Microsoft stops support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, starting next week

Users of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free if the PC they use is compatible.

As of January 10, 2023, Microsoft will officially withdraw support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 versions, meaning that PCs still running these OS versions will no longer receive essential security updates and will remain completely vulnerable to any vulnerabilities discovered after this date.

Additionally, several popular applications and services will be left without support for the Windows versions abandoned by Microsoft. Thus, Google announced as early as October 2022 that Chrome version 109 will be the last version released and in the Windows 7 and 8.1 edition. The same goes for the Edge browser, which will not receive any new updates on the functionality or security side.

The good news is that users of both OS versions are not being abandoned by Microsoft, with PCs equipped with valid license keys being eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10 if they can pass the “test” of compatibility testing.

According to the official list of system requirements, PCs eligible to install Windows 10 must have at least 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, a 1 GHz processor, and at least DirectX 9-compatible drivers for the video card (dedicated or integrated). In practice, if you’re still the “proud” owner of such an old PC, the Windows 10 user experience will be frustrating to say the least, especially if you plan to install apps other than those that come pre-installed with the OS.