The Redmond doctor came into the room, snorted a chair into place, but didn’t want to look Windows 7 in the eye and just stared at the desk. “I’m afraid it’s bad news,” said the doctor.
Windows 7 let out a long sigh.
“It’s terminal,” said the M.D. As if Windows 7 didn’t know that it had been on loan since July 2015. This fear in autumn 2012 had been annoying, nothing more. But then, three years later, the end was in sight. And here it was.
“Ten weeks,” said the doctor, looking out the window at the autumn leaves. “Maybe eleven. But then …”
Then what happens to Windows 7?
Nothing immediately.
The operating system continues to work for any user the day before support is closed or not. That’s important to consider, if only because some still don’t – provided that the operating system comes to a halt after midnight on January 14, 2020.
Even Microsoft reminds customers that Windows 7 will continue to run after retirement, although these reminders may move closer to the top of the task list. in the this FAQ Towards the end of the support, Microsoft waited until the fifth point before noting the operating system’s reliability. “If you continue to use Windows 7 after the support ends, your PC will continue to work,” Microsoft promised, noting, “Your PC will continue to start and run.”
Good to know, thanks.
However, customer support is discontinued – theoretically, Microsoft’s phone and chat-based support does not answer any questions – as do security updates. Unless Microsoft releases an emergency update in the four weeks after January 14, the first fixes that Windows 7 users miss will be missed on February 11. Until then, an outdated Windows 7 system will be patched as if support had continued.
What happens to Office when Windows 7 is no longer supported?
That depends on the Art of the office. Office 365, the subscription-paid version – whether for one like Office 365 Personal or for thousands like Office 365 Enterprise E5 – will continue to receive security updates for unsupported copies of Windows 7 until January 2023.
That is the good news. The bad? Office 365, whose premise is a constant development, is not updated to new features or functions. In other words, the range of functions is blocked and remains so.
On the other side of Office, versions sold as “perpetual licenses”, such as B. Office 2010 or 2016, supported over the standard range of each suite. (Remember: Perpetually licensed Office, a.k.a.Office without a subscription, only receives bug fixes, never updates or improvements.) Office 2010 will be supported until October 13, 2020, for example. Office 2013 to April 10, 2023; and office 2016 to October 14, 2025.
The latest permanently licensed suite, Office 2019, is only supported on Windows 10.
However, Microsoft has set a limitation on Office support. “If the problem is a result of combination of office and a unsupported Operating system the problem is not supported (Emphasis added) “, said the company.
The deadline for the end of the security updates in January 2023 has not been blown up. It was chosen because Microsoft has been providing Windows 7 patches for payment through its Extended Security Updates (ESU) for so long. Microsoft realized that when ESU was sold to commercial customers, Office patches still needed to be created.
What about Internet Explorer?
Unlike Office, Microsoft stops patching Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) while updates to Windows 7 are paused. In other words, on January 14th, 2020.
“As a component of Windows, Internet Explorer follows the support lifecycle of the Windows operating system on which it is installed,” says Microsoft – and has been for ages, as it appears to be a boilerplate forever. But elsewhere, the company put it clearly. “Support for Internet Explorer on a Windows 7 device will also end on January 14, 2020,” it said Here.
The only way to continue to receive IE11 security updates in Windows 7 is to pay for Extended Security Updates (ESU).
What happens to the antivirus we use?
This depends on the policies and practices of the antivirus provider.
Just like when Windows XP left April 2014, expect most credible AV manufacturers to release new definition updates – the “fingerprints” that identify newly found malware for the scanner – for Windows 7 long after the operating system Support list liked. The three-year availability of Extended Security Updates (ESU) for business customers guarantees that AV providers who serve the corporate market keep the definition versions up and running.
AV support can quickly limit itself to issuing definition updates, although some vendors continue to update products with new or enhanced features.
For reference, Symantec has moved Windows XP (retired 4/14) and Vista (4/17) to what it calls “Maintenance mode” only in June 2018. As of that date, Symantec said, “New product features will no longer be provided.” Software that is already installed “will continue to receive the latest malware definitions” as well as “vulnerability updates and compatibility corrections”.
Microsoft has not yet announced what it will do for Security Essentials, the free anti-malware product for Windows 7. A look at Windows XP is also worthwhile here: Microsoft has provided definition updates more than a year after the retirement of XP.
What if we can’t leave Windows 7 but can’t run unpatched PCs?
Microsoft likes to sell commercial customers, from the smallest to the largest, so-called “Extended Security Updates” or ESUs, which provide security updates for patches “Critical” and “Important” vulnerabilities by mid-January 2023 … at a price.
The plans per device are sold in increments of one year for up to three years, with prices for larger customers up to $ 350 per PC for every three years. (Smaller business costs will not be announced until December 1st.)
Although Microsoft called ESU the “last resort” for Windows 7 customers, it spent a large part of it “End of Support FAQ” describe the service, draw its boundaries and praise its advantages. ESU is by far the most transparent security support concept that Microsoft introduced after retirement. The company recognizes that many companies will not meet the deadline and therefore wants a temporary solution. or endeavors to use the possibly last such operating system transition to generate additional income.
Or both.
Note that ESU does not affect security updates for Office 365 ProPlus – the part of an Office 365 subscription that provides the locally installed applications – on Windows 7. Even Windows 7 PCs Not ESU continues to receive patches for Office 365 ProPlus. Microsoft has clarified this in the frequently asked questions: “Windows 7 ESU has no effect on the support of Office 365 ProPlus under Windows 7”.
