Microsoft kills support for Windows 8, asks users to upgrade

MICROSOFT has ended support for its controversial Windows 8 operating system, which first launched across the globe in August 2013.

 

Microsoft has ended support for its controversial, touchscreen-focused Windows 8

 

Microsoft has ended support for its controversial, touchscreen-focused Windows 8.

This means the US technology firm will no longer roll out bug fixes or security patches for the operating system.

Instead, customers will have to upgrade to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 to ensure they are protected and up-to-date.

Both upgrades are free to Windows customers. And those who chose to upgrade to Windows 8.1 will get technical support from Microsoft until January 2023.

 

The news comes after Microsoft warned customers to upgrade their preinstalled Internet Explorer web browser to the latest version, dubbed IE 11.

Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 will no longer receive the latest patches and security updates from Microsoft – leaving users vulnerable to viruses and malware attacks.

Earlier this week, the US technology firm warned Internet Explorer users to update their browsers to version 11 to ensure they are protected.

 

Windows 8 wanted to united all devices under one version of Windows

 

But now Microsoft has issued a new warning to all Windows users – even those who aren't actively using Internet Explorer.

PC owners who use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Opera browsers are being urged to check which version of Internet Explorer is installed on their computers.

If an earlier version of Internet Explorer – dubbed IE – is sat idle on your PC, you could still be vulnerable.

 

Check the About Internet Explorer option to see whether you are vulnerable

This is because of how Microsoft has tightly integrated its Internet Explorer software into the Windows operating system (a move that triggered a long antitrust case).

Microsoft senior software developer consultant Pat Altimore issued the warning.

Posting on his blog, he wrote: "There are many components that constitute the browser.

"Most of the components are part of the operating system including the JavaScript / HTML rendering engine, the Web Browser control, and the Windows Internet Protocol Handler.

"The browser application uses these OS components for script execution, rendering, HTTP requests, etc.

"When you upgrade the browser, you potentially upgrade all of these components."