Microsoft ends Windows 7 Pro reprieve on new PCs
Microsoft has quietly ended a reprieve for Windows 7 Professional, telling computer makers that they must stop building new PCs with the operating system in 12 months.
The new deadline of Oct. 31, 2016, was added to the Windows lifecycle fact sheet some time between late Thursday and mid-day Saturday, according to search caches. After the deadline, OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) will be barred from pre-loading Windows 7 Professional on new systems, and will be able to sell only those that remain in their stocks.
The same date will apply to Windows 8.1-powered devices -- all versions, including Windows 8.1 Pro -- while those with Windows 8 were slapped with an even earlier deadline of June 30, 2016. With all three older OSes out of bounds to OEMs come next fall, the only Windows PCs rolling off factory lines will be those with Windows 10.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here