To date, the Windows 7 operating system is the most popular among PC owners. And not only ordinary users, but also large companies working in different fields of activity.
Unconditional Leadership
Despite the fact that Microsoft has officially announced the deadlines for the liquidation of this OS, its popularity has not decreased. Moreover, according to surveys, the Windows 7 platform is in demand among almost 50% of PC users around the world. This is more than all other Microsoft operating systems combined.
And now, when support for Windows 7 ends, OS owners are invited to upgrade to more current systems of the latest generations (Win 8, 10). However, even for the year when the manufacturer offered to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free, almost no one took advantage of this offer.
The current situation with Windows 7
Basic support for the system was completed in 2015, but nevertheless, now users will be able to receive an extended package of updates and improvements. At least until 2020, the situation will not change.
But what about those who plan to continue to stay on their beloved “axis”, in which everything is already so dear and familiar? When does Windows 7 support come to an end ? But no way - with a complete lack of technical support, Win 7 will turn into a continuous vulnerability (literally).
What threatens users who do not want to change Win 7
Here is a whole set of negative points that sooner or later all fans of the seventh “Windows” will have to face, and there will be almost no way to protect themselves from them:
- lack of updates to the main modules and components;
- lack of the latest security modules from hacker attacks and potentially dangerous programs;
- system incompatibility with the latest PCs.
Several Microsoft products have already passed through this - this is the famous Win XP, and the predecessor of the "seven" Win Vista. And unfortunately, the same situation is likely to happen again with Windows 7.
Options for overcoming the current situation
To understand the current situation with what to do when Windows 7 support ends, there are several options.
First way. Even if Win 7 will not be officially supported, many users will use their system to the fullest for several more years. After all, critical updates do not come out very often, and anti-virus software will help to ensure some PC security against hacker and virus attacks. Therefore, the end of the main support for Windows 7, if it affects the quality of the OS, it’s obviously not right away. A similar situation at the moment has developed with the popular Win XP, which is already considered obsolete.
Second way. Transition to new Microsoft operating systems. It is not so simple, but it is clear that enterprises and large companies, which pay great attention to information security issues, will be the first candidates to upgrade Windows 7. As a counterbalance to this path, we can assume that ordinary inhabitants will not be so hasty. The reason is weak transitions to new versions with a free opportunity in the past.
Against the transition to Win 10 is the fact that, according to unverified information (albeit fairly common on the Internet), it transfers too much user confidential data to the manufacturing company.
Third way. The choice of operating systems from other manufacturers. It is likely that the Windows 7 support service will officially stop providing all possible assistance to users and the demand for alternative systems will rise. We are talking about the mobile OS Android and iOS. In addition, Linux functions well, which is less demanding on hardware and easier to manage.
The near future of Windows 7
Actually, while the popular system is operating at full capacity, it is still very early to write off it. Moreover, the Internet is simply full of various add-ons and Windows components that can be downloaded and installed without the participation of the official update center. So in the next few years, even when support for Windows 7 ends, there are ways to rectify the situation.
But, of course, given the current trends and wild popularity, I would like Windows 7 to work in full for a long time with official support from Microsoft. Perhaps the company will nevertheless rely on the number of consumers and leave the system in service, even with minor visual and technical changes.