Windows 7 and 8.1 lovers, get out the tissues. The OS that you stood by for over a decade has officially been killed by good ol' Microsoft. It is finally time to upgrade. Unless, of course, you are the few psychopaths that don't care about security and are that diehard about Windows 7 and 8.1, in which case, go ahead and disregard this! Continue using the OS until your inevitable DOOM!
Ok, but seriously, please stop using Windows 7, especially if you are a business, which seems to be the Extended Security Update (ESU)'s target consumer. You could be at big risk for viruses and malware, unless you use the newly added Secure Boot. For those of you who don't know about what ESU is, in this case, it is extra security updates that are available to the Professional and Enterprise editions of Windows 7. It was offered by Microsoft after it's end of support date back on January 14, 2020.
When the ESU for Windows 7 first became available, Microsoft offered 3 years of extended security updates. According to windowsreport.com, the first year (Jan. 2020 - Jan 2021) was $50 USD per device for Windows 7 Pro users, and $25 per device for Enterprise users. The second year (Jan. 2021 - Jan 2022) was $100 per device (Pro) or $50 (Enterprise). The final year (Jan. 2022 - Jan. 2023) was $200 per device (Pro) or $100 (Enterprise).
Unfortunately, Microsoft will not be continuing the program to Windows 8.1, presumably because of the taint on the Windows 8 name as a result of the absolute catastrophe that was the original Windows 8 in 2012.
