Thursday, 28 November 2013
With all eyes on the so-called “modern” version of Windows, what’s going to happen with Windows 7, which is currently the world’s number one operating system?
It turns out that Microsoft has no plans to release a second service pack for Windows 7 and the company is planning to let it die when the time comes, as it wants all users to migrate to its modern platform.
This morning Redmond released a new patch for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 that helps clean up Windows Update files, thus freeing up space on the local drives. While this is indeed a great option for all Windows 7 users, it’s actually another indication that Microsoft has no intention to release a second service pack for its most used OS.
The idea behind this tool is pretty simple. Every time Microsoft releases a service pack, it also gives users the option to start a cleanup supposed to remove Windows Update files, some of which are included in the service.
The company has now decided to make the option available separately and this could be a sign that no other service pack might be coming.
Here’s what Microsoft was saying in today’s announcement:
“Service pack 1 released well over 2 years ago, and there has not been another service pack since. Think about all those files updated by security updates and hotfixes? Up until today, we have not had the ability to cleanup these files.”
Microsoft has never commented on the possibility to release a second service pack for Windows 7 users, but with so many new Windows versions hitting the shelves, it’s pretty clear that the company has abandoned this concept. Instead, it goes for rapid releases, as outgoing CEO said so many times, so large updates and new Windows editions are expected to come at least annually.
