Windows 7 won't be available on consumer PCs after 31st October

by Mark Tyson on 17 February 2014, 11:07

Tags: Windows 7

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Microsoft filled in a very significant blank on its Windows lifecycle chart, just before the weekend. The headlining change was to the "End of sales for PCs with Windows preinstalled," for Windows 7. The new data informs us that Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, and Ultimate will all get axed from sales for PCs with Windows preinstalled from 31st October. However Windows 7 Professional lives on for system builders with its preinstalled end of sales "Not yet established".

When we previously reported on Windows 7 end of sale dates Microsoft made no distinction between Home and Pro versions of the software. Thus some sites have reported the news as an early chop for the Home versions of Windows 7 while other sites have headlined this news as a life extension for Pro versions of Windows 7.

In a report on ZDNet, senior business program manager of the Windows business planning team, Shad Larsen, was quoted as saying that the Windows 7 Pro extension is not due to the impending XP-ocalypse, which is less than 2 months away. Larsen said the reason for the Win 7 Pro extension was because the OS "remains the largest part of Microsoft's installed base and is still in the midst of being deployed by business customers, Microsoft wants to make it easy and possible for businesses to continue to obtain it," wrote Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet.

The extension for Windows 7 Pro brought into question the date for the end of mainstream support for Windows 7 (see the chart above). It seemed odd that OEMs will be selling Windows 7 PCs past the date that Microsoft has put forward as the end of mainstream support for the OS. In answer to this query a Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet that the OEMs will fill in with their (usually) one year warranty support. Also Microsoft's extended support for Windows 7 (SP1) is available until 14th January 2020.

HEXUS Forums :: 11 Comments

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Posted by DemonHighwayman - Mon 17 Feb 2014 11:59
You would think they would extend windows 7's life span given the general hatred (myself included) for windows 8 and 8.1. Just last week I was tasked with finding a new PC for a couple on a very restricted budget, they told me it wasn't to have windows 8 by any means. The only thing I could recommend was a barebones box by Novatech without an OS or HDD. Luckily the couple still have a copy of there win7 cd key.

Anyway do MS not understand that business users and probably most folks in general don't want to learn a stupid mobile based O.S ?
Posted by Arthran - Mon 17 Feb 2014 12:21
They do, which is why if the rumours I've heard are correct, in 8.2 (possibly 8.3) we get the option of metro OR start menu.

Dont get me wrong, I'm in the metro hatred club (It's fine on my tablet, but why are you forcing me to use metro on a server with server 2012?), But it does sound like they are slowly listening.
Posted by crossy - Mon 17 Feb 2014 13:13
DemonHighwayman
You would think they would extend windows 7's life span given the general hatred (myself included) for windows 8 and 8.1. Just last week I was tasked with finding a new PC for a couple on a very restricted budget, they told me it wasn't to have windows 8 by any means. The only thing I could recommend was a barebones box by Novatech without an OS or HDD. Luckily the couple still have a copy of there win7 cd key. Anyway do MS not understand that business users and probably most folks in general don't want to learn a stupid mobile based O.S ?
I wouldn't worry too much - after all there's no way that the deadline on Win 7 Pro will be before 31st October, so you've still got time to get a few licenses. And personally, I suspect that we'll see an end-of-year deadline for Win 7 Pro, heck, maybe even into next year (to dovetail with that ending of mainstream support)

Trouble is that there's not much in it for Microsoft to let you stay with Windows 7, they NEED you to run out and buy that shiny new copy of Windows 8.x to keep the $$$'s rolling in.

And I guess for businesses, most will have access to extended support, so they've got a while to plan their jump off of ‘7. Personally speaking I’m definitely NOT looking forward to that time when this laptop has to be “upgraded” from 7 to 8 - luckily (?) there's software issues at the moment that prevent it. ;)
Posted by simonpreston - Mon 17 Feb 2014 13:37
Not a big deal anyway. You can still buy Windows XP, if you so desire. I imagine Windows 7 will be available for a good long while yet.
Posted by Saracen - Mon 17 Feb 2014 16:38
Arthran
They do, which is why if the rumours I've heard are correct, in 8.2 (possibly 8.3) we get the option of metro OR start menu.

…
Well, I'll believe it when I see it.

But we can't stand in the way of “progress”.

Win 7 - highly popular OS
Win 8.0 - add MUI and remove Start button and start menu.
Win 8.1 - add the start button back (sort-of)
Win 8.2 - add the start menu back
Win 8.3 - remove MUI as default.

We then have the “progress”, right back to where we started. :D


And yes, before anyone points it out, I know Win8 wasn't just about the GUI/MUI, even if it feels like it from the furore MS' s arrogance over this caused.

Just think, turning a silk purse into a sow's ear by shoving a horrible start screen on people whether they wanted it or not, when they could have avoided all the argument by just giving users the damn choice. Idiots. All it would have taken was for MS to include a user option, functionally equivalent to something like Start8, or Classic Shell.

Instead, IF these rumours are right, it's going to take 1 year plus, and two revisions, to do what anyone with an IQ above 3 would have done from the start (excuse pun).

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