14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will officially retire Windows 7 in January 2020, and this means that devices running the 2009 operating system would no longer receive updates and security patches.
Systems that would still be powered by Windows 7 after this milestone is reached can remain secure with custom patches, which will be available for businesses in exchange for a $25 fee per machine in the first year.
However, it looks like select Microsoft customers will be getting one more year of free updates for Windows 7, as discovered recently by CW in an official document published by the software giant.
No extra security updates for home users
The offer is part of a promo aimed at Windows E5 and Microsoft 365 E5 customers, as Microsoft itself explains, and will include security updates for Windows 7 until December 31, 2019.
“Starting June 1st, EA and EAS customers with active subscription licenses to Windows 10 Enterprise E5, Microsoft 365 E5, or Microsoft 365 E5 Security (as of December 31, 2019) will get Windows 7 Extended Security Updates for Year 1 as a benefit. With this limited-time promotion, you have more options to continue receiving Windows 7 security updates after end of support,” Microsoft explains.
There are three qualifying subscriptions for the promo, namely Windows E5, Microsoft 365 E5, and Microsoft 365 E5 Security.
Home users won’t be getting any security updates beyond the January 14, 2020 deadline, so upgrading to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 remains the only option in this case.
At this point, Windows 7 continues to be the second most-used desktop operating system worldwide, with third-party data revealing a market share that’s still close to 35 percent. Windows 10 is already the leading choice on the desktop, but as far as Windows 7 is concerned, convincing everyone to upgrade is going to be a difficult task that’s unlikely to be complete by the time the January target is reached.