Microsoftโ€™s period of Extended Security Update (ESU) to Windows 7 ends today โ€“ making the software vulnerable to anyone who uses it going forward.

Aside from it, Windows 8 and 8.1 too are shutting down for good. Users are advised to upgrade to any supporting OS โ€“ like Windows 10 or 11 to keep running their Microsoft suite and services.

Windows 7 and 8 Are Done

Initially launched in 2009, Windows 7 is so much loved that Microsoft is forced to serve it with updates until even last year! This is out of the 10-year fixed lifecycle policy the company sets for every new OS update.

Even though Microsoft came with subsequent OS upgrades over the years โ€“ some users and enterprises have been stuck at Windows 7, which led to Microsoft launching a special Enterprise Security Update (ESU) plan at a cost. Now that plan has ended its 3-year lifecycle, too, Microsoft completely abandoned Windows 7 for good.

Anyone running the OS after this period should consider exposing their system to online threats and personal hacks! Aside from Windows 7, Microsoft is also ditching Windows 8 and 8.1 too today โ€“ by serving their last even update.

And since these two OS versions arenโ€™t as popular as Windows 7, Microsoft hasnโ€™t made any ESU plan for them. Thus, users should avoid running their systems on Windows 8 and 8.1, too, from today.

Though Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 8 in 2016, it continued serving 8.1 with updates until late last year. As its 10-year lifecycle has ended even in this pursuit, youโ€™re now done with all the reasons to stick to it.

Well, the easiest way to continue on Microsoft suite is to upgrade to Windows 10 OS โ€“ which was launched in 2015 and has support until 2025. Thatโ€™s plenty of time to decide on sticking to it or going for an even better option โ€“ Windows 11.

But if you want to get on to Windows 11, you should either buy a new PC/laptop or upgrade your current hardware to support it. Microsoft earlier mentioned the requirements for running a Windows 11 OS, which isnโ€™t easy for any current system.

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