Microsoft doubles support lifespan for consumer Windows 7, Vista

[Night Hawk]

Alright all you Windows Vista/7 users listen up! Some good news arrived as far as "extended support"!

Microsoft doubles support lifespan for consumer Windows 7, Vista

Will patch Windows 7 until 2020, Vista until 2017

By Gregg Keizer
February 20, 2012 08:23 PM ET

Computerworld - Microsoft has quietly extended support for the consumer versions of Windows 7 and Windows Vista by five years, syncing them with the lifespan of enterprise editions.


The move is part of a revamp of the company's support policies for its operating systems, Microsoft said.


Previously, Microsoft had committed to support consumer software with security updates, and bug and stability fixes, for five years, a period designated as "mainstream" support. Meanwhile, business software was supported for at least 10 years: The first half in mainstream support, the second in "extended" support.


During extended support, Microsoft provides security patches to everyone, but offers other fixes only to organizations that have signed support contracts with Microsoft.

Until the change, Vista's consumer editions -- Home Basic, Home Premium, Starter and Ultimate -- were to be retired from support in less than two months, on April 10, 2012. The new policy extends that date to April 11, 2017.

Windows 7's consumer editions were due to drop off the support list on Jan. 13, 2015, a deadline that has now been moved to Jan. 14, 2020.

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[Lomai]

Good find - thanks for the good news Hawk

 

[Night Hawk]

By 2020 you wouldn't be able to estimate the hardwares that will be seen at that time. But like many others I plan to keep 7 running as long as time allows!

A dual boot with one of the next few versions might be the likely result while 7 has been the champ here so far. That also means once I get the old case refurbished I can still keep Vista running there.

 

[essa123]

hi . thanks good news

 

[M1GU31]

good since i wasn't planing to upgrade to win 8 because of it's fail metro and being almost identical to win 7. This is a win Hopefully they stick to there guns

 

[F5ing]

This is fantastic news!

 

[Layback Bear]

Yes Yes that is what I wanted to hear. The way to make people upgrade is not by stop backing up your older operating system but by making a new operating system much better so people want it and will buy it.

 

[mr pc]

either the jury is in with beta impressions of Win8 or MS doesn't have enough faith in the marketability and viability of Win8 - seeing that XP is still alive and well.

7 is a great OS, they should let it grow

 

[Infinite]

Let's hope Windows 9 or 10 isn't Metro.

 

[mr pc]

especially metrotextual

those kinds of OS are so high maintenance

 

[legacy7955]

Thank you Microsoft!

I realize that they DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS..but it is generous of them to do so.

Honestly I would pay a reasonable fee after a period of 5 years to keep being supported because after all they are in business to make a profit, I wonder if they ever considered this.

 

[Night Hawk]

Yes Yes that is what I wanted to hear. The way to make people upgrade is not by stop backing up your older operating system but by making a new operating system much better so people want it and will buy it.

Well that's precisely what most are finding once they upgraded to 7 a working OS over the past mistakes made by MS! Some refer to 7 as the OS that "runs right out of the box" without a ton of fixes required!

I was hoping MS would have at least followed suit in a progression with 8 and eventually 9 building on the success seen with 7 but... they seem to be off on another adventure somewhere else that could likely end up being another "Flop"?!