Microsoft’s Windows 7 is still used by hundreds of millions of users, making it almost as common as Windows 10 on PCs around the world. Yes, most of them are business machines, but many users are holding onto the decade-old OS.
Microsoft is ending support of Windows 7 in 2020, meaning anyone who remains on the platform after will be without security patches and software updates. As the cut off draws nearer, Microsoft is about to ramp up upgrade pleas with some good old-fashioned nagging.
Next month, the company will begin sending Windows 7 users notifications prompting them to upgrade to Windows 10. While we think these notifications will be annoying, Microsoft calls them a “courtesy reminder”.
“Beginning next month, if you are a Windows 7 customer, you can expect to see a notification appear on your Windows 7 PC,” Microsoft’s Steve Clark explains. “This is a courtesy reminder that you can expect to see a handful of times in 2019.”
Learning from the Past
It’s a curious thing Microsoft is doing because its previous Windows 10 update notifications were widely criticized by users and authorities alike. Could this be another PR disaster in the making for the company?
Barlow insists now, say the company is simply being proactive and helping users prepare their migration from Windows 7 to Windows 10. It is perhaps helpful that this time Microsoft is allowing users to turn off the notifications if they want.
“These notifications are designed to help provide information only and if you would prefer not to receive them again, you’ll be able to select an option for ‘do not notify me again,’ and we will not send you any further reminders,” he says.
