Earlier in the week, Microsoft snuck an update in on one of the support notes. If you’re running on of Intel’s 7th-generation processors, an AMD “Bristol Ridge” or Qualcomm “8996″ processor, Windows Update will display a message telling you have reached the end Windows Update road.
If you are still running Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 and have one of those processors in your computer, then it’s time to move on to Windows 10. Microsoft says “Because of how this support policy is implemented, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 devices that have a seventh generation or a later generation processor may no longer be able to scan or download updates through Windows Update or Microsoft Update”.
“Your PC uses a processor that isn’t supported on this version of Windows” error when you scan or download Windows updates [Microsoft Support]
Comments
2 responses to “The Curtain Is Falling On Lots Of Old Windows Builds”
Saw the stupidest comment on another sites about the Windows 7 not supporting newer CPUs. If you don’t know how to load drivers into your WIM/ISO etc then seriously what are you doing!
There is no reason why Microsoft should be trying to stop Windows 7 running on newer CPUs. It will just take the manufacture to produce a driver and the problem is solved. There shouldn’t be a reason to stop security updates either.
This is Microsoft just being D*cks!
It’s not at all as simple as just making a driver. Most of the modern chipsets include features that simply have no analogue in Windows 7 and can’t be mapped through the hardware abstraction layer. Properly supporting their architecture would require significant kernel-level changes in older operating systems, which Microsoft is unwilling to do for ‘over the hill’ operating systems. In the meantime they’re supported only in a partial state which leaves them vulnerable to exploits because the revamped security features in the chipsets are only mapped through the HAL on Windows 10 onwards.
Think of it like trying to translate Shakespeare into a version of English that only supports one-syllable words. You can certainly try, but you’re going to lose a lot in the process and the chance of mistranslations and misunderstandings gets higher the more advanced the source material becomes.
You can continue to use your modern CPU on Windows 7 if you like, but you won’t receive security and compatibility updates past July 17 this year. It’s not just Microsoft – Intel, Qualcomm and AMD have supported this move because it allows the system to properly use the features of modern chipsets without HAL translation limitations leaving gaping holes in security.
I love the whole “Microsoft removing support for Win 7 is a dick move, but I refuse to move on… cause Win 7 is the best” argument. Microsoft have no obligation to do anything to support older operating systems, and the less time they spend on the older ones means they have more time for Win 10.