UPDATED 00:52 EDT / NOVEMBER 02 2016

NEWS

Microsoft stops selling older Windows versions to computer makers

Microsoft will no longer sell licenses for its Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 operating systems to personal computer manufacturers.

Now that this is official, it means it won’t be long until companies like Dell Technologies and Lenovo Group Ltd. stop selling machines that are running the older operating system.

It has been known for a while that this milestone was coming. Microsoft posted details of its end date for sales to partners on its Windows lifecycle website some time ago, and the company had already ceased selling licenses for the Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate versions since 2014. However, Microsoft continued selling licenses for the Windows 7 Professional version, along with Windows 8.1, until today.

Pretty soon, all new PCs bought in the store or online will run Windows 10 exclusively.

There’s a caveat however, at least for organizations that have enterprise licensing agreements and Software Assurance, which will be allowed to purchase new PCs pre-installed with Windows 10, and then downgrade them to Windows 7 if they wish. That’s the only exception, though.

For the time being at leas,t there should be some Windows 7 PCs on sale if you’re prepared to scout around. Computer makers are still allowed to sell off whatever Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 licenses they still have in stock. As such, Dell still lists a number of notebook models and configurations running Windows 7 Professional. And Lenovo is still offering computers that come with “Windows 8 Professional 64 preinstalled through downgrade rights in Windows 10 Pro.”

We should note that Microsoft’s support periods remain unchanged. Mainstream support for Windows 7 ceased back in January 2015, but extended support will continue until Jan. 14, 2020. Meanwhile, Windows 8.1 will still receive mainstream support until Jan. 9, 2018, while extended support will continue until Jan. 10, 2023.

Windows 10 is a different case. Officially, mainstream support ends on Oct. 13, 2020, and extended support cuts out on Oct. 14, 2025, but it will continue to update after that. That’s because Windows 10 is offered as a service and was built in a different way that allows for regular updates with new features as well as the standard fixes seen in previous versions. Whether or not Microsoft will later begin charging for those updates remains to be seen, but many suspect it will.

Image credit: Ryan Whiting via Flickr.com

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