Windows 7 PCs Will Not Be Available For Purchase After Oct. 31

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Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has set October 31st as the end of sales date for Windows 7-based consumer-grade PCs. When a product reaches end of sales, then it means that it is “no longer shipped to retailers or Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).”

On the site where it posts such policies, the Redmond company now notes that Oct. 31, 2014, is the end of sales date for new PCs equipped with Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate. All these three OS have been the number one choice for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) for consumer systems.

Windows 7 Professional available until February 2015 at least

For now, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has not listed the end of sales date for Windows 7 Professional. Microsoft notes on the same page that the company will provide one year of notice prior to the end of sale date, which means Windows 7 Professional will still be available at least until February 2015. This means that OEMs like Dell, Toshiba and HP can still sell PCs bundled with Windows 7 Professional.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s Windows 7 has been very popular among businesses, as it is less complex compared to Windows 8, which comes with two user-interfaces (UI). Businesses will need to consider training employees before using any new OS, especially before installing the newer Windows 8 version. In fact, some analysts believe that the Windows 7 will remain the most popular operating system for companies for many more years.

Older OS still out there

End of sales does not mean that the OS won’t be available anywhere. If you check online shopping sites like eBay or Amazon, you will find many people selling older versions of Windows, like Windows 7 and Windows XP. And such licenses are still valid.

Businesses will still be able to deploy Windows 7 based systems from OEMs such as Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) or Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ), while consumers will not be able to buy it. Once this date is reached, the only choice for those users who do not want to use Windows 8 is to downgrade from Windows 8.x to Windows 7. Of course, there are always online sites where you can buy a license.

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