Below is information regarding Microsoft products for February 2023.
End of Windows 7 ESU
After its third and final year, Microsoft is ending the Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 7 and urging customers to migrate to Windows 11 on a new PC or, if they prefer, to buy Windows 10.
Free security updates for 7 were available until January 14, 2020, and then only to SMB and enterprise customers for a fee.
On January 10, 2023, the first Patch Tuesday of the year, that period came to an end. Windows 8.1 support also ends with no ESU program offering from Microsoft.
Patches for Microsoft 365 Apps running on Windows 7, 8.1, or Windows Server 2008 R2 have also ended.
Customers were given an additional three years of support to allow for time to migrate to Microsoft 365 for Windows 11 or 10. However, they will no longer receive security updates until they update to supported versions. Microsoft also urges customers to be aware that Windows 10 reaches end of support on October 14, 2025, and to consider this information before choosing an upgrade path.
Older Versions of Office
Microsoft has recently released patch KB502175 that looks to identify machines running old versions of Offices, specifically 2007, 2010, and 2013. Versions that are no longer supported will still work but will not receive security patches and may face performance and reliability issues in the future. Additionally, Office 2013 reaches end of support on April 11th and will no longer have extended security updates.
KB502175 only gathers diagnostic and performance data - not licensing details, content, or other non-Microsoft data from consumers.
References:
- https://www.zdnet.com/article/say-goodbye-to-windows-7-as-microsoft-ends-extended-support/
- https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/microsoft-bing-chatgpt-openai-new-google-bard-b2277751.html
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-is-looking-for-out-of-support-versions-of-office-heres-why/