It’s the end of the line for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. These older versions of Windows (plus Windows RT) stop receiving all security updates today, over a decade after their original releases.

According to StatCounter, Windows 8 and 8.1 still account for about 4.3 percent of the Windows install base worldwide, far less than Windows 11, Windows 10, or even Windows 7. But for the people still ...

Even though Windows 8.1 is still looking like it will be released to manufacturing in August, users may have to wait a couple more months to get the final version. Mary Jo Foley Mary Jo Foley has ...

Redmond reverses course (again) and makes the "gold" Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 bits available to developers and volume licensees ahead of the October 18 general-availability date. Mary Jo ...

When Microsoft added support for the revamped Start page into Windows 8.1, that eliminated the need for dedicated third-party Start menus, right? Wrong, say developers like Stardock, Classic Shell, ...

Microsoft of today isn't known for taking chances, but it wasn't always like that. In 2012, the company released Windows 8, designed to be tablet-friendly, but it landed awkwardly in the market. So ...

If you’re smart, you’ll immediately go in and make the changes necessary to defang the new version: use local accounts; turn off SmartSearch; turn off Automatic Update; rebuild your libraries if need ...

NEW YORK — I doubt I was alone in rolling my eyes when I first used Windows 8 a year ago. I found its touch controls and gestures awkward, and I was troubled by how little its primary, tile-based ...