When will support end for Windows 7?
According to computerworld.com, over 40 million PCs worldwide still use Windows 7. Despite this, it is official, Windows 7 will soon reach the end of its life and upgrading will be absolutely essential for the safety of your PC/Hardware. If your business is currently running Windows 7, this will require you to update your OS, and with that, your P.O.S. system may no longer be supported. We have been helping our existing clients prepare for this shift for months. But if you haven’t been made aware of this, time IS running out! If you have questions or want to learn more about this coming update, fill out our form below and register for our webinar on June 26th at 2 pm EST.
Mainstream support for Windows 7 ended on January 13, 2015, but extended support won’t end until January 14, 2020. This only applies if you already have Service Pack 1 installed. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Start planning now!
What immediate steps should I take?
- If you are running Windows 7 and you haven’t installed Service Pack 1, you should do that now.
- If you are using an NCR P1530 POS terminal running Windows 7 Professional, you must upgrade your hardware before January 14, 2020.
- If you use an NCR P1530 POS terminal running Windows Embedded POSReady, extended support ended on October 12, 2021.
Contact an account representative today to learn more! - If you are using a Windows 7 XR7, you will need to upgrade to Windows 10. NCR is releasing a Windows 10 image that you can purchase, either with Windows 10 licensing or separately. Please be advised that you cannot upgrade the unit from Windows 7 to 10. The upgrade needs to be a complete image install which will wipe all data from your system. Please contact an account representative to learn more about your options.
- You must be on Counterpoint 8.5.2 or newer to run Counterpoint on Windows 10.
Is Windows 7 safe to use with my point-of-sale software?
Currently, Windows 7 is safe to use. During extended support, Microsoft will continue to patch any security threats, but they won’t add any new features. Once extended support ends Microsoft will no longer provide patches for any security threats and your system will be vulnerable.
| Client Operating System | Latest Service Pack | End of Mainstream Support | End of Extended Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows XP | Service Pack 3 | April 14, 2009 | April 8, 2014 |
| Windows Vista | Service Pack 2 | April 10, 2012 | April 11, 2017 |
| Windows 7 | Service Pack 1 | January 13, 2015 | January 14, 2020 |
| Windows 8 | Windows 8.1 | January 9, 2018 | January 10, 2023 |
| Windows 10 | N/A | October 13, 2020 | October 14, 2025 |