Microsoft ends support for Windows 8, Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10

Microsoft will end support for old versions of Internet Explorer on Tuesday – a move that means users of the browser should upgrade to the latest version or install a new browser altogether to avoid security flaws.

“Internet Explorer is a component of the Windows operating system and the most current version will continue to follow the specific support lifecycle policy for the operating system on which it is installed”.

Microsoft suggests that users who want to remain on Internet Explorer immediately move to the new version, Internet Explorer 11, which offers better security, improved performance, better backward compatibility, and support for web standards.

The shift will basically mean the end of security updates and technical help for versions of Internet Explorer other than 11, the latest iteration. Windows 10 comes with a new browser called Microsoft Edge. The operating system was pretty hard to operate for traditional mouse and keyboard users as there were several changes made like Modern UI and a strong emphasis on touch made. Specifically, about 8.95 percent of those people use the oldest version of the browser, IE 8.

No known exploits are available for the vulnerabilities, but Microsoft recommends that users apply the patches through Windows Update as soon as possible.

Users who prefer to browse through Internet Explorer in a safe manner are advised to make the jump to Internet Explorer 11 to the least. This is another step on its march toward modernity, already evidenced by the advent of the Cortana virtual assistant and the other tech goodies enabled by Windows 10. The company has officially announced that they will stop supporting all older versions of the browser.

Windows 7 users can however continue to use it until January 14, 2020.

The security updates will appear on Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (x32 and x64) and on Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (x32 and x64) Edition, according to a report in SecurityWeek.

If you’re still on Windows 8, you really should have upgraded to Windows 8.1 anyway, of course. That’s a greater portion of desktop computer users than surf the Web with the latest version of Google’s Chrome or the combined portion that access the Web with Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari or an Opera browser.