Windows 7 End of Life: How to Prepare and What to Expect

One week from now marks the 10 year anniversary of Windows 7’s release. As Windows 10 is currently the major share of the PC market, Microsoft has announced Windows 7 End of Life. While Microsoft stopped mainstream support for the operating system on January 13, 2015, the extended support that has been provided for the 5 years following that will now be coming to an end as well.

What does this mean?

As of January 14, 2020, if your PC is running Windows 7, it will no longer receive security updates. New viruses and malware are developed every day, so not having up-to-date security can pose a serious risk, regardless of whether it’s a personal computer or a work computer. To protect yourself, your company, and your data you should upgrade to Windows 10 as soon as possible.

Statistically, 25% of all PCs in the world still run Windows 7. In January, the machines which still run Windows 7 will be at risk of being hacked, key-logged, data-mined, encrypted, or even used for bitcoin mining! And, of course, Microsoft will no longer be providing technical support at that point, either.

If your company has to meet certain compliance standards, such as HIPAA or PCI, you will be required to replace your OS before the end-of-life date for security purposes as well. Be sure to read up on how your compliance standard applies to your OS so you maintain compliance.

Depending on its age, your PC may not be compatible with Windows 10. To ensure that your computer is compatible with the upgrade, please reference this Microsoft article.

Upgrading to a new operating system is time-consuming and requires careful planning. Some software may be compatible with your old OS, but not your new one. Perhaps your hard drive is more than 3 years old, and starting to run a bit slower than before. There’s never been a better time to contact Orange County Computer for an evaluation. We can analyze your system to assist you in determining an upgrade timeline by identifying critical points in both your local machine as well as your entire network. Our technical team can also apply our ultra-secure Cloud Solutions to ensure that your business or home keeps running smoothly and risk-free.

For more information on upgrading to Windows 10 for your personal or business needs contact us now at (949) 522-7709 to get started!