Microsoft prepares to forget about Windows 8.1 with end of support notifications

Microsoft is getting ready to inform customers of Windows 8.1 that support will be discontinued on January 10th, 2023. Next month, the software juggernaut will begin notifying users of the new window devices as a preliminary heads-up before the support deadline of January 2023. The messages will be comparable to those Microsoft has previously used to alert Windows 7 customers about support end dates. Although Windows 8 support was first discontinued by Microsoft in 2016, the Windows 8.1 release will completely end support in January 2023. Microsoft won’t be providing an Extended Security Update (ESU) programme for Windows 8.1, meaning companies will either have to upgrade or take the risk of using software without security updates.

The reaction of Windows 8 was considerably improved by the new windows. Windows 8 provided a new touch-centric vision for Microsoft’s future, but many PC users rejected it because of how drastically it did away with the old desktop and Start button. The mobile-first OS didn’t fit with what people wanted, and Microsoft apologised by bringing back the Start button in Windows 8.1.

Users of the new windows must now choose between purchasing a new computer or upgrading their operating system. Microsoft acknowledges that owing to Windows 11’s severe CPU requirements, the majority of the new windows computers won’t even support it. Microsoft adds in a support note that while most Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 devices won’t match the hardware requirements for upgrading to Windows 11, suitable Windows 8 and 8.1 PCs can instead be updated to Windows 10 by purchasing and installing the complete version of the software. The only option left is Windows 10, which will still receive support through October 14th, 2025. Although the new windows devices won’t suddenly stop functioning on January 10th 2023, doing so without software updates and security patches is extremely risky. Users of Windows 8.1 can update their operating system or migrate their data to a new computer using the FAQs and articles on Microsoft’s support website.