Windows 7 Slated For Extended Support From Next Year

According to Microsoft, many services in their roster will reach the end of their support cycle soon. This bears out that Windows 7 will enter its extended support term from January next year.

All versions of Windows 7 OS, including Embedded Handheld 6.5, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Storage Server 2008, will be shifted to extended support by 13 January 2015. However, this is not the same as the ‘End of Life’, which was handed to Windows XP in April. Windows 7 users will merely cease to enjoy benefits of active development, and will receive only security patches from now on, rather than enhancements and features.

Meanwhile, two other products from Microsoft, Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010 Service Pack 3 and Visual Studio 2012, will need the latest service packs installed in order to receive further updates. There are many other products, which will also get to End of Life on the same day as XP, such as Host Integration Server 2004, Systems Management Server 2003, Virtual Server 2005 and Visual FoxPro 9.0.

Many other products will undergo the same treatment as soon as by 14 October, which includes Windows CE 5.0, and Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2004. Meanwhile, Office 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010 will need to be updated from SP1 to remain supported.

Last in the line is Windows Phone 7.8, which comprised of a package specifically aimed at fixing problems in Windows Phone 7.5, and will enter extended support on 9 September.

Microsoft has asked users to upgrade or update any product bound to enter the extended support phase in the near future, or get in touch with their system administrator for clarifications. This has prompted a barrage of postings on Windows 7 help desk around the web.

Most end users, however, will remain unaffected by these disclosures. But with things being the way they are around Windows 8, and that the company no longer supports Windows XP they will need to watch how they announce these proceedings. Windows 8 has been widely sauce-panned for the decidedly alien UI it brought in, so how could repeat mention of plans to scrap Windows 7 help? The latter is the one other OS in the line that users favor as much as XP, and may be even more.

Steps To Remove Backup Files In Windows 7

One of the major reasons why your computer system turns out to be slow and unresponsive is low disk space. Well, there are indeed so many things that you can do to increase the free space on your Windows 7 computer. We will be discussing about one such solution for this problem here in this article and that is to delete the backup files created on your Windows 7 computer. According to our Windows 7 help team, you can do this in a matter of few clicks. Follow the simple instructions given below in order to get this done.

Deleting Backup Files in Windows 7

• Before you begin the procedure, you need to make sure that all the programs that are currently running on your computer have been closed down so that they do not slow down your computer.
• Next up, you need to open the Windows Start menu. For this, you need to click on the Start button that is located at the left side bottom corer of your computer screen. After that, you need to click on the icon that is labeled by Search and then type in the text backup in the text field provided. Hit the Enter key on your computer keyboard.
• Now, you need to click on folder that is listed towards the right of the option that is named as Location in the Backup and Restore window.
• Once you do that, you need to go to the Start menu and click on Computer. Scroll to the location that is given in the Backup and Restore window. Go to the backup folder, right click on it, and then choose the Delete button. Press the Yes button to confirm your choice.
• Following which you need to browse to the desktop and right-click on the icon that is labeled by Recycle Bin and then choose Empty Recycle Bin followed by the Yes button.
• Finally, you need to go back to the Backup and Restore window. After that, you need to click on the option that reads Turn Off schedule on the left if you would like to stop your operating system from backing up files automatically.

Well, that is it! By now, you must have successfully deleted backup files in your Windows 7 computer. For any further assistance on this, please do get in touch with our Windows 7 help team.

Steps To Turn Off Automatic Updates In Windows 7

Microsoft Windows 7 operating system updates provide a variety of changes, including error fixes, new features, security enhancements, enhanced virus protection, and improved performance. Microsoft makes these utilities available to their customers through the built in utility tool, Windows Update. The Windows Update tool automatically connects to the update database centre online, and searches for updates. The system will automatically download and install the updates when they become available. Microsoft also allows you to custom set the Windows update option. Windows 7 allows the user to turn ON and OFF the updates as per their wish.

Windows 7 help instructions

·         Use the mouse to click the Start orb placed in the bottom left corner of the Windows home screen, to launch the Start menu. Alternatively, you can launch the Windows Start menu by clicking on the Windows key.

·         From the Start menu, select the label that reads Control Panel from the left half.

·         For ease of selection, change the Control Panel view from Category, to Large or Small. To change the view, click on the selection box next to the label View By. From the dropdown, select either Large or Options. Scroll down the classic Control Panel window and select the icon with the label that reads Windows update. Alternatively, you can launch the Windows Update window by searching for the same, using the search box placed on top of the Control Panel window.

·         Click on the label that reads Turn Automatic Updating On or Off, in the Windows Update window.

·         From the drop down window, select the label that reads Important Updates.

·         From the dropdown window, select one from the available four options listed below:

1.       "Install updates automatically”

2.       “Download updates but let me choose whether to install them"

3.       "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them"

4.       "Never check for updates"

·         Click OK when prompted to confirm the selection.

·         If you have unchecked the label “Allow all users to install updates on this computer”, you will be prompted to enter your username and password.

Follow the Windows 7 help instructions briefed above to turn off automatic updates in Windows 7. For more support, feel free to drop into our Windows 7 support blogs and forums. You may also reach us on our toll free 24/7 helpline number for support.