Microsoft extends support for Vista and Windows 7

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Consumers running any edition of Windows 7 or Vista now have a few more years of support to look forward to.

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Microsoft recently tacked on five additional years in the form of Extended support for all editions of both operating systems for individual users. Full support for every edition of each OS will now last for approximately 10 years from release date, pointing ahead to 14 January, 2020, for Windows 7 and 11 April, 2017, for Vista.

Microsoft offers both Mainstream and Extended support for its operating systems and other products. Mainstream support lasts for five years and covers all major upgrades to the sofware as well as security updates, bug fixes, and other patches. Extended support then kicks in for an additional five years, at which point only security updates become available.

But individual consumers of certain editions of the two latest flavours of Windows were previously entitled only to Mainstream support, which means support for Windows 7 for some would have expired in 2015 and support for Vista in 2012.

For more on this ZDNet UK-selected story, see Microsoft extends consumer support for Windows 7, Vista on CNET News.

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