Microsoft mandates Windows 8.1 upgrade

[Firefox]

Microsoft mandates Windows 8.1 upgrade

Applies existing support policy to Windows 8: Customers must upgrade within 24 months to continue receiving patches and fixes

Microsoft today said that Windows 8.1, slated for release this fall, will use the same lifecycle support timeline as 2012's Windows 8, meaning that it will be supported until early 2023.

Windows 8 users will also be required to upgrade to 8.1, and presumably in the future to newer versions of the OS, to continue to receive security patches and other bug fixes, just as they have been obligated to keep up with past editions of Windows.

"The lifecycle of Windows 8.1 will remain under the same lifecycle policy as Windows 8 with support ending 1/10/2023," said Erwin Visser, who heads Windows marketing to businesses, in a Tuesday blog.

Microsoft's current support lifecycle for Windows 8 pegs the end of "Mainstream" support on Jan. 9, 2018, and "Extended" support's end on Jan. 10, 2023. Under mainstream support, Microsoft patches security vulnerabilities and provides non-security bug fixes. Extended support is limited to security-only updates.

For the first time, the company also confirmed that it will manage Windows 8 support the same way it has previous editions of the operating system.

"Windows 8 customers will have two years to move to Windows 8.1 after the General Availability of the Windows 8.1 update to continue to remain supported under Windows 8 lifecycle," Visser said.

"That's key," said Rob Helm, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, ranking the importance of the clarification to enterprises.

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[AdvancedSetup]

"That's key," said Rob Helm,"

 

If your company went that route, but not many larger companies can or want to upgrade to a new OS every couple of years as it's very expensive to do and often has little benefit to do so.

[Firefox]

Yeah I know what you mean Ron, we don't go with every new OS that comes out. We skipped ME, and Vista. We went from XP to Windows 7. I still have a few computers running XP.

[AdvancedSetup]

I have hundreds still on XP but have slowly started phasing them out due to other software and hardware that are not as compatible with XP.  I knew it would come sooner or later and I'd be forced into it so we're doing Windows 7 Pro as the business versions can downgrade to Windows 7 from 8 (at least for now anyways)

[Firefox]

Yeah some of my new computers have a Windows 8 Key but come preloaded with 7.... I want it that way....

[CWB]

i dunno ... from what i have seen of 8.1 it has a ways to go before "release this fall" .

the damnable interaction between the "metro" and "classic" gui is a royal PITA .

just when you think you have it whipped *something* happens and ya wind up *someplace* you don't want to be ... backed into a corner comes to mind .

(i liken it to heading for a theater and suddenly winding up in a house of ill repute)

sure , one could say : "simple , ya just do this and then this to back out of where you are at ..." .

however , the real point/issue is that one should not have to *remember* tricks or jump through hoops to effectively use an OS/GUI .

[David H. Lipman]

CWB, I haven't seen that with Classic Shell installed.

 

This all makes v8.1 sound like a Service Pack that just has a new name.  However I can't find an administrative download that will bring Windows 8 to Windows 8.1.

[CWB]

david , i am running classic shell on 8.1 ... and i do get some interaction between the two "sides" .

it is as if the OS were schizophrenic .

maybe i am just lucky ...

8.1 w/classic shell is a decent improvement , of that there is no doubt .

there are a couple of settings that i did change that improved things a bit .

 

for the average joe schmuck user the interaction would be a deal killer .

think of it like clicking on something or sliding your pointer to one side having your XP or W7 gui change into something very unfamiliar .

and not just once in a while either .

also , the average user is not going to (want to) install "classic shell" just to make it work .

 

dating two sisters comes to mind ...

it is not an easy position to be in and the dynamics are unstable .

[David H. Lipman]

I just reinstalled the Win8.1 hard disk and played with it for a while.  I had no problems.  It stayed in a classic GUI.

[exile360]

I'm certain it's tough for larger enterprises to upgrade so frequently, not only due to costs, but also due to the requirements many of them likely have with regards to stability and compatibility testing for software and hardware which they require the use of/compatibility with in their environments, and having to test all of that with a new OS so often can't be an easy task.