Windows 7, 8.1 No Longer Getting Updates On New Processors

Windows Vista may have just been finally put to rest, but it won't be alone soon. Well, not too soon, at least. Windows 7 and even Windows 8.1 have been put on notice, whether you like or not. And some definitely won't. Users of these older versions are reporting that they are no longer able to receive updates, even critical security ones. And they're only fault is for trying to run an older, but technically still supported, Windows version on super recent and more capable processors.

So here's the deal. Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 that are running on 7th gen Intel "Kaby Lake" and AMD's brand new spanking Ryzen processors are blocked from getting these updates. The situations with 6th gen Intel "Skylake" chips are less well-defined, with some models still receiving updates.

Apparently, that boils down to whether there's someone willing to do the heavy lifting to ensure updates of older Windows versions will work without problems on those processors. Microsoft certainly isn't willing to do it, but at 16 OEMs apparently were, which is why those Skylake processors shipped by the OEMs are lucky to get updates.

The problem is that, as far as end users are concerned, Windows 7 and 8.1 are still supported versions. Granted, Windows 7 is technically on life support since 2015, receiving only security updates. These updates don't add any new functionality that runs the risk of causing problems on newer CPUs.

Microsoft did leave hints, even explicit warnings, that it might flip the switch soon, though it never really said when. Nonetheless, its advertised reason of why it no longer supports running older software on newer hardware isn't going to fly for many of its customers. Especially when it's seen as a veiled attempt to force users to upgrade to Windows 10.

VIA: Ars Technica