Are you still using Windows 7, and love it? Is it the old friend that you don’t want to let go of to make room to a new version that is unknown and different?
Many people are facing the upgrade since Windows 7 will no longer be supported starting at the beginning of 2020. All good things must come to an end, but that doesn’t mean change needs to be frustrating.
A little bit of background
Windows 7 was the most popular desktop operating system in the world for many years, and for a reason. It’s intuitive, fast, with many features (such as pinning applications to the taskbar) and compatible with more hard-/software than its predecessors. Since its launch in 2009, technology has made a giant leap forward, and Windows 7 is unable to keep up with the pace.
Hence, Windows will not be providing support for the Windows 7 OS starting in January 2020. You might be thinking “so what?”. After all, when was the last time you needed to use the Windows support functionality?
“Support” is a big umbrella term that covers a wide area. Most importantly, it covers security patches. Have you ever wondered why you must run so many updates ever so often on your computer? It’s because your OS is getting patched by new security updates, meaning the little holes that criminals can use to get access to your computer and that get discovered will be closed. After the support ends, those holes will stay open, meaning it is much easier to compromise your personal data.
The important security patches that improve the user experience, fill in the dangerous security holes and fix any glitches and bugs that may be present will not be fixed for Windows 7 anymore.
Does it affect everyone?
Technically, but not quite yet. Since Windows 7 is the preferred operating system for many large corporations and hospitals, it will take them longer to upgrade their systems to the new version. Large companies can purchase customized contracts to keep up with the support for Windows 7, but it will become more and more costly every year until they will be forced to move over to Windows 10—it just won’t be cost-effective to keep paying more for developers to patch your aging systems.
Even if you want to pay extra to use an outdated system, they will stop releasing paid patches in 2023. If you own a small business or you just want the old Windows 7 for your personal computer, it won’t even be an option made public for you.
What speaks for updating your system is hardware and software comes out, it might not be supported by the Windows 7 OS. Hardware might start having issues, too—newer hardware is made for the newest version of Windows 10 and won’t even function with older versions.
Windows 7 vs Windows 10
New and improved hard- and software is usually tested with newer operating systems, and Windows 7 is starting to be considered an antique.
Some people think that Windows 7 is more secure than 10, which is not the case. According to Webroot, a popular antivirus provider, just 15% of malware in 2017 was found on Windows 10 devices, while 63% was found on Windows 7.
Most of the time, people are also against the new interface, since it requires getting used to your good old OS. It’s true—you need to get used to the new system. The good news is, it doesn’t take long and it is not a day and night difference, like most people suspect.
Most notably, Windows 10 has a lot more features than its predecessor. It entails several parts of Windows 7 and 8 for a seamless and comfortable user experience.
The menu structure looks somewhat different, but the new menu is highly customizable to your preferences and you can find all the same menu items, with a slightly altered appearance. For an example, to reboot your computer on Windows 7, you would have to click on the arrow next to the “shut down” button, but on Windows 10 you need to press the power button and choose the “restart” option.
Windows 10 also forces updates, so you can’t pick and choose your updates.
This is mainly to force the security patches and make your computer more secure, but a lot of users have issues with this. People want to be in charge of their own computers and operating systems and no one wants to rely on a (potentially faulty) update.
PRO will stop supporting Windows 7 machines the same time the updates stop, which is January 14th, 2020. We recommend everyone move over to a newer version by then to avoid security holes and keep up with the ever-evolving technology. We can help you move from a previous Windows version to Windows 10, making sure you get all your programs and files moved over.
