14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has officially stopped selling Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 to OEMs, which means that new computers running any of these two operating systems should no longer arrive in stores across the world.
Of course, if you hurry up, you might still be able to buy one, as sales will continue with devices that are still in stock, but no new models would arrive, as the focus is now entirely on Windows 10
According to Microsoft’s Windows lifecycle fact sheet, sales of PCs with Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, and Ultimate ended on October 31, 2014, while the Professional version of the operating system remained available until October 31, 2016.
In the case of Windows 8, Microsoft stopped selling the OS to manufacturers on June 30, 2016, while Windows 8.1 reached the end of sales on October 31, 2016.
All these operating systems have already reached the retail software end of sales, and the only version that you can still purchase right now is Windows 10. There are no details as to when Microsoft plans to end sales of Windows 10.
Security updates for Windows 7
What’s very important to note, however, is that although Microsoft is no longer selling any other operating system than Windows 10, both Windows 7 and 8.1 continue receiving support.
In the case of Windows 7, the OS has already entered extended support for the Service Pack 1 version, so it’ll continue getting security patches until January 13, 2020. Windows 8.1 is still in mainstream support, getting both updates and security fixes until January 9, 2018. The end of extended support for Windows 8.1 will be reached on January 10, 2023.
Windows 10 is the best choice at the moment, as the original version reaches the end of mainstream support on October 13, 2020, while extended support will continue to be offered until October 14, 2025.