Microsoft is attempting to nudge extra folks towards newer Home windows variations. As Thurott reports, Microsoft has warned that the OneDrive desktop app will cease syncing with private Home windows 7, 8 and eight.1 computer systems on March 1st, 2022. The software program will not obtain updates from January 1st onward. You’ll be able to nonetheless use the net to manually switch information, however that is clearly a trouble if you happen to routinely entry cloud information from an older PC.
Enterprise clients will not have a lot of a reprieve, both. Microsoft is tying company OneDrive help to the Home windows cycle for related machines. Home windows 7 and eight.1 office customers can have till January tenth, 2023 (the tip of prolonged help for each platforms), whereas Home windows 8 customers are already out of luck.
The corporate wasn’t shy about its reasoning. This can assist “focus sources” on newer Home windows platforms and applied sciences, in keeping with OneDrive builders. In different phrases, Microsoft actually desires you to improve to Home windows 10 or Windows 11.
This is not a very surprising transfer. Microsoft has lengthy had trouble persuading some customers to improve to newer variations of Home windows, to the purpose the place corporations and governments would quite pay for particular help contracts than replace. That hurts Microsoft’s backside line, in fact, however it additionally poses safety dangers — WannaCry took advantage of organizations working outdated Home windows variations. The brand new OneDrive coverage could push some customers to put in newer Home windows variations even when they’re in any other case pleased with an outdated working system.
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