100 TECH ADVISOR • MARCH 2020WINDOWS 10
including security updates, according to Microsoft.
If you’re a consumer, there’s really no option but
to upgrade to Windows 10. If your PC is part of a
Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise volume license,
joined to a domain, your company may be willing to
pay Microsoft a per-device fee to maintain support for- But that’s an option only for business PCs, not
everyday users.
What to do after Windows 7 support ends
At this point, you have several choices:- Ignore the deadline, including the pop-up warnings
you’ve probably already received. - Buy a new copy of Windows 10, and install it.
- Hope that the free upgrade loophole still exists.
- Buy a new Windows 10 PC and migrate your existing
files over to the new machine.
Note that these options also apply to Windows 8.1,
whose support ends in 2023.Option 1: Risk your entire PC
We wouldn’t recommend the first option: ignoring the
deadline altogether. Essentially, at least where Microsoft
is concerned, your PC will simply cease to exist. Third-
party antivirus software, apps, utilities, games and other
software will still work. But Microsoft won’t upgrade
any of its browser software, and if a vulnerability is
discovered for Windows 7, it won’t be patched. There
will be no technical support for Windows 7. You’re on
your own.