A few years ago Microsoft announced that Windows 10 would be the last version of the Windows desktop operating system. So with Microsoft being Microsoft, it really came as no surprise when it announced the upcoming release of Windows 11. What does this mean for folks running older versions of Windows? Is an upgrade necessary?
By Microsoft’s own count, tens of millions of devices still run Windows 7, which has been unsupported since before the pandemic. Anecdotal evidence points to the continued existence of Windows XP in the wild. While security updates are still available, for a fee, from Microsoft, there haven’t been updates for XP for several years now. Windows 10 will be supported until the end of 2025.
For years, vendors such as Microsoft, as well as information technology professionals, have preached the need to keep your operating system reasonably current, with the driving factor being security. While this is still true, recent ransomware attacks would have worked on even the most up-to-date PCs.
Furthermore, sophisticated phishing efforts are platform independent, and prey upon human error versus technical vulnerabilities. All that being said, an up-to-date operating system is much better than an outdated version.
If you’re running a Windows 7-based computer, though, that means your hardware is at least 5 years old and probably more than 7 years old. So it’s time to upgrade soon. Hardware vendors try to convince you that you need to upgrade every three years. Accountants say five years, and many, if not most folks, go with the approach of “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.” The fact of the matter is that in the current state of computing, seven years is about as long as you should go before replacing your systems.
The introduction of Windows 11 will accelerate the replacement of Windows 7-based PCs. Many organizations have run mixed environments for years now, running Windows 10 side by side with Window 7. A workable solution, albeit not optimal. The two operating systems are similar enough for most users to be able to get around.
Now that new PCs will be sold with Windows 11, that raises the potential for three operating systems to be implemented in an organization, all purportedly for the same functions. At first glance Windows 11 is similar enough to Windows 10 for most folks to make the transition. But throw Windows 7 in the mix and that adds another level of complexity that could cause significant confusion among the user base, not to mention difficulty with technical support.
Finally, we’re already seeing applications for Windows 7 being restricted to older versions. Microsoft’s own flagship Office 365 suite on Windows 7 is now several releases behind. Some features available on the current release of Office 365 are not available on the Windows 7 version. This gap will only widen as time goes on.
John Agsalud is an IT expert with more than 25 years of information technology experience in Hawaii and around the world. He can be reached at jagsalud@live.com.
