to run after these dates, but Microsoft will not release security patches to address new flaws and vulnerabilities. This means that customers are free to continue running their OS of choice, but they must understand that going with an OS that is no longer supported will put them at considerable risk of viruses, malware, and other undesirable security threats.