Windows 7 OEM Channel End-of-Sale Dates

Changes to the Windows 7 life cycle mean consumer editions of Windows 7 (Home Basic, Home Premium, and Ultimate) will not be available through the OEM channel after Oct. 31, 2014. Windows 7 Professional, normally bought for organization-managed PCs, is not affected, but the change means that organizations with bring your own device (BYOD) policies might need to enhance support for Windows 8.1 and later versions. Organizations need to keep the Windows 7 life cycle in mind, because Windows 7 is becoming the most deployed version of Windows as organizations migrate from Windows XP.

The Windows Client Life Cycle

Generally, the key dates in a Microsoft product’s life cycle are the dates when a particular product version leaves Mainstream and Extended support, and the date when a particular service pack must be installed in order to continue to qualify for support. These dates affect whether an organization can obtain security patches, break-fix support, and other types of product support for a software version from Microsoft. However, because organizations purchase Windows preinstalled on hardware from an OEM, the end-of-sales date can affect availability of product versions and can also impact organizations’ deployment and maintenance plans.