Windows 10, Windows Vista, mainstream support, Windows 7, extended support, Windows 8, Microsoft end of support, Windows 8.1
[Representational Image]Microsoft officially ends support for Windows Vista; here's why you need to upgrade to Windows 10 right now In Picture: Microsoft Windows 10Reuters

With the release of latest firmware update, Microsoft officially ended the software support for the company's 2006 series Vista OS from this month.

This does not surprise many, as Mozilla Firefox and Google, last year had actually announced to end support for their respective apps -- browser and Gmail -- running on Microsoft's decade-old Vista OS, in late 2017.

Also read: All you need to know about Microsoft Windows 10 Creators Update

What will happen when Microsoft ends support for Windows Vista OS?

End of support means Microsoft is no longer obligated to provide automatic fixes, updates, or online technical assistance.

That's not all. Without Microsoft support, you will no longer receive security updates that can help protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software that can steal your personal information.

If you are still using Windows Vista on your PC, it is advisable to move on to the next version Windows 7 (Service Pack 1) or leap jump to the latest Windows 10 to avoid disruption in PC operation.

Microsoft, Windows Vista, end of support, mainstream support, Windows 10,extended support
[Representational Image] Microsoft officially ends support for Windows Vista; here's why you need to upgrade to Windows 10 right now. In Picture: Windows 10 logoWindows Blog

Will you upgrade to Windows 7 or go for Windows 10?

To help you make the decision easy, we have grouped all the information related to Microsoft Windows OS versions' mainstream and extended support timeline.

Microsoft Windows OS version Latest version you need to upgrade for longer assistance Mainstream support end date Extended support end date
Windows 7* Service Pack 1 January 13, 2015 January 14, 2020
Windows 8 Windows 8.1 January 9, 2018 January 10, 2023
Windows 10 (applies to Windows 10 Home, Home, Pro, and Enterprise editions) V1703 October 13, 2020 October 14, 2025

Windows 7*: Support for Windows 7 RTM (without service packs) ended on April 9, 2013. You have to upgrade to Service Pack 1.

For those unaware, 'end of mainstream support' means that users are no longer eligible to claim any warranty and Microsoft will no longer accept any request for change in UI design and new features. It will also not provide any non-security fixes unless the OS version has extended support.

As far as the 'end of extended support' is concerned, Microsoft will completely end all the assistance to the software. Be it a glitch or emergence security loophole, you cannot claim for fix from Microsoft, similar to what just happened to the Windows Vista.

Considering the fact that Windows 7's end of support is less than three years away and Windows 8 series has an unappealing user-interface, we recommend Windows Vista users to swiftly move to the latest Windows 10 series, as Microsoft guarantees technical assistance, including security patches till 2025. On top of that, it also supports all the latest Xbox compatible games as well.

Also read:  Microsoft Windows 10: The 10 things you need to know about Microsofts new operating system