In case your computer runs on Windows Vista, its time to upgrade and do it fast. Today, Microsoft announced that it was ending all support for Windows Vista including security updates and tech support.
It has been 10 years since the launch of the Windows Vista operating system. In a statement published on its website, Microsoft said that it was ending support for Vista in order to focus the company’s resources on newer systems and technologies.
What does this mean for you as a user? While your Windows Vista will continue to run, it will not receive any upgrades henceforth. This means that your computer will become vulnerable to any new security or malware threats and the company will not be issuing patches to protect you from those.
Moreover, computers running Windows Vista will have trouble accessing some of the newer apps as they might not be supporting this older operating system.
The withdrawal of support for Windows Vista also means that the Internet Explorer 9 browser is no longer supported either. Therefore, continuing with this will leave your computer vulnerable to new viruses and malware on the internet.
As a user, your options are either upgrading to a newer version of Windows, purchasing an Apple Mac or trying out open-source operating systems like Fedora or Ubuntu. Here are some suggestions:
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Move to Windows 7
Launched 2 years after Windows Vista, this version of Windows is possibly the most popular one in the world with the largest market share. Moreover, Windows 7 is compatible with most apps and programs available on the PC ecosystem right now.
You could choose to switch to Windows 7 but be warned: Microsoft will end its support for this version in January 2020 when it completes its 10-year cycle.
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Upgrade to Windows 10
This remains the safest and the smartest option for users right now as Windows 10 is the latest version of the operating system in the market and will stick around for a while. As a result, you can rest assured that your Windows 10 will be officially supported by Microsoft at least until October 2025.
Windows 10 gives you access to absolutely every software and program available in the ecosystem which makes it the best choice for PC users. Moreover, the recent Windows 10 Creators Update provides access to a host of new and exciting features rolled out by Microsoft.
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Switch to Apple
This is possibly the most expensive option of all but the withdrawal of support for Windows Vista is a good opportunity for those that have wanted to switch to Apple’s Macintosh. Doing this will require to purchase a completely new system which starts at around $1100 (₹85,000) for desktops and $800 (₹55,000) for laptops.
The Apple Mac OS X is considered to be extremely user-friendly and well-designed operating system. Also as the old dictum says: Once you go Mac, you can never go back.
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Move to an open-source OS
Open-source operating systems have been catching on massively over the past 6-7 years. A big reason for their rise has been due to governments and public agencies in several cities across the world moving to the open source platform.
The main highlight of open-source systems is that they are completely free. While the official support may not be as sophisticated as that offered by Microsoft, there are tons of user forums where most of your tech queries will be answered in a jiffy. Open source users consider themselves to be a community, and therefore, help and support are always easy to come by.
For starters, we recommend you check out Ubuntu and Fedora open-source operating systems as these are the most user friendly of them all. Moreover, both these operating systems offer a good integration with the Windows ecosystem especially with programs such as LibreOffice which use MS-Office file formats.
Whichever operating system you choose, we would strongly recommend that you stop using Windows Vista and switch as soon as possible in order to protect the security and performance of your computer.
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