Microsoft Terminating Windows Vista Operating System Support Next Month

Microsoft just gave a death sentence to its Windows Vista operating system. The Redmond giant has announced that it will be terminating support for the decade-old software, which was officially introduced to the public in November 2006.

In a statement published on its website, Microsoft stated that the operating system will no longer get new security updates, technical content updates, non-security hotfixes and paid assisted support starting April 11, 2017. Basically, it will be just as good as dead, given that computer devices running the OS would be more vulnerable to viruses and security risks.

“Microsoft has provided support for Windows Vista for the past 10 years, but the time has come for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources towards more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences,” the company explained of its move to pull the plug on the software.

Microsoft also reminded users that Internet Explorer 9 for Windows Vista is no longer supported as well. Even Microsoft Security Essentials is not available for download on PCs running Vista. Having said these, users who will continue on using Windows Vista PC will be exposed to more threats and malware. They’ll also experience problems running apps and programs eventually.

Windows Vista is the operating system that the Redmond giant launched to replace Windows XP. Unfortunately, the former has received a lot of criticism and resistance since its launch, while the latter continues to thrive until the present time. In fact, Windows XP still accounts for 8 percent of desktop market share even though support for it has been discontinued three years ago, as per Business Insider.

The decision to terminate support for Windows Vista does not come as a surprise, considering that only 0.78 percent of computers run the software. For people who belong to the small percentage of active Vista users, Microsoft says it’s time to move on and either upgrade your PC to Windows 10, or just buy a new computer that already runs the latest software.