In January 2023, several older versions of Windows will finally go to the grave. Microsoft announced that Windows 8.1 support will end completely on January 10, the same day that extended support for Windows 7 that the company has sold to businesses and governments ends.
When support ends, Microsoft will no longer release any updates or security fixes for the system, making it dangerous to continue using it on computers connected to the Internet or in environments where others can access the computer.
For those who do not want to scrap their old computers, in most cases it is possible to upgrade to Windows 10, which, unlike Windows 11, does not have sky-high system requirements and will continue to be supported until at least 2025.
Microsoft will continue to offer extended support with security fixes for several versions of Windows Server 2008 for another year. That system was based on Windows Vista.