AfterDawn: News

Microsoft stops selling Windows 7 versions, Windows 8

Microsoft has halted the retail sale of some versions of its still-popular Windows 7 operating system, and of its successor Windows 8.

Specifically, Microsoft is no longer peddling copies of the Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate versions of Windows 7 to customers. Windows 8 is also no longer available at retail from Microsoft, as the Redmond-based giant just wants it to go away at this point. Of course, you can still buy Windows 8.1 from Microsoft, which already has a larger market share than Windows 8.



Many retail stores will still have stocks of the older versions of Windows so it is not impossible to buy a genuine copy just yet, and probably won't be for a while. Microsoft is hoping that the 2015 launch of Windows 10 will let it put the Windows 8 fiasco to bed and move on, but it also has to convince Windows 7 users that there is a need to upgrade.

More than half of all Windows users are running a version of Windows 7 presently, while estimates of Windows XP usage still range around 17%, with some commercial customers finding it tricky to move away from the 13 year old OS.


Sources and Recommended Reading:
Microsoft ends retail sales of Windows 7 and 8: www.bbc.com

Written by: James Delahunty @ 5 Nov 2014 19:22

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• 19 comments

• Jscarp73

  When was Windows 9 released? Never.

  6.11.2014 02:34 #1

• peentje

  Just say ‘‘Windows nine’’ and hear it with German ears!

  6.11.2014 04:14 #2

• TrinUK

  Originally posted by peentje: Just say ‘‘Windows nine’’ and hear it with German ears! LOL...
  

  Trin - Making Digital Waves

  6.11.2014 04:28 #3

• tranquash

  10 is so good that skiped "nine"
  

  Chuck
  
  "Men are slower to recognize blessings than misfortunes." Titus Livius (59BC-17AD)
  

  6.11.2014 05:03 #4

• Dragon3000

  Bloody hell!, what is going on?!! Things are moving so damn fast! Why could they not just leave it with Windows 7, was there really a NEED for Windows 8? No, and there's is no need for Windows 10 either.
  
  All I see is a massive deep wound that is being patched up with piles of plasters to make it all better. Eventually, those plasters will start leaking and end with a massive explosion of puss.
  

  ZX Spectrum 128K

  6.11.2014 07:40 #5

• TrinUK

  I must admit Windows has persistently had performance and bug issues in every release, along with viruses. When Apple switched their old OS to the Unix/Linux based system it was a very good move considering how bad OS9 was. OSX is solid now. I question the direction of Microsoft towards the Windows platform lately.
  

  Trin - Making Digital Waves

  6.11.2014 08:08 #6

• alotanor

  I hear Windows 10.1 is already out.
  

  6.11.2014 09:24 #7

• hearme0

  Originally posted by TrinUK: I must admit Windows has persistently had performance and bug issues in every release, along with viruses. When Apple switched their old OS to the Unix/Linux based system it was a very good move considering how bad OS9 was. OSX is solid now. I question the direction of Microsoft towards the Windows platform lately. Meritless IDIOTIC comment!!! SHUT IT!!!
  
  No bugs or viruses in 7 and none that I recall as a network engineer and admin that 8.1 had.
  
  Stay with your lousy and inferior OSX!
  
  At this present time, Windows 7/8 are just as reliable and stable as OSX. And........coming from someone whom administers BOTH (heavily), I can say w/certainty that ANYONE claiming that OSX is better, more reliable and less problematic is ignorant.
  
  I don't really defend the virus issue as Windows has WAYYYY more out there than OSX therefore, viruses target the biggest in order to maximize the effect.
  
  There you go Apple unjustified fanboy!
  
  
  Try paying someone like myself to configure and lock down your computer in a similar fashion that OSX locks down the file system, permissions, etc and you won't have ANY issues what-so-ever.
  
  I would charge you 200 bucks to do this and you'll never have a virus issue again.

  6.11.2014 15:47 #8

• malone78

  Originally posted by Dragon3000: Bloody hell!, what is going on?!! Things are moving so damn fast! Why could they not just leave it with Windows 7, was there really a NEED for Windows 8? No, and there's is no need for Windows 10 either.
  
  All I see is a massive deep wound that is being patched up with piles of plasters to make it all better. Eventually, those plasters will start leaking and end with a massive explosion of puss. Agree completely.

  6.11.2014 17:37 #9

• chefdamo

  I feel in the next 5 years microsoft will be hurting with linux now being more user friendly and some linux os's like zorin os [url]http://www.zorin-os.com [/url] witch can run exe,deb,tgz files. microsoft is all about making money and is not worries about keeping the consumer happy.
  
  I do not see any reason for microsoft to stop sailing windos 7 and love or hate it i dont see any reason to stop sailing windows 8 as new as it is.
  
  All micrisoft is trying to do is push windows 10 on us windows users.
  
  the past few years people have been buying tablets and ipads. this years people have started buying new computers/mac. mac may cost more but people are buying apple macs over windows pc's and this is one of the resons. people are tired of microsoft dominating the market for years and windows being pushed on them.
  
  linux is so much eaiser to use now days and is more user/home frendly.
  
  the 2 I choose and that i personly like is zorin-os and ubuntu. there are a lot of good linux systems like linux mint and Suse.
  
  if your thinking of going to linix do your reachears(youtube is a good start) and pick the os the os that is best for you and your families needs.

  7.11.2014 06:01 #10

• Jemborg

  I imagine these negative comments will fade when people realise that Win10 is the coming "love child of win7 and 8.1". Faster, smaller, better with resources and better for gaming than either of the other two...
  
  And since MS are reportedly going to give win10 away for free...
  
  http://news.filehippo.com/2014/10/windo...users%E2%80%8F/
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ---------------------------------------------------------------
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  DSE VZ300-
  Zilog Z80 CPU, 32KB RAM (16K+16K cartridge), video processor 6847, 2KB video RAM, 16 colours (text mode), 5.25" FDD

  7.11.2014 10:30 #11

• TrinUK

  Originally posted by hearme0: Originally posted by TrinUK: I must admit Windows has persistently had performance and bug issues in every release, along with viruses. When Apple switched their old OS to the Unix/Linux based system it was a very good move considering how bad OS9 was. OSX is solid now. I question the direction of Microsoft towards the Windows platform lately. Meritless IDIOTIC comment!!! SHUT IT!!!
  
  No bugs or viruses in 7 and none that I recall as a network engineer and admin that 8.1 had.
  
  Stay with your lousy and inferior OSX!
  
  At this present time, Windows 7/8 are just as reliable and stable as OSX. And........coming from someone whom administers BOTH (heavily), I can say w/certainty that ANYONE claiming that OSX is better, more reliable and less problematic is ignorant.
  
  I don't really defend the virus issue as Windows has WAYYYY more out there than OSX therefore, viruses target the biggest in order to maximize the effect.
  
  There you go Apple unjustified fanboy!
  
  
  Try paying someone like myself to configure and lock down your computer in a similar fashion that OSX locks down the file system, permissions, etc and you won't have ANY issues what-so-ever.
  
  I would charge you 200 bucks to do this and you'll never have a virus issue again. You clearly have a childish mindset. Grow up.
  
  If you cannot write something in a respectful way then don't write at all.
  
  I am an IT Manager and have used both products for many many years. We have a mixed platform environment. It is a fact that OSX is more stable in many ways than windows due to the software it is based on. Windows is great in so many ways - notably due to the amount of software, drivers, support and freeware available but it is a fact that customers in the personal and business sectors are p'd off with the way Microsoft has blundered recent versions of Windows OS - hence revisions of Windows 8.1 and the leap to 10 (which is why I said I question Microsoft). Microsoft also P'd of customers when they scrapped the popular SBS 2011 platform (which we use) instead of bringing out newer versions.
  
  Again.... it is a fact that Windows platform has had more viruses and hacks than Apple - not a fanboy comment, a fact.
  
  Performance issues - The biggest problem we had on several machines and laptops were in regards to freshly, fully downloaded failed/corrupted updates published (with bugs) by MS on several occasions causing loops, slow performance and crashes - The same also occurred in Windows 7/8 around August this year! (2982791 security update).
  
  So far this year on Macs which designers use... We have not had a single crash or failed update. So this is a fair, unbiased analysis based on personal, managerial experience.
  
  As for the Fanboy comment.... We use Samsung, Apple and Nokia (with Windows tech) in the company - choices I am responsible for. My personal handset is a Samsung. I have a PC at home.
  
  Good day to you.
  

  Trin - Making Digital Waves

  8.11.2014 06:47 #12

• megadunderhead

  Honestly let me tell you this:
  
  No matter how many features windows adds no matter how many new things come there way they are still screwed royal
  

  8.11.2014 15:29 #13

• tranquash

  I like windows.
  

  Chuck
  
  "Men are slower to recognize blessings than misfortunes." Titus Livius (59BC-17AD)
  

  8.11.2014 21:02 #14

• Jemborg

  Originally posted by megadunderhead: Honestly let me tell you this:
  
  No matter how many features windows adds no matter how many new things come there way they are still screwed royal why?
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  DSE VZ300-
  Zilog Z80 CPU, 32KB RAM (16K+16K cartridge), video processor 6847, 2KB video RAM, 16 colours (text mode), 5.25" FDD

  8.11.2014 21:42 #15

• Askar

  I still use Windows 7 Professional and have never seen a reason to "upgrade." I love nearly everything about it, including the Gadgets that they seem to want so badly to get rid of. I never get viruses because I am a competent user who knows how to avoid them. I don't even use antivirus software on most of my computers. I occasionally use malwarebytes or similar software to check my pcs, but have never had any issues with securing any of my computers.
  
  I have no problem with another version of Windows coming out. I will be happy to check it out, and if it is an improvement over Windows 7, I will use it. If not, like Windows 8, I will let it pass.

  9.11.2014 19:28 #16

• bubbah

  ok, lemme see, so as for windows 7, anyone who wants it can only get a pirated copy; windows 8, nobody wants it anyway; windows 8.1 ...well, isn't that windows 8? ...windows 10, isn't that windows 8 with a few doodads ...I put it on a separate partition (which I will nuke today) and all I see is some split screen nonsense and they moved the metro junk right into the start button menu ...sheesh, these guys just don't get it ...here it is... WE DON'T WANT METRO, IT MAKES OUR EXPENSIVE COMPUTER WORK LIKE A LAME CELLPHONE ...why do big players, HP, M$, etc. fail to even try their own stuff or get someone to tell them what it's like to use it ?? Only good thing is win8.1 can be made to boot to desktop & classic shell installed & thence I don't even realize metro exists ...wow !!

  10.11.2014 14:47 #17

• alotanor

  That's sad to hear Bubbah. I thought MS finaly got the message and donped all that MILLENNIAL BS! I was hoping for a hard-core Win7->Win10 upgrade.
  

  11.11.2014 06:47 #18

• CarpeSol

  If it wasn't for hardware limits and countless compatibility issues, I would likely still be using windows xp.
  
  I don't give a rat's ass about their supposedly better GUI, I just want an OS that actually functions the way I want it to with all my software. While MS is still top dog in that department, the gap is a lot smaller than it used to be.
  
  The day an environment other than windows gives me the same capabilities without all the corporate bullshit and fluff that I don't want(which always just gives me a headache) I will be more than happy to jump ship. And I know I'm not alone.
  

  13.11.2014 09:53 #19