Windows 7 – end-of-support preparations
May 17, 2019Microsoft announced last year that once their commitment to provide 10 years of support for Windows 7 was complete, support would end. Windows 7 will reach its end-of-support phase on January 14, 2020 and university users will need to begin preparing now for migration to a different operating system.
What this means. End of Life status for Windows 7 means that Microsoft will no longer offer technical support for the operating system and software updates will no longer be available. Most importantly, without technical assistance and software updates from Microsoft, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) team will no longer be able to provide patches for any new viruses or security issues. University faculty, staff and students will not be able to use Windows 7 after January 14, 2020, as the operating system puts our university data at risk.
Microsoft will start pushing reminder notifications out to current Windows 7 PCs. Beginning this summer, OIT recommends that instead of clicking on a Microsoft notification, visit our OIT Special Projects page for more information. You can also go to the Microsoft Windows 7 end of support page to learn more. Our team will begin sending notifications to those of you currently using Windows 7 to remind you of the upcoming change.
What to do next. May is a good time to think about potential technical software or hardware budget considerations for FY20. Some recommendations include:
- Upgrade your software package to a newer version of Windows
- Compatible Windows 7 PCs can be upgraded to Windows 10. You can check the compatibility for upgrading your current Windows 7 on your PC. Windows 10 Computer Specifications and Systems Requirements.
- Replace your PC with a newer device using windows 10.
- Be sure your documents are safely backed up using OneDrive or your ‘H’ drive before transitioning out of Windows 7.
- Contact your school or department’s information technology team or the OIT service desk for additional information about next steps and recommendations for what to do before the end of this year.