Windows 10 might be the talk of the town, but Windows 7 still has plenty of fans worldwide.
Microsoft has given manufacturers a deadline for selling new machines with Windows 7 on-board.
The technology giant revealed the news in a quiet update to its Windows Lifecycle Fact Sheet page.
From October 31, 2016, OEMs will no longer be able to sell PCs with Windows 7 pre-installed.
The software, which became generally available on October 22, 2009, now has just shy of a year left to ship on new devices.
Interestingly, this means that Windows 8 devices will actually be cut short before Windows 7 Professional.
The deadline for selling new Windows 8 devices is set at June 30, 2016.
However, Windows 8.1 machines now share a shuttering date with Windows 7 Professional – October 31, 2016.
Related: Windows 10 features
Microsoft has yet to announce a closing date for Windows 10, which isn’t surprising. Back in May, the company claimed that “Windows 10 is the last version of Windows”.
However, Microsoft does list the “end of extended support” date for Windows 10 as October 14, 2025. Not the last version of Windows after all, perhaps?
What’s your favourite Windows OS? Let us know in the comments.
Check out our Windows 10 video below:
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
