Microsoft has ended free support for Windows 7, following six years of support for the aging operating system. Windows 7 will now receive extended support until 2020, meaning personal and business users have a limited time to move all of their system over to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10.

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Extended support means Microsoft will push minor security updates, but no major updates to the platform are scheduled. Users and businesses cannot get free support from Microsoft either, meaning any issues will remain unsolved.

Windows 7 is far and away the most popular version of Microsoft's desktop OS, with a 55 percent market share in 2014. Windows 8 and 8.1 have done little to bring Windows 7 owners into the fold, only maintaining 20 percent market share after four years of work.

Microsoft has been reverting some of the changes made to Windows 8 on Windows 10, to make sure the platform is accommodating to Windows 7 and Windows 8 owners. However, if Windows 10 fails to bring the 55 percent of desktop users to greener pastures, it might become a major issue for Microsoft, similar to the situation 2 years ago with Windows XP.

Microsoft is reportedly looking at ways to financially bring all Windows 7 users to Windows 10, either through a cheap platform upgrade or removing the price altogether.

There are rumors Microsoft may also adopt a subscription service, similar to Amazon Prime, for Windows 10. This will allow users an a-la-carte subscription service, where they can add Office 365, Xbox Live, Skype and OneDrive subscriptions into one monthly payment. 

TagsWindows 7 support, desktop OS