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Here's what will happen to your Windows 7 PC on January 15, 2020

Microsoft is ready to push a full-screen warning to Windows 7 users who are still running the OS after January 14. The nag-screen payload is part of the December 10 Patch Tuesday monthly rollup.
Written by Mary Jo Foley, Senior Contributing Editor
january15nagwindows7.jpg
Credit: Microsoft

(This post was originally published in December 2019. It was updated on January 10, 2020.)

Microsoft has been warning Windows 7 users for the past year-plus that after January 14, 2020, they'll get no more security updates to the operating system for free. Even though users will be able to continue to run Windows 7 after that date, they'll be more susceptible to potential security problems. To hammer that point home, Microsoft is planning to deliver a new pop-up notification to Windows 7 users on January 15, 2020.

Microsoft already has been delivering warning notifications periodically to Windows 7 Home and many Pro users about the impending January 14 end-of-support date. But on January 15, the company will push a full-screen notification to those still running the OS to make it clear that "Your Windows 7 PC is out of support." Note: "The notification will not appear on domain-joined machines or machines in kiosk mode," the KB article says.

Like it has been doing since last year, Microsoft is delivering this new nag notification to Windows 7 users by making it part of a patch rollup. The coming notification is embedded in monthly rollup KB4530734, which Microsoft made available to Windows 7 SP1 users on December 10 as part of its Patch Tuesday set of updates. This patch is designed to configure Windows 7 PCs that receive it so they will display the January 15 notification starting on that date.

The January 15 full-screen warning will tell users that their PCs are more vulnerable to viruses and malware due to no security updates, no software updates and no tech support. It will say that "Microsoft strongly recommends using Windows 10 on a new PC for the latest security features and protection against malicious software."

Those who see the full-screen warning will have three options: Remind me later; Learn more; or Don't remind me again. If users don't click on the "Don't remind me again" button and just dismiss the screen, they will continue to get nag warnings.

In April 2019, Microsoft began proactively notifying Windows 7 Home users about the approaching end of support deadline for Windows 7 via a pop-up. Starting in October, Microsoft also began delivering pop-ups about the end of support to Windows 7 Pro devices that were not domain-joined.

Microsoft will continue to provide security updates for Windows 7 for up to three years to business users who purchase Extended Security Updates for each of their PCs running the OS. It also will provide Windows 7 security updates for no additional charge for three years to users who purchase Windows Virtual Desktop. Office 365 ProPlus will continue to work on devices with Windows 7 Extended Security Updates through January 2023, Microsoft officials have said.

Google has announced it will continue to support its Chrome browser on Windows 7 until at least July 2021. Microsoft officials have yet to say how long they will continue to support the new Chromium-based Edge browser on Windows 7.

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