Windows 7 Reaches End of Life Tomorrow, but Users Can Still Upgrade to Windows 10 for Free

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Image: Microsoft

RIP, Windows 7. After more than a decade of fruitful service, Microsoft’s Vista successor is finally being laid to rest. The OS is entering EOL status, which means that it will no longer receive support aside from extended security updates.

Stragglers are being urged to upgrade to Windows 10 immediately, as the lack of patches and security updates will make W7 a huge target for future vulnerabilities, such as ransomware, worms, and other nasty stuff. Luckily, Windows 7 users can still take advantage of a loophole for upgrading to Microsoft’s latest OS at no cost.

As suggested by Cokerobot on Reddit, Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool can still be used to turn a pre-existing Windows 7 installation into a Windows 10 one. This privilege was only supposed to last a year but turned out to be “marketing fluff” and extended indefinitely because adoption rate was more important to the Windows and Devices Group than licensing revenues.

Windows 7 users should keep in mind that this trick will not work on a fresh install. Those who want to start with a clean slate will have to pony up $120 for the upgrade (although there seems to be plenty of third-party sellers out there offering OEM keys for cheap).

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Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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