end of life

Timmy has heard that Microsoft is going to kill support for Windows 7 on January 14th. Is that going to be a security problem? Leo says essentially, yes. You'll be on your own as Windows 7 goes end of life. You can get Windows 10 for free in most cases if you still own Windows 7, and Microsoft is hell-bent on getting everyone to WIndows 10. Also, after January, most other browsers and other software updates will stop supporting Windows 7 as well. But if you take it offline, you can still use Windows 7. Just not for the internet. 

Chris wants to know why his ATMs will require an update costing $10,000. Leo says it depends on what your license options are, but those ATM machines are running on old versions of Windows, like Windows XP, and they have to keep them updated for security purposes. And it would be expensive to update to a new version of Windows. So it depends on the license you have. What about Windows 7? Leo says that Windows 7 will go end of life in January 2020. 

Micahel has learned that Windows 7 will stop being supported in January. Is that seriously so? Leo says it is. It's called End of Life, and beginning January 14th, there will be no more security patches being done for Windows 7. That means that after January 14th, you'll want to take any Windows 7 computer off the internet, or it'll be increasingly more dangerous online. It will still work however. And considering the age of Michael's computer, it may be a great time to upgrade. Computers are faster, more powerful, and cheaper now. 

Martin got the email that Microsoft will be killing Windows 7 in January. What does it mean? Leo says it's the normal end of life announcement, which Microsoft did for Windows XP, Me, and every single OS before it. It means that Microsoft will stop issuing patches, including security patches after January. This will make it unsafe to use online. You can still use it on your computer, but it'll be a security risk and browsers and websites will gradually stop working.

Ron hears that he won't be able to use Windows 7 after 2020. Does that mean he can't use his computer? Leo says no. The so-called "end of life" phase, Microsoft won't be updating the operating system with security patches. So he uses it at his own risk online. But if there's something really bad, Microsoft usually puts out a fix. And Leo has a hunch that the 2020 end of life date will be extended.

Leo also says most infections come from out-of-date browsers. So keep the browsers updated. Practice safe online computing. Update the AVS.

Alan wants to know when Windows Vista will stop being supported. Leo says that Windows XP recently ended it's support life, and Windows Vista support ends in 2017. Windows 7 support will end in 2020. Windows 8 support ends in 2025. It's usually every ten years. So by then, he's going to want to update.

Richard wants to get a new computer to replace his XP machine, but he's concerned that Microsoft may do the same thing to Windows 7. Leo says that Microsoft has scheduled updates past 2020, so he'll get plenty of mileage out of that Windows 7 machine. It'll likely go even longer than that.

Monny has a bunch of XP machines that he has to upgrade. Leo says that he doesn't necessarily have to. It is possible to operate XP safely online. Here's what you can do -

RJ heard that ATMs run on XP, and he's concerned with Microsoft's end of life support of it in April. Leo says that there isn't any worry. XP can still be used safely if you're careful, and ATMs are using a protected network. They aren't visiting websites. So therefore, it's pretty much firewalled and protected. Individual users can do the same thing, too:

Suzanne's mother has a Windows XP machine and she's wondering what she should do after April 8. Leo says that Microsoft ending life of support for XP really isn't as terrible as it was first believed. If she practices safe computing, her mother should be ok. Here are a few things she can do to protect herself on Windows XP: