Microsoft is preparing to send a reminder to Windows 8.1 users that support will end on January 10, 2023. The software giant will begin sending notifications to existing Windows 8.1 devices next month, leading to the support cutoff of January 2023, as a first reminder.
The notifications will be similar to what Microsoft has used in the past to remind Windows 7 users about end of support dates. Microsoft originally ended Windows 8 support in 2016, but Windows 8.1 Update will stop support entirely in January 2023. Microsoft won’t offer an Extended Security Update (ESU) program for Windows 8.1, so businesses won’t be able to pay for the extras. Upgrading or accepting the risk of running the Software without security patches and security updates.
Windows 8.1 brought back the Start button.
Image: The Verge
Windows 8.1 was largely a major fix for Windows 8 reception. Windows 8 introduced a new touch-centric vision for Microsoft’s future, but it ditched the traditional desktop and Start button in such a way that many PC users rejected it. The mobile-first OS didn’t quite live up to the user’s wish, and Windows 8.1 brought back the Start button, in an admission from Microsoft that it had messed up.
Despite the improvements in Windows 8.1 Update, the Windows 8 era will be a Microsoft one and many of its customers will be willing to forget. Microsoft attempted to modernize Windows in the face of the iPad competition, and instead alienated many of its loyal customers. Windows 10 arrived in 2015 and goes back many of Windows 8’s boldest changes, and Windows 11 has gone even further by removing Windows Phone-like Live Tiles from the Start menu and overhauling many of the ancient relics that have been in Windows for decades. .
Windows 11 has removed Live Tiles.
Photo by Tom Warren/The Verge
Windows 8.1 users now have to decide whether to upgrade their operating system or buy a new PC. Most Windows 8.1 machines won’t even support Windows 11, admits Microsoft because of its strict CPU requirements. “Most Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 devices will not meet the hardware requirements to upgrade to Windows 11. As an alternative, compatible Windows 8 and 8.1 PCs can be upgraded to Windows 10 by purchasing and installing the full version of the software.” could be,” Microsoft explains. In a support note.
This leaves Windows 10 as a possible upgrade path, which will remain supported until October 14, 2025. Windows 8.1 machines won’t magically stop working on January 10, 2023, but keeping it running without software updates and security fixes is a big risk. Next Year’s OS Microsoft’s support site has frequently asked questions and articles to help Windows 8.1 users upgrade or move files to a new machine.
