{"id":3054,"date":"2019-12-09T11:42:45","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T11:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loopcr.uk\/?p=3054"},"modified":"2020-06-24T15:08:02","modified_gmt":"2020-06-24T14:08:02","slug":"reminder-windows-7-support-ends-in-january-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loopcr.uk\/reminder-windows-7-support-ends-in-january-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Reminder: Windows 7 Support Ends January 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Microsoft announced a reminder at the beginning of 2019 that extended support for their Windows 7 operating system will end on the 14th<\/sup>, January 2020. Mainstream support of Windows 7 had already ended on January 13th<\/sup>, 2015. But what does this mean for you? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Windows 7 is reportedly still used on 39% of all computers\ndespite being nearly 10 years old. The end of mainstream support in 2015 meant\nthat the operating system was no longer being improved with updates to its main\nsystems, that are not related to reliability or security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The end of extended support in 2020 means that Microsoft\nwill end support for security and reliability patches. This means that any\ndevice using Windows 7 will no longer have security updates or technical\nsupport.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All warranties will be void and Microsoft will no longer\naccept requests for new design features and design changes. The device will\nbecome vulnerable to security issues as the operating system will not be\nupdated against newer types of malicious software. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time Microsoft will also discontinue software and\nservices related to Windows 7. Internet Backgammon and Internet Checkers are to\nbe discontinued as well as the Windows Media Centre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Windows 10 updates have removed various unpopular programs\nto free up space and increase performance, but this does mean that your old\nsoftware might not be compatible with the new operating system and you won\u2019t be\nable to use it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft products are supported for ten years, the first\nfive years products are given mainstream support but after five years\nmainstream support ends. After ten years extended support ends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This happened with Windows XP. Windows XP was an unsecured operating system, to begin with but Microsoft support helped patch out security issues. One of the main reasons Microsoft retired Windows XP was because it had so many vulnerabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Windows 7 follows a similar blueprint as a Microsoft system as does Windows 10, which means that hackers will keep trying to find vulnerabilities in similar bits of code. Experts have said that once support for Windows 10 ends within 10 minutes hackers are likely to find vulnerabilities and compromise an operating system’s security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malware can easily spread on obsolete platforms as known\nvulnerabilities on the systems are not going to be fixed. If you own a business\nthat primarily uses devices with Windows 7 then your data is potentially at\nrisk. This means that hackers are more likely to find vulnerabilities on your\ndevices with Windows 7 and they may try and take sensitive customer information\nor cause other sorts of issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Windows support is an absolute must for any device running\nMicrosoft software. In 2017 the NHS suffered the largest ransomware\ncyber-attack in history. When malicious WannaCry software developed by the NSA\nand stolen by hackers were installed onto NHS networks through email phishing.\nComputers with up to date windows security patches were able to prevent the\nransomware from affecting their systems but NHS devices with out of date\nsoftware were infected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This led to all files at some local hospitals being unable\nto be opened as they had been encrypted by an outside source. Which then\ndemanded payment in the form of bitcoin. This cost the NHS \u00a392 million. The\ncyber-attack was conducted on a global scale infecting more than 200,000\ncomputers in over 150 countries. The ransomware was designed to infect older\nwindows operating systems that hadn\u2019t been updated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To stop yourself from becoming a victim of cybercrime you should always keep your operating system up to date and have the latest security patches. Windows updates can be irritating but it is better to be safe than sorry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping Windows up to date and installing additional\nsecurity software like firewalls and other anti-virus software will help sure\nup your device\u2019s defences. Also, keep in mind that once Windows 7 extended\nsupport ends all warranties are void and all customer support will stop from\nmost companies not just Microsoft. Which means that it will either cost you a\nlot of money to restore your systems or there will be no one to help you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What should you do once support for Windows 7 ends?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most straight forward choices would be to upgrade to Windows 10. Upgrading to Windows 10 is relatively simple as your device will most likely be a Windows machine. However, if your device is too old it might not be compatible with your newer software and some of your favourite applications may no longer be supported but this will also be the case if you change the operating system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the minimum specifications to run Windows 10. Your\nhardware must at least reach these benchmarks for the operating system to run.\nPlease note that the meeting the minimum specs will cause significant stability\nissues and affect computer performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n