It feels like only yesterday that Windows XP reached it’s end of life, and there was a big rush to get all those old computers updated to ensure security, particularly in business environments. Home computers were still ok to use it, but when Microsoft stop supporting the software, it’s time to move on. It was actually the 8th of April 2014 – over 4 years ago! I have to say I rarely see an XP machine still operating nowadays, so the move did happen pretty smoothly.
While XP was a great software in it’s time, Windows 7 soon took over as the staple of home and business environments, and now Windows 10 has become the real powerhouse for desktop operations, soon we will see Windows 7’s end of life reached. The date is set at January 14, 2020, only 19 months from the time of writing this post.
An interesting twist for Windows 10 however, is that each major update has an end of life too.
| Windows 10 version history | Date of availability | End of service |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10, version 1803 | April 30, 2018 | November 12, 2019 |
| Windows 10, version 1709 | October 17, 2017 | April 9, 20192 |
| Windows 10, version 1703 | April 5, 2017 | October 9, 20182 |
| Windows 10, version 1607 | August 2, 2016 | April 10, 20182 |
| Windows 10, version 1511 | November 10, 2015 | October 10, 20172 |
| Windows 10, released July 2015 (version 1507) | July 29, 2015 | May 9, 2017 |
Just over 18 months from the release of the major update, it’s considered no longer serviced, so if you don’t keep up to date, you won’t receive any updates at all – a dangerous place to be in today’s world.
So, if your computer keeps bugging you to install a major Windows 10 update, it’s best to get it done, and if you are working with Windows 7, keep in mind an upgrade will be necessary sooner rather than later.
It’s important to remember however, that end of life just means no more updates, the software will keep working. Don’t think of it as a cut off date, just a gentle reminder that world of computers runs at a fast pace, and it’s easy to get left behind. Eventually, third party programs will stop supporting the older operating systems as well, and it will get to a point where you can’t do as much as you used to.
Also as an extra note, Windows 8 end of life isn’t until January 2023, so still quite a few years away for that one!