Microsoft will no longer support Windows 7, virus risk feared

Microsoft is dropping support of Windows 7 on Tuesday, nearly 11 years after launching the operating system.

Microsoft will stop providing updates and security patches for Windows 7. The changes will affect hundreds of millions of people because more than one-third of PCs use Windows 7, according to NetMarketShare.

Windows 7 became so popular, in fact, that it took Windows 10 nearly four years just to pass it in market share. As of today, millions of PCs are still running Windows 7, and the operating system still runs on a massive 26 percent of all PCs, according to data from Netmarketshare.

Microsoft spent years trying to get people to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge, but tens of millions of PCs will now be left vulnerable to exploits and security vulnerabilities. It stopped supporting Windows 8 in 2016 and Windows XP in 2014.

Businesses and education Windows 7 users will be able to pay for extended security updates, but it could be a costly venture for some. The company is encouraging people to upgrade to Windows 10 for $139 or buy a new device running Windows 10 if their computer is more than three years old.