Windows 7 end of support

Microsoft Windows 7 End of Support – 14 January 2020

Microsoft ended their support for the Windows 7 operating system on 14 January 2020 and are no longer releasing software or security updates for Windows 7.

What does this mean for me?

Continuing to use Windows 7 exposes serious risks to the UCD network such as security compromises, data breaches, virus and malware attacks.

UCD IT Services will no longer provide any assistance with issues on PCs or laptops running Windows 7.

What should I do next?

If your desktop or laptop is more than 5 years old on 1 March 2020, UCD IT Services advise that you should replace it with a new PC or laptop running Windows 10.

If your PC was bought under the Framework from Dell between 1 March 2015 and 30 November 2016, and is still under warranty after 1 March 2020 and you have a valid Windows 10 licence, please follow the instructions below to upgrade your PC to Windows 10.

Upgrade a PC to Windows 10 from Windows 7

Before upgrading your PC or laptop please take note of the following:

• It is important that you make sure to backup any personal data before proceeding with the upgrade.
• You should uninstall the Novell client on your machine. You can re-install the Novell client from Software Download after you have upgraded your machine to Windows 10.
• If your PC or laptop is encrypted, please ensure that you know your encryption key before proceeding to upgrade your computer.

Steps to upgrade your PC or laptop

1. Go to  (opens in a new window)https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10. Select Download tool, and select Run. You need to be an administrator to run this tool.
2. On the License terms page, if you accept the license terms, select Accept.
3. On the What do you want to do?page, select Upgrade this PC now, and then select Next.
4. After downloading and installing, the tool will walk you through how to set up Windows 10 on your PC. 
5. When Windows 10 is ready to install, you’ll see a recap of what you’ve chosen, and what will be kept through the upgrade. Select Change what to keep to set whether you would like to Keep personal files and apps, or Keep personal files only, or choose to keep Nothing during the upgrade.
6. Save and close any open apps and files you may be running, and when you’re ready, select Install.
7. It might take some time to install Windows 10, and your PC will restart a few times. Make sure you don’t turn off your PC.

UCD IT Services will continue to update this web page so please check back for more FAQs and updates.

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How do I know what operating system I am using?

Windows 7 and earlier

1. Click Start, usually found in the lower left corner of the main desktop screen.
2. Click the Run or Search field, type winver, and press Enter.

An About Windows window will open and display the version of Microsoft Windows, the build info, and service pack information, if any service pack is installed. Below is an image and example of this window.

Windows 8 and 10

1. Go to the Windows desktop
2. Press the Windows key + R on the keyboard.
3. Type winver in the text field and press Enter.

How do I know if my machine is in warranty?

If your PC was bought under the Dell framework, it will have Dell Service Tag sticker.  The service tag number is a 7 alphanumeric character code, e.g. B1RJ2J2.  If your warranty expiration date is not on the sticker, you can check your warranty on the Dell web site - (opens in a new window)https://www.dell.com/support/home/ie/en/iebsdt1