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Microsoft will kill off Windows 8.1 support on January 10, 2023. There’s no out: Microsoft will not be offering an extended support package for Windows 8.1. At that point, you’ll have a choice: buy a new Windows PC, or officially pay to upgrade to either Windows 10 or Windows 11. (Here’s how to get Windows for cheap.)
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What does the end of support mean? Until January 10, Microsoft will offer security patches and other fixes for any security issues that crop up. Afterwards, you’re on your own. If any exploit or malware surfaces, you’ll have to depend on any antivirus software you have running — Microsoft won’t be issuing any more patches after Jan. 10, and your PC will absolutely be at risk.
“Microsoft will not be offering an Extended Security Update (ESU) program for Windows 8.1,” Microsoft says. “Continuing to use Windows 8.1 after January 10, 2023 may increase an organization’s exposure to security risks or impact its ability to meet compliance obligations.”
It’s not just Windows, either. Microsoft encourages users to subscribe to Microsoft 365 (aka Microsoft Office), which continually offers updates — patches and new features — as part of an ongoing subscription. But Microsoft will cease to offers both patches and new features for Microsoft 365 to Windows 8.1 users then, too, the company says.
Our 2013 review of Windows 8.1 notes its “great compromise,” offering an (albeit hidden) way to bypass the controversial tiled Start menu and boot to the desktop directly. Otherwise, the OS feels somewhat old and dated, compared to the more modern Windows 10 and Windows 11 OSes. Incidentally, Windows 8 support ended in 2023.
How to upgrade from Windows 8.1If you’re currently running a Windows 8 PC, Microsoft acknowledges that the prospects may be bleak. “Most Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 devices will not meet the hardware requirements for upgrading to Windows 11,” the company says.
Instead, you have a choice: purchase a new Windows 11 PC, or alternatively upgrade to Windows 10. Officially, you’ll have to buy a copy. However, there may be still hope to upgrade to Windows 10 (and then 11) for free; you’ll need to start with our tutorial and then visit the Windows 10 download page to see if the new version installs. Otherwise, you’ll need to upgrade to Windows 10 by purchasing a full version of the software. It’s likely, given the strict hardware requirements of Windows 11, that a Windows 8 PC won’t qualify for an upgrade to that operating system.
Microsoft also notes that upgrading directly from Windows 8 to Windows 11, assuming it works, will overwrite your hard drive with the new OS, erasing its contents. An “in place” upgrade that preserves your data is possible when upgrading from Windows 8 to Windows 10, and then from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Before you upgrade to a new operating system, however, be sure to back up your data in case things to awry.
If you do manage to upgrade to Windows 10, you can relax, however: Windows 10 remains supported until Oct. 14, 2025.
You're reading Windows 8.1 Is On Its Deathbed. Prepare Now
Moderna Is Now Testing Its Covid
Kids are now receiving their first doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, as the company begins phases two and three of their new vaccine trials.
About 6,750 healthy children aged 6 months to 11 years will take part in this two-part 14-month study, dubbed KidCove. In the first segment, each child will receive two shots spaced out by 28 days—the same regimen that was first tested in adults last year—but they will receive doses of either 50 or 100 micrograms each. Children under the age of two will receive shots that are either 25, 50, or 100 micrograms. Adult doses are 100 micrograms, for both the initial shot and the booster.
The first part of the study will inform which dosing size will be used in the second part, where those children will either receive the vaccine or a placebo.
In addition to the shots, the study will involve regular telemedicine check-ins, and will require the kids and their parents to log any daily symptoms into a smartphone app.
“This pediatric study will help us assess the potential safety and immunogenicity of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate in this important younger age population,” Moderna’s Chief Executive Officer, Stéphane Bancel, said in the company’s news release.
Immunogenicity, which is one of the main goals of the study, is different from efficacy, the goal of the original adult studies. Rather, it studies the type of immune response the vaccine provides and how well it works over time.
Pediatricians have been urging officials that even though they’re a segment of the population less affected by Sars-CoV-2, children should not be left behind when studying how well a vaccine works.
[Related: How to prepare for getting the COVID-19 vaccine]
In a letter to the White House last month, Lee Savio Beers, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) wrote that “having a COVID-19 vaccine available for children is essential for our nation to end the pandemic” and that “we must make sure that vaccine trials in children are equitable and include those at increased risk who could most benefit from a vaccine, particularly Black and Latinx children.”
According to AAP data, more than 3.2 million children have been infected by Sars-CoV-2 in the U.S., and at least 266 have died.
Moderna gave their vaccine to adolescents aged 12-17 in a phase 3 clinical trial back in December. Those trial results are expected to come in quickly, by the end of the summer, giving parents an optimistic outlook for their teens to return to school in the fall. Given that the study in younger kids will still be underway, children under 12 are not likely to be vaccinated until 2023.
“The reason for that is…you do need to be a little more cautious in progressing and working down dose levels to find the right dose,” Stephen Hoge, the president of Moderna said on the Today Show. Things like sensitivity and side effects will be scrutinized more carefully in younger kids especially, and so naturally these trials will take a little longer.
Other companies are also on the move to test their COVID-19 vaccines in children. Right now, Pfizer and BioNTech are doing trials in children ages 12 to 15, and are currently planning their next trials on younger kids. AstraZeneca began testing its vaccine in kids aged 6 and older in the UK and Europe a month ago, and The New York Times reported that Johnson & Johnson will also be rolling out trials in older and then younger children.
Children under age 18 make up about a fourth of the US population, so ensuring the vaccines are safe and effective for them will be crucial as we continue to make our way out of the pandemic.
Windows 8.1 Is Going Out Of Service. What Should You Do?
Windows 8.1 is going out of service. What should you do?
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The Windows 8.1 operating system will go out of service starting in January 2023.
You will have to prepare if your personal and business security are main concerns.
Here’s what you will need to do when this deadline finally comes early next year.
As you surely know by now, Microsoft will terminate support for the Windows 8.1 operating system early next year, which means you will have to take some measures on your end.
Security-wise, the Redmond-based tech company strongly recommends an upgrade to one of the later, supported operating systems.
Users that still haven’t upgraded to Windows 11, or Windows 10 for that matter, are already being bombarded with notifications.
How can I prepare for Windows 8.1 end-of-service?Yes, this isn’t a joke, and Microsoft will terminate all Windows 8.1 support on January 10th, 2023, so right after the new year.
For those of you thinking that you can ride this train a bit longer, just know that Microsoft will not be offering an extended support package for Windows 8.1.
If you are a Windows 8.1 user, you surely know that Microsoft originally retired all Windows 8 support in 2023, but the updates will completely stop starting with January 2023.
So, you either purchase a new PC, if the one you are using is only good for obsolete versions of Windows or officially pay to upgrade to either Windows 10 or Windows 11.
Furthermore, businesses won’t be able to pay for additional security patches and will have to upgrade or accept the risk of running software without security updates.
That being said, know that it’s not just Windows, either. The tech giant encourages users to subscribe to Microsoft 365, which continually offers updates, patches, and new features, as part of an ongoing subscription.
With that in mind, Microsoft will stop providing both patches and new features for Microsoft 365 users running Windows 8.1.
So, you can see how the implications exceed simply having to deal with annoying notifications and deadline reminders.
What should I know about upgrading from Windows 8.1?Some of you were probably thinking about upgrading directly to the last version of Windows, which is Windows 11, so we’re going to have to shed some light on that.
First of all, Microsoft was adamant about the new system requirements for Windows 11, so an upgrade from Windows 8.1 to 11 is pretty much out of the question.
Also, as the Redmond company stated, upgrading directly from Windows 8 to Windows 11, if it even works, will overwrite your hard drive, erasing its contents.
There’s something to think about when considering such a huge operating system leap. Creating a backup of your data is highly recommended.
Instead, an in-place upgrade, which will preserve your data, is possible when upgrading from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10.
You can then move further and upgrade from Windows 10 to the last operating system released by Microsoft, Windows 11.
However, there’s no need to upgrade to Windows 11 if you don’t feel like it right now, or don’t have the resources to upgrade your rig.
Keep in mind that Windows 10 will continue to receive support until October 14, 2025, so there really isn’t any rush.
If you need information on how to perform the upgrade to Windows 10, we have prepared an awesome article for you.
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Microsoft Reveals Windows 10 Is Now Running On Over 200 Million Devices
Microsoft has the tendency to rarely share the number of devices running Windows 10, but as we start a new year, the company decided to shed some light on some of the numbers. According to the software giant as of today, Windows 10 is now running on over 200 million “monthly active devices.”
This is by far the fastest adoption of a version of Windows ever. Since day one, the operating system got off to a great start. Microsoft officially released Windows 10 on July 29, 2023, and during the first day of launch the company reported 14 million devices using the latest version of the most popular operating system in the planet.
While making Windows 10 a free upgrade for computers running a genuine copy of Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 is significantly helping the fast adoption, 40% of new Windows 10 devices were activated during the holiday season, more specifically during last year’s Black Friday sales.
Microsoft is also reporting that Windows 10 is outpacing Windows 8 by nearly 400% and Windows 7 by nearly 140%.
In addition, we’re now starting to see more demand of Windows 10 “among enterprise and education customers”. The Redmond-based software company reveals that more than 76% of their enterprise customers are in “active pilots of Windows 10”, and there are over 22 million devices running Windows 10 on enterprise and education customers.
Here are some additional numbers to put in perspective: During the month of December, users have spent over 11 billion hours on Windows 10, and on Microsoft Edge, users have already spent over 44.5 billion minutes.
Since launch, users have asked Cortana over 2.5 million questions, and over 82 billion photos have been viewed using the Windows 10 Photo app.
And last year, gaming has grown noticeable in Windows 10 with over 4 billion hours of game play, and gamers have streamed more than 6.6 million hours of Xbox One games to Windows 10 PCs.
Thanks to Windows 10, Microsoft is now also seeing more growth in the Store, which should help to attract developers to build more apps for the operating system.
According to the company, the Windows Store has double the number of paid transactions from PCs and tablets during the holiday season. In December, 60% of paying customers were new to the Store, and during the same period, Windows 10 generated over 4.5 times more revenue per device, as compared to Windows 8.
Last year was one of the best year for Xbox One too. Although, the company didn’t unveil new sale numbers for its console, it has said that on December 28, 2023, “there were more fans using Xbox Live than any other day in Xbox history.” And with Windows 10 running on the console is also helping to make the “gaming better with a consistent gaming experience across devices by extending Xbox Live to every screen.”
Finally, Microsoft is announcing that with the success of Surface in the US and Canada, the Surface Book is coming to 10 new markets starting January 5th, 2023, including in Austria, Australia, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, and New Zealand and it will be coming soon to Japan. And Surface Pro 4 is also coming to India in the coming weeks, but no specific release date has yet been announced.
Windows 10 is really gaining momentum, as we can see very impressive numbers, and it seems that Microsoft’s campaign to see 1 billion devices running Windows 10 within the next three years is off to an amazing start. Now that we’re entering into a new year, we can only expect that Microsoft will continue to further push Windows 10 and its devices.
Source Windows Blog
Tweaks Available In Ultimate Windows Tweaker For Windows 8.1
Here is a list of features and tweaks available in Ultimate Windows Tweaker 3 for Windows 8!
System Information
Shows general System Information
Shows Windows Experience Index
Easy Access To Advanced Recovery Options
Run System File Checker Utility Directly
Customization tweaks – Taskbar:
Remove Taskbar
Remove Clock
Show Clock In Middle Of Notification Area
Remove Taskbar Buttons
Remove Volume Icon From Notification Area
Remove Network Icon From Notification Area
Remove Action Center Icon From Notification Area
Remove Clock From Notification Area
Remove Battery Meter From Notification Area
Remove Notification Area
Customization of Taskbar Buttons Grouping
Customization of Taskbar Thumbnail Size
Customization of Taskbar Thumbnail delay time
Customization tweaks – File Explorer:
Show Windows Version On Desktop
Enable Auto-Colorization
Disable Aero Peek Feature
Don’t Show Low Disk Space Warnings
Disable Info Tips For Shortcuts
Make Taskbar Button Switch To Last Active Window
Restore Last Opened Folders At Startup
Delete Page file At Shutdown
Disable Aero Shake Feature
Hide Preview Pane
Disable Full Row Select Items
Disable Aero Snap Feature
Show Status Bar In File Explorer
Launch Folders In A Separate Process
Enable Check Boxes To Select Items
Remove “-Shortcut” Suffix For New Shortcuts
Tweak Drive Letters
Customizing Window Padding Size
Remove Shortcut Arrows From Shortcut Icons
Customization tweaks – Modern UI:
Customization Of Start Screen Animation
When I Point To Upper-Right Corner, Show The Charms
Go To The Desktop Instead Of Start When I Sign In
Show The Apps View Automatically When I Go To Start
List Desktop Apps First In The Apps View When It’s Sorted by Category
Show Desktop Background As Start Screen Background
Don’t Replace Command Prompt With Windows PowerShell On The WinX Menu
Disable Lock Screen
Disable Changing Lock Screen Image
Enable Slide show
Enable Slide show Even On Battery
Use Those Pictures Which Fits Best On Screen
Customization Of Slide show Duration
Enable First Sign-in Animation When New User Account Is Created
Disable Hibernate Feature
Disable “Look for an app in the Store” When Unknown File Type Is Opened
Disable “You have new apps that can open this type of file” Notification
Customization Of Notifications Display Time
Disable Toast Notifications
Lock Start Screen Tiles So That They Can’t Be Rearranged
Clear “Recent” List Items Present In PC Settings
Disable Changing Start Screen Background
Disable Password Reveal Button
Turn On Smart Screen Filter For Windows Store Apps
Hide Minimize Buttons from Title bar of Windows Store Apps
Enable Acess to Camera on Lock Screen
Hide Power Button from Start Screen
Show more apps in All Apps
Show/Hide Hibernate Option in Power Options in the
Flyout
Menu
Show/Hide Sleep Option in Power Options in the
Flyout
Menu
Show/Hide Lock Option in Power Options in the
Flyout
Menu
Show/Hide Sign Out Option in Power Options in the
Flyout
Menu
Show/Hide all options of Power OptionsShow Hibernate Option in Power Options in the
Flyout
Menu
Disable or Enable Start Screen Animations
Add different options to This PC folder, including OneDrive, System Restore, Recycle Bin, Troubleshooting, Programs and features, Windows Update, Modern Search, System, Power Options, networking and Sharing Center, Folder Options, Action center, Display, user Accounts, Personalization, Control Panel, etc.
User Accounts tweaks:
Display Last Logon Information On Logon Screen
Make User Enter Username While Logging On
Use Smart Card To Login
Remove Shutdown Tasks From Logon Screen
Disable Updating Group Policy On Startup
Disable Switching To Secure Desktop While Elevating
Enable Virtualize File And Registry Write Failures To Per-User Locations
Enable Admin Approval Mode For Built-In Administrator Account
Enable Detection Of Application Installation And Prompt For Elevation
Enable Verbose Logon Messages
Require Users To Press CTRL+ALT+DEL To Logon
Change UAC Settings
Customization Of Logon Message
Customization Of What Should Be Done On System Failure
Performance tweaks
Waiting time to kill applications timeout during shutdown
Waiting time to end services at shutdown
Waiting time to kill non-responding applications
Auto-End Non Responsive Programs
Restart Shell Automatically After Some Error
Always Unload DLLs To Free Up Memory
Disable Automatic Folder View Discovery
Turn Off Search Indexer
Increase Priority Of IRQ8
Disable Smooth Scrolling
Disable Windows Time Service
Disable Tablet Input Service
Disable Windows Security Center Service
Disable Prefetch Service
Disable Superfetch Service
Disable Printer Spooling Service
Disable Windows Update Service
Choose L2 Cache
Security tweaks
Disable Registry Editor
Disable Control Panel
Disable Task Manager
Disable WinKey Shortcuts
Disable CMD
Disable Color And Appearance Settings
Disable The Auto Logon Shift Override Feature
Disable Administrative Shares (e.g. ADMIN$)
Disable UAC
Disable The Ability To Shutdown
Disable The Ability To Log Off
Disable Internet Communication
Disable System Restore Configuration
Disable MMC Snap-ins
Disable Folder Options Menu
Disable Encrypting File System
Disable Explorer’s Context Menu
Disable Access To Taskbar Context Menu
Restrict Access To Taskbar And Start Menu Properties
Disable Changing Wallpaper
Turn Off User Tracking
Disable Display Personalization
Disable Windows Media Center
Disable Windows Sound Recorder
Disable Windows Updates
Disable Automatic Restart After Windows Updating
Disable Windows Mobility Center
Disable “Add Features To Windows 8”
Disable Windows Store
Remove complete access to Windows Updates
Disable Windows Media Player Auto Updates
Internet Explorer tweaks:
Enable Menu Bar
Enable Suggested Sites
Enable Caret Browsing
Use ClearType Font
Disable
Compatiblity
List
Customizing Homepage
Show Tabs Below Address Bar
Notify When Download Completes
Auto-hide the Tab Bar When In Full screen Mode
Always Load IE In Full Screen Mode
Check Executable’s Signature On Download
Allow Running Executable With Invalid Signature
Clear Cache On Every Exit
Warn On Closing Multiple Tabs
Allow Allocating Additional Bandwidth
Enable Do Not Track
Enable Auto Image Resizing
Enable Smooth Scrolling
Disable Active Scripting for Internet Zone
Disable Scripting of Java Applets for Internet Zone
Use Software Rendering Instead Of GPU Rendering
Enable Third-Party Browser Extensions
Show HTTPS Errors
Disable Script Debugging
Enable DOM Storage
Enable SmartScreen Filter
Context Menu tweaks:
Add 14 built-in Modern apps to Desktop Context Menu
Add “Take Ownership” Option To Files And Folders
Add “Open Command Window Here” Option
Add “Copy To…” Option To Every Object
Add “Move To…” Option To Every Object
Additional Tweaks:
Use Autoplay For All Media And Devices
Use Small Taskbar Icons
Show Balloons In Notification Area
Hide Inactive Icons From Notification Area
Turn Off Automatic Applications Termination
Customizing DPI Scaling
Customizing No. Of Jump List Items
Customizing Blinking Cursor Width
Customizing Cursor Blinking Time
Customizing Scroll Bar Width
Enable the Network Adapter Onboard Processor
Restrict Access Over Anonymous Connections
Disable Recent Shares In Network Places
Disable Default Admin And Disk Drive Share Server
Hide Entire Network From Network Neighbourhood
Prevent Network Auto-Discovery
Hide Computer From The Browser List
Enable NTLM 2 Support
Set Global Network/Internet Offline
Edit OEM Information
Option To Add UWT 3 To Startup
Option To Integrate UWT 3 With Desktop Context Menu
In the About tab, you will see links to Submit Bugs, Check for Updates, visit the home page and seek Support at our TWC Forums.
Hope you enjoy using Ultimate Windows Tweaker for Windows 8!
Windows 7 Vs Windows 11: It Is Worth The Upgrade Now?
Windows 7 vs Windows 11: It is Worth the Upgrade Now? We found some amazing facts about these two operating systems
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Windows 11 and 7 are very different as these are the operating systems released in different eras.
As many people are still using Windows 7, you may be curious about the differences between the old and the new OS.
Windows 11 has come up with many new unique features and performance benefits, while Windows 7 was the best OS.
You will find in this article gaming, security, compatibility, and performance information.
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If you are curious about the facts that we have found after comparing Windows 11 vs. Windows 7 and want to know if you should upgrade or not, go through this article.
Microsoft released Windows 11 on October 5, 2023. Since then, this OS has given mixed experiences to many users. However, despite having a strict hardware requirement, it has achieved a significant market share in the past few months.
When Windows 11 is gaining its userbase, many people are still using Windows 7 and are not sure whether they should upgrade or not.
If you want, you can see this guide on using Windows 7 forever.
Windows 7 was indeed an excellent operative system and a massive success for Microsoft, especially after getting so much criticism for Windows Vista; it was overdue.
This company also got massive success for Windows 11’s immediate predecessor. So even though the new OS is considered a replacement for Windows 10, we want to focus on the other side for a specific group of people.
We have used Windows 11 and 7 to find out the differences and some other precious answers. The article is based on our research and the feedback from different users worldwide.
Windows 11 vs. Windows 7 – Key differences ➡ System requirementsCompared to other Windows operating systems, Microsoft maintains strict system requirements for Windows 11. They even have a PC Health Check tool to check the compatibility of your PC with this new system.
Though this new OS is compatible with most recent PCs, there may be a slight incompatibility for some specific systems because of the TPM requirements.
Unlike previous Windows versions, the new one requires TPM 2.0 enabled or the Microsoft Pluton as a security processor.
Here are the critical hardware requirements for Windows 11:
Processor: 1 GHz or faster with two or more cores 64-bit processor
RAM: 4 GB or better
Storage: 64 GB
Security Processor: TPM 2.0 or Microsoft Pluton
Graphics Card: DirectX 12 compatible or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
Display: 720p with 8 bits color support or better
The PCs built within the last four years should be capable of running this new operating system. But, many users have not been able to install it due to the strict security processor requirements.
If you are interested, read the differences between Microsoft Pluton and TPM.
Even if you don’t have these security modules, you can still install Windows 11 without TPM 2.0.
On the other hand, the Windows 7 system requirements were very straightforward. Therefore, anyone could run this OS if they have a PC with the same or better configurations as the following specs.
Processor: 1 GHz or faster 32 or 64-bit processor.
RAM: 1 GB for 32 bit and 2 GB for 64 bit.
Storage: 16 GB for 32 bit and 20 GB for 64 bit
Graphics Card: DirectX 9 compatible GPU with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
When Windows 7 came out, people did not have to face difficulties running this OS like now when people are facing problems running the current Windows OS.
➡ Features comparison
Design and UI
When you compare these two different Windows operating systems, the first difference is the design and UI.
On Windows 11, Microsoft has eliminated many legacy designs and introduced new UI types with a different appearances. For example, even though Windows 7 also had the rounded corner, for its successors Windows 8, 8.1, and 10, MS did not follow this design pattern.
After a long time, Microsoft brought back the rounded corner in UI elements. But, it is very different than the past operating systems.
Windows 7 used a frosted glass effect for transparency on some parts of the UI. In contrast, Windows 11 transparency effect is very different. It uses a blurry effect in the UI using the colors of your desktop background.
This is called Mica material which is a part of Microsoft’s fluent design language.
When you move a Window that uses this modern UI element, it changes the color based on the position compared to the desktop background using the blur technique.
This is primarily to make it look fresh and modern without reducing performance and battery life.
This new fluent design is visible in most built-in Windows 11 apps, settings, file explorers, context menu, etc. Though some of the apps are still using legacy designs, these will get a new look over time, like the Notepad got its fluent design a few weeks ago.
Built-in apps, start menu, and settings.
Windows 11 has a very new and different Start Menu than Windows 7. Microsoft has moved the start menu to the middle instead of the left side for the first time. However, you can quickly move it to the left.
The new start menu may cause inconvenience to the legacy Windows users. However, Microsoft has made it this way to make Windows more comfortable for the latest Windows users familiar with the smartphone UI.
In the new OS, you also can pin and unpin apps in the start menu, while it was not possible in this way in the old Windows versions.
The Control panel is the center of Windows 7, where users can tweak certain things on the operating systems. But, Windows 11 has a dedicated Settings app which is very different than the control panel.
Users can do most things from this new settings app. Nevertheless, this modern Windows OS still has that control panel as some features are not available in the Settings yet. Once it is sorted out, MS will eliminate the Control Panel.
Most Windows 11’s built-in apps are not significantly different from Windows 7’s ones. The main difference you will notice is in the UI. Also, there are some additional and completely built-in apps you will find like Mail and Calendar, Photos, etc.
Widgets
On the other hand, Windows 7 widgets are constantly visible on the desktop. Unfortunately, these also look very different and have some limitations in terms of functionalities and performance.
If you miss the live tiles of Windows 10’s start menu, you should look into the Windows 11’s widgets, as this new feature replaces these live tiles. If you need, you can easily disable the devices by tweaking a simple function.
Multi-Tasking
Windows is traditionally very compatible with multi-tasking. However, the latest version of this OS has brought some significant changes that can take your experience to the next level.
To work on multiple windows simultaneously, you had to organize each of them manually on Windows 7.
However, on Windows 11, 6 predefined layouts automatically organize each opened app and window. This feature is called snap layout. It has more to offer than this automatic window management.
One of the best things is that it remembers which apps were opened last time, particularly layouts that make it easier to do your work more conveniently.
Dual or multiple monitor setup, switching between desktops, everything has got much more improvements on the latest OS. But, remarkably, when you connect the second monitor, Windows will restore the layout style you used last time with that display.
The new File Explorer on the latest OS has the long waited tabs feature. Now, it is more convenient to interact with multiple folders.
Touch Support
In the early days, Windows was not that touch-friendly. Windows 7 had pen & touch support. It was not as convenient to use as the modern versions of Windows.
Since Windows 8, Microsoft has focused on touch screen devices aggressively. In Windows 11, it has received significant improvements.
On both touch-supported laptops and tablets, the new os can give an excellent experience as there are new gestures aimed to navigate between apps and interact more conveniently.
The new touch keyboard is also very much tablet friendly. Now, you can type without facing difficulties due to the large size of your screen.
App support
Windows 7 supports only legacy Windows apps, including the Win32 ones. But, Windows 11 has a dedicated app store, and it supports different types of apps, including the modern UWP apps.
The new app store, known as Microsoft Store, has got a new design. Now, it is easier to find out your desired apps.
Various software makers are releasing their apps on this store. So, the new OS has been rich in in-app support and availability.
Windows Subsystem for Android
One of the best features of Windows 11 is the Windows Subsystem for Android. It allows you to run an Android app on your PC or laptop without requiring a third-party emulator.
You can only install apps using the Amazon app store though it is also possible to sideload Android apps using an unofficial medium like ADB tools.
The Android app support is yet to be available as an entire release. However, according to the various sources, it will be within the next few weeks.
One of the things is that not all PCs are compatible with this feature. So, if you think the third-party emulators will be irrelevant, that’s not correct.
There are some differences between Windows 11 vs. Android emulators. However, many users will still use these tools to run Android apps on PCs.
Windows Subsystem for Linux
On Windows 7, there are no such features. As a result, it has no way to use anything of Linux within this Windows OS except the virtual machines.
This feature was first introduced in Windows 10 that has been carried out for Windows 11.
Collaboration features
When MS started building Windows 11, it considered the needs of business users with high priority. That’s why the latest OS gets many collaboration features.
Microsoft Teams has come as a built-in feature for this OS. Else, many features help users share and discuss things quickly with the team members.
Windows Sandbox
If you know about the virtual machine, you will like the Windows Sandbox feature of Windows 11. It was first released on Windows 10. The Windows Sandbox allows you to open a virtual Windows system isolated from the main OS.
It helps test various software and do some critical tasks where security matters. Unfortunately, there are no such features for Windows 7. You will need to rely on third-party tools that may not be as good as the built-in one for that OS.
➡ Windows 11 vs. Windows 7 – PerformanceBoth Windows 11 and Windows 7 are excellent operating systems from Microsoft. Though these are from two completely different eras, they are still comparable in many ways.
When we talk about performance, it is tricky to compare these two versions of Windows. Windows 7 was one of the best-performing operating systems of its time. Anyway, it is the best performing Windows OS for the old systems till now too.
However, due to various reasons, the Windows 11 performs better on modern computers with decent specifications.
This latest variant has many performance-boosting features that utilize modern hardware more robustly. So, users see noticeable performance differences compared to the ancient Windows 7.
Compatibility
One of the critical things about the performance of both operating systems is their compatibility. You can use Windows 7 on old and modern devices. But, some drivers of the most current devices may not be available for this OS.
So, this operating system works best on old PCs. Windows 11 performs excellently on the latest hardware. If your computer doesn’t have TPM 2.0 or the Microsoft Pluton, this version will not work. Though, when TPM or Pluton is there, it will work best.
➡ Windows 11 vs. Windows 7 – GamingThe old Windows 7 was a prime choice for gamers a decade ago because of its performance, latest DirectX support, etc. Microsoft always focused on gaming with high priority.
With Windows 11, this company has shown its willingness to provide an outstanding experience to gamers. It has got several gaming features that make gaming even better on PCs. We have found that Windows 11 can provide more FPS while gaming in many cases.
The most significant gaming features this OS has brought are the following ones:
DirectStorage
This new technology makes NVMe SSDs transfer game data directly to the GPU rather than to the CPU. As a result, it reduces the rendering time significantly faster.
To utilize this feature, a user must use PCIe 3.0 or 4.0 SSDs. Microsoft also has planned to bring this feature to Windows 10.
Auto HDR
Auto HDR is another excellent feature that is very appealing to gamers. It makes the older game titles look better on Windows 11 PCs. However, it requires the developer to create an HDR-compatible release.
When you launch a compatible game and have a compatible device, it will automatically prompt you to enable Auto HDR.
Game bar and Gaming tab
Windows 11 has a dedicated gaming tab in the Settings app where you can tweak various settings related to games. For example, you can enable game mode from there, configure screen capture settings, and tweak options for the Game bar.
The game bar was first introduced in Windows 10. In the latest OS, it has received significant improvements.
Xbox Game Pass
This latest Windows also has a dedicated Xbox app to access specific titles if you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
➡ Windows 11 vs. Windows 7 – User experienceWhen we talk about the user experience, Windows 11 will always do better than Windows 7, except in some situations.
In low-end devices, Windows 7 may perform better. But, in the actual usage, you will face many issues. Most of the flagship software makers have already stopped supporting this ancient operating system. Web browsers do not work well on this OS as well.
Though Google Chrome will support this old Windows OS for a few more weeks, it will stop working. We have personally tested Chrome and other compatible browsers on this OS and found that many websites show security warnings.
So, even if you notice slightly better performance in some specific cases, Windows 7 is not very good in terms of user experience in 2023.
On the other hand, Windows 11 is the latest OS from Microsoft. The industry is focusing on this OS more than previous MS operating systems. In modern compatible devices, Windows 11 works very smoothly.
There are many built-in features, including some for gamers; always put this OS on the top.
Windows 11 will always be a better choice for security and compatibility with modern software, at least for the next few years.
However, Users still complain about a few things. For example, the new start menu looks better. But, it is missing some features that we saw in Windows 10. For example, the taskbar doesn’t support drag and drop yet.
Else, by default, the start menu and the start button are in the taskbar’s middle. So when you pin a lot of apps in the taskbar, it will look weird and does not give an enjoyable experience to the power users.
Fortunately, you can always put the start menu and pinned apps on the left, like Windows 7.
Microsoft has been taking users’ feedback seriously. As a result, we see that the preview builds are getting some changes. The missing features, mainly the start menu tweaks and drag and drop, will be landed on the full release of Windows 11 within a few months.
In terms of user experience, Windows 11 will always do better and get regular improvements. On the contrary, it will not happen with the old Windows 7 as it has already passed its lifecycle.
➡ Dual boot Windows 11 and Windows 7You may need to use both operating systems for some reason. For example, some older software did not get an update for a long time and may not work on the latest Windows OS.
In this case, you may want to use Windows 7 and your preferred modern OS. Then, it is possible to do the dual boot easily.
We already have a dedicated guide to dual boot Windows 11 and 7. You can see the instructions from there and do it at your convenience.
➡ Should the Windows 7 users finally upgrade to the latest OS?The answer is primarily positive. Windows 7 is obsolete in this era. So, it is not a good idea to stay with this legacy OS anymore. However, if you do not have a plan to build or buy a new computer, you can stay with this OS a few more times.
However, if you plan to upgrade your hardware, it’s the right time to choose the latest Windows 11. After being released, it was a bit less performing. But, over time, this OS has gained significant performance improvements.
➡ Can you make Windows 7 look like Windows 11 and vice versa?Yes. You can. Several themes and tools are available to make your older Windows OS look like the latest Windows 11. For this, you can use Windows 11 Skinpack.
There is also Windows 7 Skinpack that will make any modern Windows look like the Windows 7.
However, installing such themes and tools may come with a minor performance penalty depending on the system you have been using. Nevertheless, if you want, you can get the vibe of the different operating systems by using such tools.
If you are on the latest OS and want to change its look, look at these best Windows 11 themes and skins.
Windows 11 has solved many limitations that we saw in its predecessors. Microsoft is also improving this OS with each new update.
For some fantastic features, better capability to utilize modern hardware, and game-changing features in terms of both performance and security, Windows 11 is the ultimate choice for PC lovers.
Not only the Windows 7 users but also any other Windows users should consider upgrading to Windows 11. It is worth it.
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