Microsoft is urging users of its Windows 8.1 operating system to upgrade to a newer version, citing security concerns. The company released a statement on its website on Thursday, urging users of the operating system to switch to Windows 10. “Windows 10 offers better security features and is updated more frequently,” Microsoft said in the statement. “We recommend that you upgrade to Windows 10 as soon as possible.” Microsoft’s move comes after reports of vulnerabilities in Windows 8.1 that could be exploited by attackers. The company has already released patches for some of these vulnerabilities, but many users have not yet installed them. Microsoft has also urged businesses to upgrade their systems to Windows 10 so that they can take advantage of new security features offered by the operating system. Many people are likely to be reluctant to make such a large change in their operating system, especially given the recent spate of cyberattacks that have affected companies around the world. However, Microsoft’s statement makes clear that upgrading your system is one way of protecting yourself from attack. ..
ZDNet reports that Microsoft is preparing to send reminders to anyone still using Windows 8.1, reminding them that support will end on January 10, 2023. After that point, Windows 8.1 won’t receive any more system updates, including critical security patches. The initial version of Windows 8 reached the end of mainstream support in 2016.
Even though the operating system itself is reaching the end of its lifetime, and you should definitely plan an upgrade if you’re still on Windows 8.1, some components and applications will still receive updates after that point. Microsoft hasn’t specified an end-of-support date for the Edge browser on Windows 8.1, which will even continue working on Windows 7 until January 2023. Google Chrome and Firefox also haven’t announced plans to drop Windows 8.1.
Depending on the PC, upgrading from Windows 8.1 might be easier said than done. Windows 11 has strict official requirements that block out most (if not all) computers designed for Windows 8.1, and even though you can bypass those requirements and install Windows 11 anyway, some features might not work.
Windows 10 works on older hardware than Windows 11, and will continue to be supported until October 2025. That gives you about three years to buy a new laptop or other PC that is designed for Windows 11. Switching to a desktop Linux distribution is also an option if you don’t need Windows-specific software, and there are several distributions designed for old computers, like Ubuntu MATE.
Source: ZDNet, Microsoft
