Don’t Panic, But… Windows 7 Support Is Ending.
What Should You Do?

Dave Koopmans, Solutions Engineering Manager, Scantron Technology Solutions

Much has been written about the highs and lows of Windows 10, but the Windows 7 end of life is a forcing factor in your IT lifecycle plan. Microsoft will end support for Win7 on January 14, 2020. If you’re subject to security compliance, you’ll be out of compliance after that date. Even if you aren’t subject to compliance regulation, you’ll be at risk for new viruses and malware that won’t be patched by Microsoft. What does this mean for IT infrastructure?

2020 seems far away, but is it really? To prepare, you’ll need to devote 2019 to purchasing, testing and migration. Your planning should begin now. Most applications are Windows 10 compatible, but if you have old printers or scanners they may have driver issues with Windows 10. Don’t hold out hope that manufacturers of older devices – which themselves may be at or near end-of-life for support – will invest resources to create new drivers.

Here are some common sense guidelines around Windows 10 updates.

For an individual workstation, the minimum specifications from Microsoft are an Intel Core i3 processor and 4GB RAM.

Scantron recommends the following minimum specifications to effectively run Windows 10:

  • Intel Core i5 processor
  • 8GB RAM
  • Dual Monitors

Have you surveyed your current systems to see how old they are? As a rule of thumb, if any system is over five years old, we recommend replacement. Determine if any of your systems need RAM upgrades. Unlike the end of life for Windows XP, you may actually have some upgrade options.

If your systems are Windows 7 Pro x64 versions and the hardware meets the specifications, you can purchase an upgrade license and perform an “In-Place Upgrade.” That means all of the applications are preserved during the upgrade and the process is relatively quick.

If your systems are Windows 7 x32 versions, the only way to upgrade them is to rebuild them from scratch, load Windows 10 and reload all of the applications and data. Typically, it is cheaper to purchase new systems than spend the amount time that it takes to rebuild.

HTS recommends that you contact your software vendor to see if your applications are Windows 10 compatible.

When you are ready to deploy the first Windows 10 device in your network, take these three steps:

  1. Test.
  2. Test.
  3. Test.

We’re here to help you assess your systems and migration needs. You can concentrate on projects and programs that add value to your business while we ensure your IT backbone and end user devices are properly upgraded, available and performing.

Visit the Windows Upgrade Outreach page or call 800.228.3628. Your account executive or customer relationship manager will have all the details.