An important deadline is still over a year away for those holding on to Windows XP, however Microsoft has issued a warning to Windows 7 users throughout Australia. Upgrade to Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or say goodbye to your support.

On April 9 Microsoft will cease supporting the original release of Windows 7. According to Microsoft policy, support for specific Windows releases ends 24 months after the release of a new service pack. Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 was released in February 2011.

Mainstream support, the free product support for Windows 7 SP1 continues until January 13, 2015 while their extended support (PAID) of Windows 7 SP1 is available until January 14, 2020. Microsoft will continue to provide security updates throughout the extended support phase.

As far as we know Microsoft has no immediate plans to release Service Pack 2 for Windows 7. Microsoft pundits are reporting that Microsoft is moving towards an annual refresh of Windows versus a new release every three years or so. Service Packs will continue to be delivered while this transition occurs.

Will this new way of doing things change your policies when it comes to software updates? Many businesses usually wait until the first service pack is released before they move to the newest version.

If you are ready to upgrade to Windows 7 Service Pack 1, you can download it here.

As your trusted Austalia Microsoft partner, our team of Microsoft certified professionals are here to help you with Windows 7 and Windows 8. We can answer any questions you may have. Call us today.