Windows Vista was not a popular Microsoft release. We can just say it. Launched in 2007 (after a few delays), it was the first Windows overhaul since the well-loved XP release in 2001. Six years is a long time to make people wait, no matter how great the replacement. And Vista, well, was not great. A decade later, Microsoft's finally pulling the plug on support tomorrow. Which means, if you're somehow stuck with Microsoft's least popular operating system, it's time to move on. Like, now.
That lack of support after April 11---which applies to Internet Explorer 9 as well---doesn't just mean basic inattention. From here on out there will be no more Vista security patches, no more bug fixes, and no more technical help. Operating systems that are no longer supported are much more vulnerable to attack, because bad actors who find vulnerabilities in the software know that they will be able to exploit them for years without needing to worry about the bug getting patched. Honestly, you'll be doing yourself a bunch of favors all at once by upgrading past Vista.
"The time has come for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources towards more recent technologies," Microsoft said in announcing the move. Translation: Good riddance!
Fortunately, Vista's bad reputation led most people to abandon it years ago. Some estimates put its current marketshare among all desktop computer operating systems at less than one percent. By contrast, Windows 7, which Microsoft scrambled to released two years after Vista in 2009, is currently the most popular operating system in the world, used on roughly half of all personal computers. In fact, Vista never gained huge market share to begin with; many Microsoft customers opted to stick with the pleasing and reliable Windows XP for years.
All the more reason that if you're holding out with Vista you should make a move now. Today. Cancel that Gossip Girl marathon. Here's how to do it!
Really, just imagine it for a second. You don't want to be the person who gets hacked because they were running exposed Windows Vista. The embarrassment would be just as bad as the malware.
