MICROSOFT STARTED BLOCKING UPDATES FOR WINDOWS 7 / 8.1

If you're hoping to start running Windows 7 or 8.1 on a shiny new AMD Ryzen or latest intel i3 / i5 / i7 processor ,you might want to rethink those plans. 

Last week , Microsoft published KB 4012982, with the title "'Your PC uses a processor that isn’t supported on this version of Windows' error when you scan or download Windows updates", suggesting that the restriction was now being enforced.

If you have a Windows 7 or 8.1 machine on older hardware, you should be unaffected and continue to receive updates through each OS's support end date of January 14, 2020 and January 10, 2023, respectively. As for anyone trying to run the older OS versions on newer hardware, it looks like your only choice is to make the jump to Windows 10.

Users will get the following error message when they run the scan:

Unsupported Hardware

Your PC uses a processor that isn’t supported on this version of Windows and you won’t receive updates.

Microsoft notes that users may see other error messages when they use Windows Update, including:

Windows could not search for new updates

An error occurred while checking for new updates for your computer.

Error(s) found:

Code 80240037 Windows Update encountered an unknown error.

That message, and another that cited error code 80240037, will be triggered when attempts to retrieve updates are made from Windows 7- or Windows 8.1-equipped devices powered by seventh-generation processors from Intel and AMD -- aka "Kaby Lake" and "Bristol Ridge," respectively -- or the next-generation Snapdragon 820 series mobile CPUs from Qualcomm.

The cause, according to Microsoft, is that "new processor generations require the latest Windows version for support". Microsoft mentions seventh generation Intel processors, AMD "Bristol Ridge" and Qualcomm "8996" processor families specifically on the support page.

SOLUTION - HOPE YOU CAN GUESS THE SOLUTION . YES ,you guessed it — is to upgrade to WINDOWS 10.

The company has a solution for users affected by the issue: upgrade to Windows 10:

We recommend that you upgrade Windows 8.1-based and Window 7-based computers to Windows 10..

Is there another option besides upgrading the operating system to Windows 10? Updates that are released for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 are also made available on the Microsoft Update Catalog website.

I don't have access to one of the processors mentioned on the support page, but it is possible that manual installation of updates released for Windows 7 or 8.1 still works. While this means more work for the user, as it is necessary to monitor update releases to run searches on the Microsoft Update Catalog whenever they are released, it may be an option to keep on using the older version of Windows.

Microsoft does not mention this explicitly on the support page, but it does not deny it either.

Because of how this support policy is implemented, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 devices that have a seventh generation or a later generation processor may no longer be able to scan or download updates through Windows Update or Microsoft Update.

Blocking Windows devices from using Windows Update is certainly an anti-consumer friendly move with the aim to get users to upgrade to Windows 10.