If you haven’t heard, Microsoft is going to be handing out free upgrades to Windows 10 for users currently on Windows 7 or 8, for a period of one year once the official release of Windows 10 is made.
Naturally we’re going to be encouraging users to take advantage of that free offer to update your systems, if for no other reason than to dramatically extend the period of time during which your computer will be supported by Microsoft for operating system patches & bug fixes. The extended support period for Windows 7 lasts until 2020 – Windows 8 has extended support until 2023, and it’s reasonable to assume that Windows 10 will have extended support until probably 2026, if not later. Mainstream support for Windows 7 has already ended…and will end for Windows 8 less than 3 years from now. The extended support period is the time during which Microsoft will continue to fix the OS when any kind of flaw or security risk is discovered…which is increasingly important, as the security of your computer and your data is paramount. There have also been under-the-covers improvements made that will make your systems run more efficiently and securely, as well as other enhancements that aren’t obvious to the naked eye.
Due diligence must be taken when taking advantage of the free offer though…like properly backing everything up so that you can roll back if needed, making sure that your systems and software will work correctly with Windows 10, including other hardware like printers and scanners, and updating any backup/recovery systems and procedures. Please contact us with any questions you may have about the free upgrade to Windows 10 and what we can do to make sure that your upgrade process is handled correctly and smoothly.
