End of Life for Windows 7 is January 14, 2020

Mark your calendars for Jan 14^th, 2020!

Why is this date important?
Microsoft will discontinue support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 products.

So what’s the big deal?”

Well, there are two reasons why businesses and desktop users in general need to pay attention.

1. If you are using a desktop computer in your business, there is a good bet it came pre-installed with a Windows operating system. Microsoft has the corner on the PC market in the US (laptops and mobile devices are another story)
2. When Microsoft stops supporting Windows 7 and Server 2008, it means that they will no longer patch or fix cyber security breaches. This leaves a very large vulnerability for those using outdated versions of Windows.

Banks and other financial entities are starting to notify customers that they will no longer support transactions from Windows 7 computers.

At this point there is no free and legal Windows 7 to Windows 10 upgrade path available. You have a few ways to upgrade from Windows 7. You can buy Windows 10 Professional and install it on the existing Windows 7 computer to perform an “in-pace” upgrade to the Windows OS. You must have a legally authorized and activated copy of Windows 7 to attempt this method and the computer must also meet Windows 10 Professional hardware requirements.

Another consideration is the computer itself. This may be a good time to upgrade your computers. The refurbished market is filled with 1 and 2 year old machines with Windows 10 already installed and at prices comparable to the price of Windows 10. Using a computer with Windows 10 pre-installed saves time and cost in the upgrade process.

We have been using refurbished Dell and HP computers over the last few years and with good results. They will have a one year warranty. We can find these with Windows 10 Pro already installed for the same price Microsoft gets for Windows 10 Pro. So, we can find a newer (lately units of 2018 manufacture) computer for the price of the Windows 10 pro Operating System. The computers will have i5 or i7 CPUs, 250GB to 500GB drives and 8 GB of memory. You should experience faster and better overall performance across your network.

We can help you migrate from Windows 7 to Windows 10 Pro and will give you an estimate for your particular office or need.