Will 8.1 Users Eventually Be Forced to 9?

Jody Thornton

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Richmond Hill, Ontario
If I understand correctly, users of the original Windows 8 were forced to upgrade to 8.1 if they wanted to continue receiving updates. I worry that if Windows 9 is a runaway success (but I end up preferring Windows 8.1), that I'll be forced to likewise upgrade to continue getting my system patched.

As it stands, I hope to receive updates on Windows 8.1 until 2023 (and I hope it remains that way.)
:)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 x64 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP xw8600 Workstation
    CPU
    Two Intel Xeon Core2 Quad 3.2 GHz Processors
    Motherboard
    Proprietary
    Memory
    16 GB DDR2 800 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia Quadro FX 3800 PCI-E
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster 213T 21" 4x3 Flat Screen
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1200
    Hard Drives
    Two Seagate Cheetah 300 GB SAS Disks
    PSU
    Proprietary
    Case
    HP xw8600 Workstation Case
    Cooling
    Two CPU Fans and a Larger Case Fan
    Keyboard
    PS/2 Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech USB Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    7 mbps
    Browser
    Firefox ESR 102
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Two LSI 3000 SAS Adapters
For practical purposes Windows 8.1 is an update, rather like a service pack, for Windows 8. The end of support date for Windows 8 refers to whatever is the latest update at that time. Windows 9 is a new product. The end of support date for Windows 9 will be for whatever the latest update is called. The end of support for Windows 7 is January 2020 but that requires Service pack 1. Service packs usually don't include significant changes in functionality but isn't always the case.

At least that would be consistent with past practice.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
As seen in some explanations Windows Mainstream Support ends 5 years after the release of the final product and Extended Support ends 5 years after that. But then maybe Microsoft will extend that for Win7 as they did with WinXP.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WinXP, WinVista, Win7, Win8.1, Win10, Linux Mint 20
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2 Customs and 12 OEM/Brands
    CPU
    AMD and Intel
If the rumors of W9 being free to Win8 users are right, i would love to be "forced" to update to it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS X54C
    CPU
    Intel Pentium B940 2.00GHz Sandy Bridge 32nm Technology
    Motherboard
    OEM - ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Model K54C (CPU 1) Version 1.0 Chipset Vendor Intel Chipset Model
    Memory
    6.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    OEM - Intel Model HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    OEM
    Monitor(s) Displays
    OEM
    Hard Drives
    Manufacturer Hitachi
    Product Family Travelstar
    Series Prefix Standard
    Model Capacity For This Specific Drive 500GB
    PSU
    OEM
    Case
    OEM
    Cooling
    OEM
    Keyboard
    OEM
    Mouse
    Microsoft
    Internet Speed
    4 Mbps ADSL
    Browser
    Chrome 64bit
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Billion 400G Wi-fi router
Hi there

I can't wait for Win 9 too - especially if it's free.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
If the rumors of W9 being free to Win8 users are right, i would love to be "forced" to update to it.

I don't know about this, I wish I could get 9. I hope OEM Win 8/8.1 have also the opportunity for the upgrade. But still not sure if new drivers for my OEM lap would be released:(
After all, compatibility is what determines the smooth working of it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Update x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 15
    CPU
    Haswell Core i5 4200U
    Memory
    8GB Dual-Channel DDR3L @1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4400 Integrated; 2GB Dedicated NVIDIA GT 740M
    Hard Drives
    500GB Samsung 840 EVO Internal SSD ;
    2TB WD MyPassport Ultra EHDD ;
    1TB TOSHIBA HDD
    Cooling
    Deepcool X6
    Mouse
    Logitech B175 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    10 Mbps
    Browser
    Opera v25.0
    Antivirus
    KIS 2014
    Other Info
    Microsoft Wired Xbox 360 Controller
If the rumors of W9 being free to Win8 users are right, i would love to be "forced" to update to it.

I don't know about this, I wish I could get 9. I hope OEM Win 8/8.1 have also the opportunity for the upgrade. But still not sure if new drivers for my OEM lap would be released:(
After all, compatibility is what determines the smooth working of it.
It might not be a problem for drivers, W9 should not be too different underneath. DirectX 12 could be a bit of problem though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
If the rumors of W9 being free to Win8 users are right, i would love to be "forced" to update to it.

I don't know about this, I wish I could get 9. I hope OEM Win 8/8.1 have also the opportunity for the upgrade. But still not sure if new drivers for my OEM lap would be released:(
After all, compatibility is what determines the smooth working of it.
It might not be a problem for drivers, W9 should not be too different underneath. DirectX 12 could be a bit of problem though.

Yes Mike, you're bang on.
That was exactly what Im worried about in the first place to start with.
Also, my system has switchable graphics & none of the drivers released till now have been of any help even after the driver spec saying that it is compatible with Win8.1. Everything screws up on updating.
:(
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Update x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 15
    CPU
    Haswell Core i5 4200U
    Memory
    8GB Dual-Channel DDR3L @1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4400 Integrated; 2GB Dedicated NVIDIA GT 740M
    Hard Drives
    500GB Samsung 840 EVO Internal SSD ;
    2TB WD MyPassport Ultra EHDD ;
    1TB TOSHIBA HDD
    Cooling
    Deepcool X6
    Mouse
    Logitech B175 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    10 Mbps
    Browser
    Opera v25.0
    Antivirus
    KIS 2014
    Other Info
    Microsoft Wired Xbox 360 Controller

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Update x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 15
    CPU
    Haswell Core i5 4200U
    Memory
    8GB Dual-Channel DDR3L @1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4400 Integrated; 2GB Dedicated NVIDIA GT 740M
    Hard Drives
    500GB Samsung 840 EVO Internal SSD ;
    2TB WD MyPassport Ultra EHDD ;
    1TB TOSHIBA HDD
    Cooling
    Deepcool X6
    Mouse
    Logitech B175 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    10 Mbps
    Browser
    Opera v25.0
    Antivirus
    KIS 2014
    Other Info
    Microsoft Wired Xbox 360 Controller
Unlikely IMHO. As already mentioned, 9 will be a new OS, not an update to the current OS. I wouldn't expect Windows 8.1's end of support date to change from what it is now. Microsoft did confuse things with the 8.0 to 8.1 update though. They say it isn't a service pack, but they treated it like one as far as end of support for 8.0 went. You will eventually have to move on to 8.1 to continue to recive updates. That cutoff date is shorter than it normally would have been if there had not been an 8.1 update.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
If the rumors of W9 being free to Win8 users are right, i would love to be "forced" to update to it.

However, if I find I like v8.1 better, I want to know that I can stay with it until 2023 (and receive patches). I realize that SHOULD be the plan, but this may be a different ball game.

I realize that 8.1 is akin to a service pack, but it did bring new features to the OS (like NT 4.0 SP4 and XP SP2). And since updates for 8 Gold were ceased almost immediately (not something of Microsoft convention), I worry the same may happen to 8.1, that's all. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 x64 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP xw8600 Workstation
    CPU
    Two Intel Xeon Core2 Quad 3.2 GHz Processors
    Motherboard
    Proprietary
    Memory
    16 GB DDR2 800 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia Quadro FX 3800 PCI-E
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster 213T 21" 4x3 Flat Screen
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1200
    Hard Drives
    Two Seagate Cheetah 300 GB SAS Disks
    PSU
    Proprietary
    Case
    HP xw8600 Workstation Case
    Cooling
    Two CPU Fans and a Larger Case Fan
    Keyboard
    PS/2 Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech USB Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    7 mbps
    Browser
    Firefox ESR 102
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Two LSI 3000 SAS Adapters
Unlikely IMHO. As already mentioned, 9 will be a new OS, not an update to the current OS. I wouldn't expect Windows 8.1's end of support date to change from what it is now. Microsoft did confuse things with the 8.0 to 8.1 update though. They say it isn't a service pack, but they treated it like one as far as end of support for 8.0 went. You will eventually have to move on to 8.1 to continue to recive updates. That cutoff date is shorter than it normally would have been if there had not been an 8.1 update.

You related my sentiments exactly (and I think you answered my question :) )
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 x64 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP xw8600 Workstation
    CPU
    Two Intel Xeon Core2 Quad 3.2 GHz Processors
    Motherboard
    Proprietary
    Memory
    16 GB DDR2 800 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia Quadro FX 3800 PCI-E
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster 213T 21" 4x3 Flat Screen
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1200
    Hard Drives
    Two Seagate Cheetah 300 GB SAS Disks
    PSU
    Proprietary
    Case
    HP xw8600 Workstation Case
    Cooling
    Two CPU Fans and a Larger Case Fan
    Keyboard
    PS/2 Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech USB Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    7 mbps
    Browser
    Firefox ESR 102
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Two LSI 3000 SAS Adapters
I will "switch" to windows 9 but I refuse to "upgrade" I have no desire to do an "upgrade" install, forced or not. ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Can't see MS making such a bold move to change too much in windows to make too many HW obsolete. Historically, little was changed in that aspect. Many drivers worked from older to newer edition at least partially. Every version brought at least one new DirectX but with good compatibility with previous one.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
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