'Microsoft officials are saying Windows 7 Pro will be available to OEMs for preload beyond the October 31, 2014, date, they are not yet specifying what the new cutoff date will be,' she writes. But it's still not sure when it will halt the sale of Windows 7 Professional-based PCs to businesses. Microsoft will no longer allow PC makers to bundle Windows 7 on PCs aimed at consumers after October 31, 2014. Well, now it's made half of the decision, according to Mary Jo Foley. At the time, it said that it had yet to determine the end of sales date for PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled. In December, however, Microsoft announced that it hadn't really ceased sales to PC makers and that its Windows 7 lifecycle support page had been changed in error. While Microsoft has always allowed PC makers to continue shipping previous versions of Windows on their hardware for some amount of time after the release of a new Windows version, this policy has come under scrutiny in recent months for two reasons.įirst, Windows 8 is the most poorly received version of Windows since Windows Vista, and there are fears that if Microsoft doesn't fix this OS through a series of subsequent free updates, it may trigger a further decline in PC sales.Īnd second, the firm erroneously revealed that it had halted Windows 7 sales to PC makers late last year, triggering worries that Microsoft was forcing Windows 8 on its customers in a new way. Left unsaid, however, is when it will cut off Windows 7 preinstalls on business PCs. Microsoft revealed today that it will allow PC makers to continue preinstalling Windows 7 on new consumer PCs through October 31, 2014.

Surface pro 8 for business release date