More than 50 million Windows users face security risks. The reason: they use versions that are too ‘old’

The notion of ‘old’ can vary significantly depending on the context. A ten-year-old house is not necessarily considered old, while a mobile phone of the same age (imagine an iPhone 6 or a Samsung Galaxy S5) will surely have already been replaced by a more modern model. The passage of time is usually more evident in technological productsespecially in software and, more specifically, in operating systems.

In the Windows world, the period of time that we can safely use a given version of the system is defined by the life cycle defined by Microsoft. When the life cycle reaches the end, the version in question simply becomes obsolete because it is no longer supported and no longer receives updates. Consequently, it is riskier to continue using it and its compatibility with programs is reduced day by day.

Millions of Windows users use outdated versions

Based on the published analyzes by Paul Thurrott and in the figures released by Microsoft in the past We can estimate that there are currently at least 1.5 billion devices running Windows. According to Statcounter3.77% of the total, about 56 million usersthey use versions of the operating system that have been left unsupported. Specifically, we are talking about the older Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 8 and Windows XP.

As we can see, many people still use these systems that have been feeling the weight of the years for a long time and whose shields to face the threats of the digital world are too weak. The Redmond company has not forgotten these old products. It’s not that it has decided to release a surprise update, but that has published an article where it lists the risks that users face and what to do about them.

The American firm points out that the aforementioned versions are “not compatible”, so they expose their users to malware that can end up causing the loss or theft of their personal information. Microsoft recommends “updating to the version of latest Windows”, which in this case is Windows 11. Let’s stop for a minute at this point to analyze why the company suggests this path and if we have any other alternative.

If you currently have a computer that runs Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 8 or Windows XP, you may be able to upgrade to Windows 10 by purchasing a license. This will depend on whether they meet the hardware requirements of this system launched in 2015. Windows 10, it should be noted, will run out of support in October 2025, so you would be facing a temporary solution. In some ways, it makes sense to migrate to Windows 11.

The decision to move to Windows 11 is not that simple either. The first obstacle is found in the hardware requirements. Computers running the older versions of Windows we have mentioned will not be compatible with Windows 11mainly in terms of processors and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0. The second drawback is that there is no free update either. It will be necessary to purchase a license.

In this case, millions of users, both home and business, will have to purchase new hardware to upgrade to Windows 11 sooner or later, if they want to continue receiving updates, of course. This is a fairly important change that we have not witnessed in recent years. Windows 10 holds more than 60% of the Windows systems market just one year after becoming an obsolete operating system.

Images | Microsoft

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