Microsoft calls time on Windows Vista support

Microsoft support for Windows Vista support is finally coming to an end, just over a decade after it went on sale.

The Microsoft website has a date for when Windows Vista will head to the great recycle bin in the sky: April 11, 2017. Well, technically you can still use it – it just won't get any more security updates or have any free or paid support options. You're on your own, basically.

“Microsoft has provided support for Windows Vista for the past 10 years,” the company wrote in a statement, “but the time has come for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources towards more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences.”

Unsurprisingly for an operating system that's celebrating its tenth birthday, Microsoft points out that any PC running it might not actually be powerful enough for Windows 10. For those people running Vista who don't have the juice for Windows 10, the company suggests it might be time to buy a new PC. “They're more powerful, lightweight, and stylish than ever before – and with an average price that's considerably less expensive than the average PC was ten years ago,” they write.

To put it mildly, Windows Vista was never loved in the same way, so few will be mourning its passing in 2017. Next up for the can is Windows 7 – but you should have until January 2020 to say goodbye.

Image: Andy Melton and Christopher used under Creative Commons