Windows 7 To Be Left Vulnerable To Viruses And Security Problems As Microsoft Continues To Push Windows 10 Upgrade

Ever since Microsoft launched the Windows 10 operating system in July last year, it has consistently campaigned for PC users to make the upgrade from Windows 7.

The Redmond-based tech giant has even made the upgrade free and installation as simple as possible. Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users, until the first anniversary of its release.

Unfortunately for Microsoft, majority of the world’s computers are still running the most popular version, Windows 7.

According to Net Market Share, Windows 7 still powers 55 percent of the world’s computers. Next up is Windows XP that still has a strong following with 10.93 percent share.

Windows 8.1 covers 10.3 percent of the share, while Windows 10 has steadily, but slowly improved since its release with only 9.96 percent.

Microsoft has previously stated that it would like 1 billion devices to run on Windows 10 within three years after its release. But at this slow rate, it might not meet the target.

The latest operating system only has 200 million monthly active devices based on a report in November.

Over 200 million devices are running Windows 10 https://t.co/gV8TrPVBTa pic.twitter.com/JWdEM66Efc

— The Verge (@verge) January 5, 2016

And so in another attempt to persuade Windows users to make the jump to Win 10, a Microsoft executive made some controversial comments in an online show.

Microsoft’s chief marketing officer Chris Capossela issued a warning during his appearance on the online show Windows Weekly.

Talking to host Leo Laporte, Capossela stated that the company is aiming to “end the fragmentation” of the Windows install base.

The company executive added that Microsoft has made sure that a wide range of computers and devices would be able to run Windows 10. As a result, this may encourage users of older devices to update.

“As we’re pushing our hardware partners to build great new stuff that takes advantage of Windows 10, that obviously makes the old stuff really bad, and not to mention viruses and security problems,” Capossela said.

The warning about “viruses” and “security problems” has definitely raised red flags among people who are still using older versions.

However, Microsoft has already announced and made it clear that it will continue to provide security updates for Windows 7 until 2020. That only means Capossela’s “warning” will only take effect after 2020.

In spite of the slow adoption rate of Windows 10, Microsoft has been working hard in improving the features and performance of its latest operating system.

In November, Microsoft released the first major update for Windows 10, codenamed Threshold, version 1511. The update improved browsing in Microsoft Edge, provided better performance in multi-tasking, and made some minor tweaks and fixes as well.

A second major update is reported to be released next year and is dubbed Redstone. Reports claim that several minor updates will be available in the next few weeks.

Windows 10 offers a slew of features, one of which is default disk encryption. This is turned on by default in new devices, which means that if the device gets lost, the user’s data will be protected.

Another feature that Windows 10 users will enjoy is the automatic notification feature. Microsoft said that it would notify users whose accounts the company believes to have been hacked or compromised by an individual or group.

Microsoft focused everything it had on the development of Windows 10, especially after its Windows 8 and 8.1 updates did not yield the expected results. The company also appears to have given up on its Windows Phone OS and the partnership with Nokia has done little to become a real threat to Android and iOS.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]