He argued that the process of upgrading the machines to a new OS is the easy part, which often can be done in a matter of days with the right provisioning. 'It cannot be assumed that remedial work won't be required in order to transition between OS versions and that 'projects' within the migration project may likely present themselves, that require prioritisation and resourcing,' Titcombe said last year. Windows 10 vs Windows 11: Is Windows 10 or 11 better for your business? Windows vs Linux: What's the best operating system? How to virtualise Windows 7 inside Windows 10 Dale Titcombe, head of IT at BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, told IT Pro that it was never too early to start work on migrating over to Windows 10 from Windows 7. That's because IT project deployment can be painstakingly slow. To some, the end of support for Windows 7 might have been slow to arrive, but to IT decision-makers, the deadline of January 2020 was a rapid turnaround, a mere blink of the eye. These options are only intended as a way to soften the switch to a newer OS, and should not be seen as a means to avoid moving away from Windows 7. Microsoft itself describes the ESU as a “last resort” option, and even the extended support provided through the program will cease in January 2023. It should be stressed that such options should only be viewed as a method to ease the transition, rather than a way to stave off migration altogether. Custom virtual machines can also be used, if you’d like to virtualise Windows 7 yourself.Īlternatively, users were given the option to sign up to the Extended Security Update (ESU) (opens in new tab) program, through which critical and important security updates continue to be provided to Windows 7, with the cost agreed between a client and their relevant Microsoft account team and partners. Those looking to run Windows 7 in a virtual machine could do so on the Azure Virtual Desktop service, which comes at no extra cost if a business is already a customer of Azure. When Microsoft ended support for Windows 7, more resistant users - or those in offices who were engaged in a drawn-out OS update process - were presented with a few ways to use Windows 7 for a little longer. We reflect on the legacy of one of Microsoft's most enduringly popular operating systems

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