An estimated five percent of computers in the Bundaberg Region are still running Windows XP, which stopped being officially supported in 2014.
Geoff Augutis from Queensland Computers, told Bundaberg Now that roughly 20 percent of computers operate with Windows 7.
“Whether it's XP or Windows 7, using an unsupported version of Windows (or any software) greatly increases the vulnerability of the system and increases the chance of security flaws,” he said.
“I've been surprised to see large organisations, such as government, where they are using 10+ year-old systems to avoid change or adapting to new technology.
“Ironically these are the organisations that should be most concerned with security.
“They of all people should know that using out-of-date systems incur an element of risk.”
Geoff said he knows of businesses in Bundaberg that still use Windows XP.
“Clients who are working with specific systems such as manufacturing industries using laser cutters are still using XP,” he said.
“The nature of these systems means they are slow to upgrade and they stick with what works, in this case Windows XP.”
Tech Talk with Geoff
When a software company like Microsoft releases a new version of their flagship product (Windows), they don’t always get it right.
In 2001 Microsoft released Windows XP and it was a winner.
A few more dud versions in between and they got it right again when they released Windows 7 in 2009.
It took six more years before the next piece of quality came out of the software giant in 2015 with the release of Windows 10.
The takeaway here is that users get burnt when there are dud versions in between the gold.
This leads people to step cautiously and when they get hold of something that is good, they hang onto it.
Windows 7 is one of these “good things” and we as users have sure been hanging onto it.
It should then come as no surprise that after almost 10 years, Microsoft has formally announced that as of January 14, 2020 – Windows 7 will no longer be supported.
What does end of support mean?
Essentially Microsoft will no longer be releasing security updates or providing support for computers running Windows 7.
This will lead to these computers becoming more susceptible to security risks and ultimately a decline in the reliability of the operating system.
What do I need to do if I use Windows 7?
You can upgrade your computer to Windows 10 if it meets the minimum requirements.
This may be as simple as following an update wizard or as painful as buying a version of Windows 10 and completely reinstalling your operating system.
Alternatively, if your computer is as old as Windows 7, it might be time for a replacement.
Some organisations who genuinely can't move away from Windows 7 will have access to a paid support package which will allow them to pay for Microsoft to continue to support them for up to three additional years.
For most of us, this just isn’t practical.
One way or another, for most of us running Windows 7 – it is time for an upgrade.
