Six months are left until Microsoft will stop supporting its OS (Operating System) Windows 7. However, it is shown that three people out of ten people who use Windows OS still use Windows 7. It is necessary for them to switch to different OS to prepare for possible cyber threats.
Microsoft made it official that it will stop supporting Windows 7 starting from the 14th of January of 2020. Although one can continue to use Windows 7, he or she will not receive any technical support, software (SW) update, and security update. Without SW or security update, one cannot prepare for new cyber attacks and there is a high chance that his or her computer will be infected with virus and malware.
“Although one can continue to use Windows 7, we will not provide any SW or security update starting from the 14th of January of 2020.” said Microsoft Korea. “Main way to maintain security for long-term is to switch to Windows 10 and we recommend purchasing a new computer to use Windows 10 within optimal environment.”
Microsoft Korea requires businesses especially to quickly switch to Windows 10. “There is a higher need for the latest OS within working environment.” said a representative for Microsoft Korea. “Tight security and optimal user experience are needed as more people are beginning to use various devices within working environment.”
Number of Windows 10 users in South Korea is on an upward trend. According to a global market research company called Statcounter, percentages of people in South Korea using Windows 10 and Windows 7 by the end of June were 65.6% and 29.79% respectively. Percentage for number of Windows 10 users increased while the percentage of number of Windows 7 users decreased compared to the percentages from end of 2018. Percentages of Windows 8.1, Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Vista were 3.27%, 0.67%, 0.61%, and 0.06% respectively.
Percentages of people using Windows 10 and Windows 7 at the end of 2018 were 55.48% and 36.36% respectively followed by Windows 8.1 with 4.82%, Windows XP with 2.31%, Windows 8 with 0.77%, and Windows Vista with 0.22%. Within six months, both numbers of Windows 7 users and Windows XP users decreased due to security issues with older versions of Windows.
End of support for Windows 7 was a predicable decision. When Microsoft launched Windows 7 on the 22nd of October of 2009, Microsoft stated that it would support Windows 7 for ten years. Number of Windows 7 users in South Korea surpassed that of Windows XP starting from April of 2012. Percentage of people using Windows 7 surpassed 60% in the middle of 2013 and it surpassed 80% in 2015.
Percentage of the people in South Korea using Windows 7 that was maintained between 80 and 82% started to drop in 2016 when Microsoft offered a free upgrade to Windows 10. In June of 2019, the percentage dropped below 40% due to free upgrade to Windows 10 and end of support for Windows 7. In South Korea, Windows OS is responsible for 86% of entire OS market according to Statcounter.
Q&A with Microsoft regarding Windows 10 upgrade
Q. How can one check the version of Windows he or she is using?
A. One can click the start button located at the bottom left of the window and type ‘winver’ in search window.
Q. What does one need to prepare for before upgrading to Windows 10?
A. One needs to back-up individual files into OneDrive or an external drive. One also needs to check specifications of a PC as minimum requirements for Windows 10 are 1GHz processor or better, 1GB RAM, and 16GB storage space. However, we recommend using a PC with 8th generation processor to operate Windows 10 in an optimal environment. Windows 7 is not supported by 7th generation processors and higher processors.
Q. Do files disappear when upgrading to Windows 10?
A. They do not disappear and they synchronize automatically. However, we recommend backing up important files just for emergency.
Q. What is the reason why Windows 7 is not automatically upgraded to Windows 10?
A. We provided a free upgrade for a year when we launched Windows 10. We made sure that a full-screen notification show up on a screen informing Windows users about our upgrade. We had continuously recommended an upgrade if users did not purposely hide the notification window. Free upgrade is now finished.
Q. Can one continue to use Windows 7 after end of Windows 7 support?
A. One can continue to use Windows 7 even when it is installed after the 14th of January of 2020. However, he or she cannot use latest functions since there will not be an update resulting in vulnerable security.
Q. Is Internet Explorer 10 going to be supported continuously from Windows 7?
A. Our support for Internet Explorer 10 will end for Windows 7 users on the 14th of January of 2020 as well. Internet Explorer also follows the lifespan of a corresponding Windows OS.
Q. How can one be informed about end of support for Windows 7?
A. We have sent a notification informing Windows 7 users about end of our support since April. One can find more about Windows 10 and check the resulting information about Windows 10 upgrade. One can also hide this notification so that it will not show up anymore.
Q. Are programs used by Windows 7 also compatible with Windows 10?
A. 99% of programs used by Windows 7 are compatible with Windows 10. One can check for compatibility on our homepage.
Staff Reporter Park, Jongjin | truth@etnews.com