Windows 7 End of Life
Microsofts venerable operating system, Windows 7 has now had its official end of life date announced, January 14th 2020. This means that Microsoft will no longer update or support the operating system after this date. Despite its age (almost 10 years old now) Windows 7 remains incredibly popular, with some reports suggesting that 39% of all PC’s still use the operating system (Netmarketshare).
What is the Impact of End of Life ?
Those users with Windows 7 machines will still be able to use the product post January 14th. However, crucially Microsoft will no longer be supplying patches and security updates. This means that Windows 7 users will be more vulnerable to security threats. As a result, we would strongly recommend that users upgrade to Windows 10 in advance of January 14th.
How Do I Upgrade ?
You will probably already have seen multiple prompts from Microsoft to upgrade to Windows 10. There are other ways of upgrading, CF Systems can advise if required.
Can I Keep Using My Old Machine ?
Potentially is the answer, although it may well also be worth considering upgrading. Microsoft recommend that any machine running Windows 10 has a minimum spec of
Required Processor 1 GHz processor or faster
Required Memory 1 GB RAM for 32-bit; 2 GB for 64-bit
Required Hard Disk Space Up to 20 GB available hard disk space
Required video card 800 x 600 screen resolution or higher. DirectX® 9 graphics processor with WDDM driver
Again, CF Systems are happy to advise on new machine specifications if required.
What are CF Systems recommendations ?
We strongly recommend upgrading from Windows 7. Continuing on the operating system will be a significant risk to the security of your business given the lack of patching from Microsoft. In addition, its quite likely that if a significant number of people remain on Windows 7 after its end of life date, this could act as an incentive for the development of viruses and malware aimed particularly at the product.