• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechWorld's Most Admired Companies

Microsoft Is Finally Pulling the Plug on Windows Vista

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 16, 2017, 1:10 PM ET
Bill Gates Attends 2007 Consumer Electronics Show
LAS VEGAS - JANUARY 07: (NO SALES) In this handout photo provided by Microsoft, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates demonstrates an HP TouchSmart PC loaded with Windows Vista before his keynote address to the 2007 Computer Electronic Show (CES) January 7, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES runs January 8-11, and is expected to draw approximately 150,000 attendees with over 1.6 million square feet of convention floor space. (Photo by Lee Celano/Microsoft Corp. via Getty Images)Photograph by Getty Images

One of Microsoft’s most despised operating systems will finally be laid to rest soon.

Microsoft (MSFT) will stop supporting Windows Vista after April 11, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. That means users will no longer receive security updates and will not have access to Microsoft’s support team to address their troubles.

“Microsoft has provided support for Windows Vista for the past 10 years, but the time has come for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources towards more recent technologies,” the company said in its statement.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Microsoft released Windows Vista in 2007. The operating system came with several design changes that made it look and feel substantially different than its predecessor Windows XP. While Microsoft touted the flashier design, consumers and corporate users quickly panned it.

Meanwhile, Microsoft fielded criticism from consumers and its PC vendor partners, who found that Vista wouldn’t run well on underpowered computers. And although its high price proved a problem, Microsoft’s decision to release a new feature called User Account Control (UAC) was also widely criticized. The feature was supposed to improve security by forcing users to allow a program to run with administrator privileges. But after too many requests, some users turned off the feature, causing more security problems.

Those issues and others prompted many customers to ignore Vista and stick with either the older Windows XP or consider other operating systems, like Apple’s (AAPL) Mac OS X. And nearly ever major PC vendor offered customers the opportunity to “downgrade” to Windows XP.

Here are the latest rumors surrounding the next iPhone:

While Microsoft ultimately updated Windows Vista to respond to user concerns, the operating system will likely be remembered as one of the company’s biggest gaffes.

Still, Vista was able to attract millions of users, which forced Microsoft to support the operating system over the years. As of this writing, it is still running on 0.78% of computers worldwide, according to research firm NetMarketShare.

In a statement, Microsoft recommended existing Vista users upgrade to Windows 10 (the company’s latest operating system) or buy a new PC.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.