Microsoft warns millions of users running unsupported versions of Windows are at a high risk of malware and viruses.
Microsoft celebrated Windows 11’s third anniversary last week by rolling out the 24H2 update. Three years after its launch, Windows 11 has been adopted by almost 500 million users worldwide, but its popularity still feels lackluster compared to Windows 10 or Windows 7 going even further back.
Windows 10 continues to serve nearly twice as many users as Windows 11, and these users still enjoy another year before the operating system reaches its end of life (EOL). However, for older versions of Windows, Microsoft is taking a different approach and warning users to upgrade to newer machines or else be at the risk of “harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, which can steal your personal information.”
Microsoft recently updated the support page for “unsupported” versions of Windows, including Windows 8.1 and older generations, and conveyed that these versions no longer receive any updates. Although the lack of software and feature upgrades is a given, considering support for Windows 8.1 ended almost two years ago, the company also stressed it won’t offer technical support or security fixes to machines running these versions.
According to StatCounter, nearly 4% of Windows users still run versions before Windows 10. For a massive estimated pool of 1.6 billion users, the number of folks running Windows 8.1 or earlier still stands around 60 million.
These fears aren’t unfounded either. Windows 8.1 alone has thousands of unpatched vulnerabilities as per the CVE. Without due attention from Microsoft, these expose older machines to attacks, especially when users aren’t proficient enough to check for viruses on their computers or upgrade to newer versions of Windows.
Upgrade to Windows 11 or Buy a New Machine, Microsoft Recommends
Microsoft outlines buying a new PC is the best way to continue receiving updates (by upgrading to Windows 11), since the older hardware has a lower possibility of supporting Windows 11. “Hardware and software have improved a lot, and today’s computers are faster, more powerful, and more secure,” the updated document reads. At the same time, Microsoft is vying to increase the share of Windows 11 users as it looks to promote AI as the core functionality of the operating system—and potentially monetize features in due course.
Microsoft’s stringent hardware requirements for Windows 11 make it slightly less approachable than Windows 10, so getting more people to upgrade could be a bigger challenge for Microsoft compared to these unsupported versions. Analysts predict almost 240 million PCs may end up in e-waste due to specific hardware requirements of Windows 11. The fact that it has been cracking down on popular methods to bypass this limitation does help its case.
As seen in the past, hundreds of millions of users would willingly continue using Windows 10 even beyond its EOL to avoid the additional expenses of upgrading. Perhaps, a lighter, less capable version of Windows 11 could be a fitting middle ground, although Microsoft is likely focusing on the next version of Windows expected to be built with AI ground-up.