What does it mean and are you ready?

Microsoft have announced that Windows 7 is reaching its “End-Of-Life” in January 2020.   What does this mean, and how will it affect you if you’re still using Windows 7?

Windows 7 officially launched in October 2009.   It has been one of Microsoft’s most popular operating systems and is still widely used today.   In January, they’ll no longer be supporting it.   This means that they’ll no longer release any updates for the operating system.   Everything else will however continue to work.   You won’t be locked out of your computer, nothing else will stop working.

However updates are important for your computer.   If any vulnerabilities are discovered, they will no longer be fixed – potentially leaving you at risk online.

So what should you do?  Well firstly, you can do nothing!  If you just use your computer for occasional web browsing, emails etc, it might not be worth upgrading?

If you buy things online, or use online banking though, you might want to consider upgrading to Windows 10. If your computer is running Windows 7, there’s a good chance it’s due to be upgraded/replaced though as it’s probably fairly old?

So what should you be looking for in a new computer?   There are a few tips I recommend when shopping for a new PC.   Firstly, if you can, pay the extra for a machine with a Solid State Drive (SSD).   This will make the computer a “lot” faster!   take a look at this video demonstration I recorded – showing the before and after of installing an SSD.

In addition to an SSD, I’d recommend an Intel Core i5 processor as this should keep the computer powerful enough for most things that you’ll throw at it over the next few years.

One other thing to consider are the applications on your old PC.   For example, you may have Office on your old computer.  If it’s old, it may not be compatible with Windows 10.  And if it is compatible, do you still have the CD/DVD and license key needed to install it.

Here are a couple of example computers to give you an idea of pricing (subject to Dell price changes).  As always, if you have any questions – get in touch!

Dell Inspiron Desktop

Core I5 Processor
8GB RAM
256GB SSD
1 TB Traditional Hard Drive
1 Year Onsite Warranty for parts

$700 (+tax/shipping)

Dell Inspiron Laptop

Core I5 Processor
8GB RAM
512GB SSD
1 Year Mail in Warranty for parts

$999 (+tax/shipping)