OEMs to Stop Procuring Certain Windows 7 Versions from 31 October

Microsoft, earlier in the year, made official its decision to end mainstream support for its most popular operating system, Windows 7, starting from January 2015. Now, with that in mind, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will no more procure licenses to sell computers pre-installed with certain Windows 7 versions.

These versions are: Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate.

However, retailers and OEMs are at liberty to sell Windows 7 computers (running Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate versions) until stocks last.

Not the death knell yet for Windows 7 as a whole

If you are a user of Windows 7, there is no need to panic, because the company will only port its most popular OS to the 'extended support phase' after the 'mainstream support phase' ends in January next year.

Rest assured that your operating system will continue to function like before, even during the extended support phase that generally lasts for a minimum of five years.

However, Microsoft will stop supplying certain security fixes (not all bug fixes) and updates during the extended support phase.

But, you can expect Windows 7 support (not mainstream though) to be continued even after five years, as the company supported its then popular OS Windows XP for close to 13 years.

Anticipation to Windows 10 builds-up

Windows 10, which was earlier expected to be launched as Windows 9, has become the talk of the town even before its official release. One factor that has contributed to the increased hype and anticipation for the OS, is the new 'Mini Start Button' that Microsoft will incorporate within the OS.

Another aspect of Windows 10, eagerly awaited by Microsoft loyalists across the world, is the Redmond-based company's personal digital assistant (PDA) Cortana, which is expected to reside full-time within the OS, in the form of an exclusive launchable application.

Also, on desktops, the new Windows interface is expected to boot as default rather than letting users choose between the traditional Windows and metro-style user interfaces.

The new Windows OS, once official, is also expected to dynamically fit in the device which it runs.

The Linux-like Multiple desktop support is also a feature to check for, within Windows 10.

A 'Technical Preview' of Microsoft's new Windows 10 was launched earlier in the month, and is available for official download.

If you are eager to check out the Windows 10 Technical Preview, then the following system requirements are mandatory:

• Your machine should be powered by 1GHz processor
• There should be 1GB RAM (x86) or, 2GB RAM on a 64-bit machine
• The required storage space should be 16GB
• You will need a DirectX 9 or above graphics device, stable internet connection and a Microsoft account
• Ensure that you have a backup of all the important data of the machine.