Everything dies eventually, even software. Software is considered dead when there is no more support for it and Microsoft has declared deadlines (excuse the pun) for the end of support of their products. This includes everything from Microsoft Office to Windows 10. Sometimes the support is extended, but this is rare.
This article will discuss the lifecycles of each Microsoft product, so you can prepare yourself for when to let go of your dear digital friend.
Each Windows operating system has two cumulative updates released per year which are incredibly important and other updates released far more frequently to keep it running smoothly.
The following is a table of each operating system and their lifecycle.
Windows 8.1 and 7
| Client operating systems | End of mainstream support | End of extended support |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 7, service pack 1 | January 13, 2015 | January 14, 2020 |
| Windows 8.1 | January 9, 2018 | January 10, 2023 |
Windows 10
| Windows 10 version history | Date of availability | End of service |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10, version 1709 | October 17, 2017 | April 9, 2019 |
| Windows 10, version 1703 | April 5, 2017 | October 9, 2018 |
| Windows 10, version 1607 | August 2, 2016 | April 10, 2018 |
| Windows 10, version 1511 | November 10, 2015 | October 10, 2017 |
| Windows 10, released July 2015 (version 1507) | July 29, 2015 | May 9, 2017 |
End of sales
| Client operating systems and updates | Date of general availability | Retail software end of sales | End of sales for PCs with Windows preinstalled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate | October 22, 2009 | October 31, 2013 | October 31, 2014 |
| Windows 7 Professional | October 22, 2009 | October 31, 2013 | October 31, 2016 |
| Windows 8 | October 26, 2012 | October 31, 2014 | June 30, 2016 |
| Windows 8.1 | October 18, 2013 | September 1, 2015 | October 31, 2016 |
Windows Server
| Server operating systems | Preceding service packs | Current service pack and date of availability | Next update and estimated date of availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Server 2008 | SP1 (Windows Server 2008 was released including SP1) |
SP2 May 26, 2009 |
Not yet established |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 | Not applicable | SP1 February 22, 2011 |
Not yet established |
| Windows Server 2012 | Not applicable | October 30, 2012 | No service packs planned |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | Not applicable | October 18, 2013 | No service packs planned |
| Windows Storage Server 2016 | Not applicable | October 15, 2016 | No service packs planned |
| Windows Server 2016 (Datacenter, Essentials, Standard) |
Not applicable | October 15, 2016 | No service packs planned |
| Windows Server, version 1709 (Datacenter, Standard) | Not applicable | October 17, 2017 | No service packs planned |
Source:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-za/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet