MICROSOFT’S SHOCK WINDOWS 10 BETRAYAL
Support ends for millions of PCS. Is YOURS one?
Microsoft has confirmed that it will no longer update millions of Windows 8 computers that were upgraded to Windows 10, leaving frustrated users stuck on an old version of the operating system.
It said that some machines running Intel’s Clover Trail Atom processors require “additional hardware support to provide the best possible experience” for the latest version of Windows 10, the Creators Update (1703), released in April. These computers will remain forever on the Anniversary Update (1607), released in August 2016, missing out on new features in the Creators Update, such as Paint 3D and the streamlined Settings app, as well as any future tools.
The affected processors are the Atom Z2760 (pictured), Atom Z2520, Atom Z2560 and Atom Z2580. They first appeared in computers launched in 2012, and were sold until 2014. They were mostly ‘2-in-1’ devices (also known as ‘hybrids’) that could be used as both a traditional laptop and touchscreen tablet. They are found in models made by every leading manufacturer, including the Asus Vivotab, Acer Iconia W510 and HP Envy X2 (see more on this Intel press release from 2012: www.snipca.com/ 25076). To see which processor you have, read the box below.
Not our fault, says Microsoft
Microsoft blamed Intel for the decision, saying that because the company no longer supported Clover Trail Atom, the processors’ drivers couldn’t be upgraded to make best use of the Creators Update.
The processors have moved into Intel’s ‘End of Interactive Support’ phase, which means the company no longer “responds to telephone, chat, community support forums, or email inquiries” relating to them.
People with Atom-powered computers, including many Computeractive readers, have been thwarted in their attempts to install the Creators Update, repeatedly seeing confusing error messages.
When these problems emerged in April, Intel wrote online that Microsoft “is working with us to help provide compatible drivers to address this incompatibility” ( www.snipca.com/25073). Intel claimed that it was possible to install the Creators Update, but doing so would cause problems such as icons and text not appearing, or displaying as blocks of colour.
Following fury at Microsoft’s announcement, the company has taken the unusual step of extending security support for affected computers. Its standard policy is to provide security fixes for 18 months
after a major version of Windows 10 is released. That would have meant any computers still running the Anniversary Update would receive no further security updates after February next year. But Microsoft has knocked this back to January 2023, which is when security support ends for Windows 8.1, providing some relief for users.
Many readers have contacted us worried that Microsoft will soon stop updating their PCS. We’ll give in-depth advice in our next issue: ‘Make Your PC FutureProof’, out Weds 16 August.