Microsoft has now started to block Windows 7/8.1 updates on PCs with recent processors

Last month, we reported that Microsoft might soon block Windows 7/8.1 updates on PCs with Intel’s Kaby Lake or AMD’s Ryzen processors. That’s right, Microsoft now claims that “new processor generations require the latest Windows version for support,” meaning that Windows 10 would soon be pretty much the only way to go for PCs with recent processors.

According to Ars Technica, Microsoft has finally started to enforce this new support policy this month. It’s still possible to install Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 on a PC with the latest processors from Intel or AMD, but you won’t get optimized drivers for the new processors, and worse, you also won’t be able to install Windows updates, including critical security updates.

Microsoft ended sales of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 licenses to PC OEMs last October, and the company also stopped selling Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 licenses to consumers back in October 2013 and September 2015, respectively. This new support policy seems consistent with this state of affairs, and Microsoft is all about Windows 10 these days. However, it’s worth reminding that both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will continue to fully support Intel’s older 6th gen Skylake processors until 2018.

Will you be affected by this new support policy, and do you understand why Microsoft is enforcing it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.