(In that case, you can always refuse the update and keep the older version, but because newer protocols will be based on newer technologies you may not have the same level of protection as a version based on these newer platforms.) Similarly, your antivirus should continue to protect you from incoming threats for the short term but eventually that too will require upgrades which may be incompatible with Windows 7, which in turn will leave you unprotected as well. But it will happen, as any Windows XP devotee can attest. Keep in mind that this can take months, even years, before it becomes noticeable to you, especially if you do little more than basic computing (reading and writing email, surfing the web safely and storing documents and photos). Because of this, your system and its files may eventually experience compatibility and/or performance issues.

The announcement in its entirety can be found at this URL: Īs with situations like this in the past, you will still be able to use Windows 7 and its programs after this date and you should experience few issues, if any, with the OS or your installed programs for the short term.īut, as stated above, over time the technical specs of your Windows 7 machine and its programs will no longer meet the standards required by Windows 10 and its affiliated applications, which now have become the baseline for all computing operations.

Windows 7 run advertised programs