Microsoft will be blocking Windows Update from working on Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 for PCs with newer CPUs as reported by DSOGaming.
The issue is detailed on a support page detailing the specific error that would come up if a user encountered this particular situation. It states that the newest generation of processors - Intel's 7th generation Kaby Lake CPUs, AMD's "Bristol Ridge", and Qualcomm's "8996" - requires that the end-user have Windows 10 installed. The support page's recommended resolution for users encountering this issue is to upgrade to Windows 10.
MakeUseOf reports that Microsoft had detailed some of their reasoning for this change in a blog post in January of 2016. They emphasize that Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will continue to receive updates on older-generation processors until January 14, 2020 and January 10, 2023, respectively. They state that continued support for the older operating systems would "introduce churn" into the support periods for the older operating systems and break their stated commitment to reliability on those platforms.
However, as PCWorld reports the party may not yet be over. Some people are still able to update their PCs with the newer CPUs that are running the older operating systems. Considering the existence of the support page and the details stated in the blog post talking about older versions of Windows & compatibility with newer processors it seems that it is only a matter of time before this won't be possible any longer. The support page addressing this particular issue was published last week, so it looks like this change will probably be coming sometime soon.
Quick Take
I don't buy Microsoft's statements about allowing "deep integration" with the latest tech or any of that nonsense. They pulled the same act with Halo 2 and Windows Vista - although it was only officially available on Windows Vista, it was entirely possible to run it on Windows XP as it didn't actually require DirectX 10. After being jerked around with reduced user settings, advertisements installed in the operating system, and now this revelation, I can't view this as anything other than a cynical push to force people onto their latest operating system, like it or not. Perhaps Microsoft should focus on developing a decent operating system and supporting it for a long time rather than unnecessarily reinventing the wheel every couple of years. (I'm looking at you, Windows 8.)What do you think of Microsoft blocking Windows Update from running on newer CPUs for Windows 7 & Windows 8.1? Do you think this is the correct decision for them to make considering that the newer CPUs are officially unsupported on these operating systems or do you think that users should be able to make updates at their own risk? Let us know in the comments below!
