If you haven’t heard by now, Windows 7 is officially “end of life”. In fact that expiration date for the Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 operating system actually occurred some time ago. January 20th 2020 to be exact. 

What does “end of life” that actually mean though?

Well, simply put, Microsoft will no longer provide support for that operating system after the end of life date. Specifically:

• No more security updates are published
• No more bug fixes are published
• No more patches are published
• Microsoft will no longer provide technical support
• Vendors will stop supporting applications that run on the expired operating system

But, don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that on January 20th, 2020, you computer will just stop working. It will for the most part function just as well as it did on January 19th, 2020. But by far the biggest risk you face when running a discontinued operating system, are the security risks. As soon as security holes are no longer being patched, hackers and bad actors start looking to exploit them. 

And typically that means that your personal data such as passwords or financial information is being targeted, as that is the most lucrative hack to perform in most cases. For the majority of the security holes that are targeted, they are actually known about by the hackers before the operating system is discontinued, and they’ve probably built up quite an extensive database of compromised machines to target as well. Just waiting for the day the security holes will no longer be patched.

So, the moral of the story is to not wait to perform your upgrade, because the hackers are not waiting to exploit a potential security hole. It’s you against them.

So I’m sure you’re asking yourself right about now the two most obvious questions:

1. How much does it cost to upgrade to the Windows 10?

   It’s completely free! Yes, Microsoft is still offering the upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users (As of 8/1/2020). Windows 10 is vastly improved from both a usability standpoint and from a security standpoint and Microsoft wants as many computers running Windows 10 as humanly possible. Microsoft feels it is the only way that they can combat the security threats that we face on a daily basis, such as ransomeware attacks and the stealing of financial information. Due to the Windows 10 operating system being so much more secure and more easily kept up to date, as compared to previous Microsoft operating systems, giving it away for free means safer customers and happier customers. It’s a win win for them.

2. How do I perform this upgrade?

   It’s easy, just visit the following link to download the Microsoft Windows Creation Tool. This tool will prompt you to insert a USB flash drive into your computer to create a bootable ISO of the operating system. Once, launched, the setup process will guide you through upgrading the operating system to Windows 10. The process typically takes around 2 to 3 hours to complete, depending on your internet connection and performance of your computer. And do not worry, all your settings, programs and files will be preserved.

And of course, if you would like any assistance with upgrading your computer to Windows 10 or would like to speak to one of our experts regarding this upgrade process, call us today to speak to a representative. 732-477-4005 / info@jaydien.com