Nonetheless Working Windows 8.1? Get Prepared For Improve Nag Screens

Just over 9 years in the past, Microsoft offered a primary have a look at Windows 8.1. And virtually to today 9 years earlier, it rolled out a preview, timed with the beginning of its Build convention. If you ended up upgrading and by no means seemed again (or ahead), brace your self for nag screens imploring you as soon as once more to improve your working system.

Mainstream help for Windows 8.1 got here to an finish in January 2018, and prolonged help is ready to finish on January 10, 2023. Existing apps which are suitable with Windows 8.1 will nonetheless run on the OS after help ends, however Microsoft will not situation safety updates as soon as it reaches its finish of life designation. There’s no assure that new software program will run right (or in any respect) at Windows 8.1 although.

The larger concern for Windows 8.1 customers would be the lack of continued safety patches to guard towards consistently new and rising threats.

“While you could continue to use a PC running Windows 8.1, without continued software and security updates, your PC will be at greater risk for viruses and malware. We recommend upgrading to a version of Windows that is still supported. A new device that can run Windows 11 makes for an easy transition and a great experience,” Microsoft explains.

That stated, Microsoft does make uncommon exceptions every so often, like when it pushed out a Windows XP patch to guard towards a wormable exploit much like WannaCry. These are only a few and much between, although.

Most individuals have since upgraded to Windows 7, Windows 10, and/or Windows 11 over the previous a number of years. However, for anybody nonetheless working Windows 8.1, Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet says Microsoft will begin notifying Windows 8.1 customers in July that point is working out. As with earlier so-called nag screens, the pop-up notifications will give customers the choice to “Learn more,” “Remind me later,” or “Remind me after the end-of-support date.”

Source: StatCounter

According to StatCounter, Windows 8.1 accounts for a bit over 3 p.c of all Windows PCs, versus Windows 11 at round 10 p.c. That does not sound like a complete lot, nevertheless it really works out to thousands and thousands of units. You can examine the mathematics, however Microsoft says there are 1.4 billion month-to-month lively units working Windows 10 and Windows 11, and StatCounter’s information has these two OSes accounting for 82.6 p.c of all Windows PCs.

We’re making assumptions that each one these figures are correct, but when so, there are round 1.69 billion lively Windows PCs. That would put the variety of Windows 8.1 units at over 5 million. That’s greater than .the complete inhabitants of Ireland, to place the determine into context.

So, for the thousands and thousands of you continue to working Windows 8.1, heads up that nag screens are coming.