<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
is	O
a	O
major	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
developed	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
released	O
nearly	O
three	O
years	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
remained	O
an	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
for	O
use	O
on	O
personal	O
computers	O
,	O
including	O
home	O
and	O
business	O
desktops	O
,	O
laptops	B-Device
,	O
tablet	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
and	O
media	O
center	O
PCs	O
,	O
and	O
itself	O
was	O
replaced	O
in	O
November	O
2012	O
by	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
the	O
name	O
spanning	O
more	O
than	O
three	O
years	O
of	O
the	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Until	O
April	O
9	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
original	O
release	O
included	O
updates	O
and	O
technical	O
support	O
,	O
after	O
which	O
installation	O
of	O
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
was	O
required	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
receive	O
support	O
and	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
's	O
server	B-Device
counterpart	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
R2	I-Device
,	O
was	O
released	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Extended	O
support	O
ended	O
on	O
January	O
14	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
over	O
ten	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
after	O
which	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
ceased	O
receiving	O
further	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
paid	O
support	O
program	O
was	O
available	O
for	O
enterprises	O
,	O
providing	O
security	O
updates	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
for	O
up	O
to	O
three	O
years	O
since	O
the	O
official	O
end	O
of	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
an	O
incremental	O
upgrade	O
to	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
addressing	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
's	O
poor	O
critical	O
reception	O
while	O
maintaining	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
compatibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
continued	O
improvements	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	O
Aero	O
user	O
interface	O
with	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
a	O
redesigned	O
taskbar	O
that	O
allows	O
pinned	O
applications	O
,	O
and	O
new	O
window	O
management	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
new	O
features	O
were	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
including	O
libraries	O
,	O
the	O
new	O
file-sharing	O
system	O
HomeGroup	O
,	O
and	O
support	O
for	O
multitouch	B-Application
input	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
also	O
shipped	O
with	O
updated	O
versions	O
of	O
several	O
stock	O
applications	O
,	O
including	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Center	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Vista	B-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
received	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
,	O
with	O
critics	O
considering	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
to	O
be	O
a	O
major	O
improvement	O
over	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
because	O
of	O
its	O
improved	O
performance	O
,	O
its	O
more	O
intuitive	O
interface	O
,	O
fewer	O
User	O
Account	O
Control	O
popups	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
improvements	O
made	O
across	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
was	O
a	O
major	O
success	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
;	O
even	O
before	O
its	O
official	O
release	O
,	O
pre-order	O
sales	O
for	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
on	O
the	O
online	O
retailer	O
Amazon.com	B-Application
had	O
surpassed	O
previous	O
records	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
just	O
six	O
months	O
,	O
over	O
100	O
million	O
copies	O
had	O
been	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
,	O
increasing	O
to	O
over	O
630	O
million	O
licenses	B-License
by	O
July	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
surpassed	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
as	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
3.73	O
%	O
of	O
traditional	O
PCs	O
running	O
Windows	O
are	O
running	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
has	O
recently	O
taken	O
second	O
place	O
from	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
as	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
Windows	O
edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
is	O
the	O
final	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
that	O
supports	O
processors	O
without	O
SSE2	B-General_Concept
or	O
NX	B-General_Concept
(	O
although	O
an	O
update	O
released	O
in	O
2018	O
dropped	O
support	O
for	O
non-SSE2	O
processors	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
successor	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
requires	O
a	O
processor	B-General_Concept
with	O
SSE2	B-General_Concept
and	O
NX	B-General_Concept
in	O
any	O
supported	O
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
,	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
codenamed	O
"	O
Blackcomb	O
"	O
was	O
planned	O
as	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
in	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Major	O
features	O
were	O
planned	O
for	O
Blackcomb	O
,	O
including	O
an	O
emphasis	O
on	O
searching	O
and	O
querying	O
data	O
and	O
an	O
advanced	O
storage	O
system	O
named	O
WinFS	B-Application
to	O
enable	O
such	O
scenarios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
three	O
major	O
malware	O
outbreaks	O
—	O
the	O
Blaster	O
,	O
Nachi	O
,	O
and	O
Sobig	O
worms	O
—	O
exploited	O
flaws	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
within	O
a	O
short	O
time	O
period	O
in	O
August	O
2003	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
changed	O
its	O
development	O
priorities	O
,	O
putting	O
some	O
of	O
Longhorn	O
's	O
major	O
development	O
work	O
on	O
hold	O
while	O
developing	O
new	O
service	O
packs	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
Longhorn	O
(	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
)	O
was	O
also	O
restarted	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
delayed	O
,	O
in	O
August	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
released	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
long	O
development	O
time	O
,	O
performance	O
issues	O
,	O
spotty	O
compatibility	O
with	O
existing	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
at	O
launch	O
,	O
changes	O
affecting	O
the	O
compatibility	O
of	O
certain	O
PC	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
unclear	O
assurances	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
that	O
certain	O
computers	O
shipping	O
with	O
XP	B-Application
before	O
launch	O
would	O
be	O
"	O
Vista	B-Application
Capable	O
"	O
(	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
a	O
class-action	O
lawsuit	O
)	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
critiques	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
such	O
,	O
the	O
adoption	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
XP	B-Application
remained	O
somewhat	O
low	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2007	O
,	O
six	O
months	O
following	O
the	O
public	O
release	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
next	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
would	O
then	O
be	O
codenamed	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
with	O
plans	O
for	O
a	O
final	O
release	O
within	O
three	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bill	O
Gates	O
,	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
Newsweek	O
,	O
suggested	O
that	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
would	O
be	O
more	O
"	O
user-centric	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gates	O
later	O
said	O
that	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
would	O
also	O
focus	O
on	O
performance	O
improvements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steven	O
Sinofsky	O
later	O
expanded	O
on	O
this	O
point	O
,	O
explaining	O
in	O
the	O
Engineering	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
blog	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
using	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
new	O
tracing	O
tools	O
to	O
measure	O
the	O
performance	O
of	O
many	O
areas	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
on	O
an	O
ongoing	O
basis	O
,	O
to	O
help	O
locate	O
inefficient	O
code	O
paths	O
and	O
to	O
help	O
prevent	O
performance	O
regressions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Senior	O
Vice	O
President	O
Bill	O
Veghte	O
stated	O
that	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
users	O
migrating	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
would	O
not	O
find	O
the	O
kind	O
of	O
device	O
compatibility	O
issues	O
they	O
encountered	O
migrating	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
estimated	O
1,000	O
developers	O
worked	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
were	O
broadly	O
divided	O
into	O
"	O
core	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
"	O
and	O
"	O
Windows	O
client	O
experience	O
"	O
,	O
in	O
turn	O
organized	O
into	O
25	O
teams	O
of	O
around	O
40	O
developers	O
on	O
average	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2008	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
would	O
also	O
be	O
the	O
official	O
name	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
has	O
been	O
some	O
confusion	O
over	O
naming	O
the	O
product	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
while	O
versioning	O
it	O
as	O
6.1	O
to	O
indicate	O
its	O
similar	O
build	O
to	O
Vista	B-Application
and	O
increase	O
compatibility	O
with	O
applications	O
that	O
only	O
check	O
major	O
version	O
numbers	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
both	O
having	O
5.x	O
version	O
numbers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speaking	O
about	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
on	O
October	O
16	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
CEO	O
Steve	O
Ballmer	O
confirmed	O
compatibility	O
between	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
indicating	O
that	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
would	O
be	O
a	O
refined	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
PDC	O
2008	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
demonstrated	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
with	O
its	O
reworked	O
taskbar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
27	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Beta	O
was	O
leaked	O
onto	O
the	O
Internet	O
via	O
BitTorrent	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
performance	O
test	O
by	O
ZDNet	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Beta	O
beat	O
both	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
Vista	B-Application
in	O
several	O
key	O
areas	O
,	O
including	O
boot	B-Operating_System
and	O
shutdown	O
time	O
and	O
working	O
with	O
files	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
loading	O
documents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
areas	O
did	O
not	O
beat	O
XP	B-Application
,	O
including	O
PC	O
Pro	O
benchmarks	O
for	O
typical	O
office	O
activities	O
and	O
video	O
editing	O
,	O
which	O
remain	O
identical	O
to	O
Vista	B-Application
and	O
slower	O
than	O
XP	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
7	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
the	O
x64	B-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Beta	O
(	O
build	O
7000	O
)	O
was	O
leaked	O
onto	O
the	O
web	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
torrents	B-Protocol
being	O
infected	O
with	O
a	O
trojan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
CES	O
2009	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
CEO	O
Steve	O
Ballmer	O
announced	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Beta	O
,	O
build	O
7000	O
,	O
had	O
been	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
download	O
to	O
MSDN	O
and	O
TechNet	O
subscribers	O
in	O
the	O
format	O
of	O
an	O
ISO	O
image	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
5	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
it	O
became	O
available	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
had	O
also	O
been	O
leaked	O
onto	O
the	O
Internet	O
via	O
BitTorrent	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
stated	O
that	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
would	O
be	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
on	O
October	O
22	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
less	O
than	O
three	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
released	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
to	O
MSDN	O
and	O
Technet	O
subscribers	O
on	O
August	O
6	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
along	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
R2	I-Device
,	O
was	O
released	O
to	O
manufacturing	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
Canada	O
on	O
July	O
22	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
RTM	O
is	O
build	O
7600.16385.090713-1255	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
compiled	O
on	O
July	O
13	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
declared	O
the	O
final	O
RTM	O
build	O
after	O
passing	O
all	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
tests	O
internally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
's	O
new	O
features	O
are	O
advances	O
in	O
touch	O
and	O
handwriting	B-Application
recognition	I-Application
,	O
support	O
for	O
virtual	O
hard	O
disks	O
,	O
improved	O
performance	O
on	O
multi-core	B-Architecture
processors	I-Architecture
,	O
improved	O
boot	B-Operating_System
performance	O
,	O
DirectAccess	B-Application
,	O
and	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
improvements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
adds	O
support	O
for	O
systems	O
using	O
multiple	O
heterogeneous	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
from	O
different	O
vendors	O
(	O
Heterogeneous	O
Multi-adapter	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Center	I-Device
,	O
a	O
Gadget	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Center	I-Device
,	O
improved	O
media	O
features	O
,	O
XPS	B-Device
Essentials	O
Pack	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
PowerShell	I-Application
being	O
included	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
redesigned	O
Calculator	B-Application
with	O
multiline	O
capabilities	O
including	O
Programmer	O
and	O
Statistics	O
modes	O
along	O
with	O
unit	O
conversion	O
for	O
length	O
,	O
weight	O
,	O
temperature	O
,	O
and	O
several	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
also	O
supports	O
images	O
in	O
RAW	B-Application
image	I-Application
format	I-Application
through	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
Windows	O
Imaging	O
Component-enabled	O
image	O
decoders	O
,	O
which	O
enables	O
raw	B-Application
image	I-Application
thumbnails	O
,	O
previewing	O
and	O
metadata	O
display	O
in	O
Windows	O
Explorer	O
,	O
plus	O
full-size	O
viewing	O
and	O
slideshows	O
in	O
Windows	O
Photo	O
Viewer	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Center	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
also	O
has	O
a	O
native	O
TFTP	O
client	O
with	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
transfer	O
files	O
to	O
or	O
from	O
a	O
TFTP	O
server	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
the	O
far	O
right	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
clock	O
is	O
a	O
small	O
rectangular	O
button	O
that	O
serves	O
as	O
the	O
Show	O
desktop	B-Device
icon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
default	O
,	O
hovering	O
over	O
this	O
button	O
makes	O
all	O
visible	O
windows	O
transparent	O
for	O
a	O
quick	O
look	O
at	O
the	O
desktop	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
touch-enabled	O
displays	O
such	O
as	O
touch	O
screens	O
,	O
tablet	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
,	O
etc.	O
,	O
this	O
button	O
is	O
slightly	O
(	O
8	O
pixels	O
)	O
wider	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
accommodate	O
being	O
pressed	O
by	O
a	O
finger	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Window	O
management	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
has	O
several	O
new	O
features	O
:	O
Aero	O
Snap	O
maximizes	O
a	O
window	O
when	O
it	O
is	O
dragged	O
to	O
the	O
top	O
,	O
left	O
,	O
or	O
right	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
includes	O
13	O
additional	O
sound	O
schemes	O
,	O
titled	O
Afternoon	O
,	O
Calligraphy	O
,	O
Characters	O
,	O
Cityscape	O
,	O
Delta	O
,	O
Festival	O
,	O
Garden	O
,	O
Heritage	O
,	O
Landscape	O
,	O
Quirky	O
,	O
Raga	O
,	O
Savanna	O
,	O
and	O
Sonata	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	O
Spades	O
,	O
Internet	O
Backgammon	B-Application
and	O
Internet	O
Checkers	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
removed	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
were	O
restored	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
disable	O
or	O
customize	O
many	O
more	O
Windows	O
components	O
than	O
was	O
possible	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
additions	O
to	O
this	O
list	O
of	O
components	O
include	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
12	I-Device
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Center	I-Device
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Search	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Windows	O
Gadget	O
Platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
version	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Virtual	I-Application
PC	I-Application
,	O
newly	O
renamed	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
Virtual	I-Application
PC	I-Application
was	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Professional	O
,	O
Enterprise	O
,	O
and	O
Ultimate	O
editions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
allows	O
multiple	O
Windows	O
environments	O
,	O
including	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Mode	O
,	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Mode	O
runs	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
in	O
a	O
virtual	O
machine	O
,	O
and	O
displays	O
applications	O
within	O
separate	O
windows	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
desktop	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
supports	O
the	O
mounting	O
of	O
a	O
virtual	O
hard	O
disk	O
(	O
VHD	O
)	O
as	O
a	O
normal	O
data	O
storage	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
bootloader	O
delivered	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
can	O
boot	B-Operating_System
the	O
Windows	O
system	O
from	O
a	O
VHD	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
this	O
ability	O
is	O
only	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
Enterprise	O
and	O
Ultimate	O
editions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Remote	B-Protocol
Desktop	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
(	O
RDP	O
)	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
is	O
also	O
enhanced	O
to	O
support	O
real-time	O
multimedia	O
application	O
including	O
video	O
playback	O
and	O
3D	O
games	O
,	O
thus	O
allowing	O
use	O
of	O
DirectX	B-Application
10	I-Application
in	O
remote	O
desktop	B-Device
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
three	O
application	O
limit	O
,	O
previously	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Starter	O
Editions	O
,	O
has	O
been	O
removed	O
from	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
editions	O
include	O
some	O
new	O
and	O
improved	O
features	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
Search	I-Application
,	O
Security	O
features	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
features	O
new	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
that	O
originated	O
within	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Optional	O
BitLocker	O
Drive	O
Encryption	O
is	O
included	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Ultimate	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Defender	I-Application
is	O
included	O
;	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Security	I-Application
Essentials	I-Application
antivirus	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
a	O
free	O
download	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Backup	O
and	O
restore	O
have	O
also	O
been	O
improved	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Windows	O
Recovery	O
Environment	O
—	O
installed	O
by	O
default	O
—	O
replaces	O
the	O
optional	O
Recovery	O
Console	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
includes	O
improved	O
globalization	O
support	O
through	O
a	O
new	O
Extended	O
Linguistic	O
Services	O
API	B-General_Concept
to	O
provide	O
multilingual	O
support	O
(	O
particularly	O
in	O
Ultimate	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
editions	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
also	O
implemented	O
better	O
support	O
for	O
solid-state	B-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
including	O
the	O
new	O
TRIM	O
command	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
is	O
able	O
to	O
identify	O
a	O
solid-state	B-Device
drive	I-Device
uniquely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
WinHEC	O
2008Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
color	O
depths	O
of	O
30-bit	O
and	O
48-bit	O
would	O
be	O
supported	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
along	O
with	O
the	O
wide	O
color	O
gamut	O
scRGB	B-Device
(	O
which	O
for	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
1.3	O
can	O
be	O
converted	O
and	O
output	O
as	O
xvYCC	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
video	O
modes	O
supported	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
are	O
16-bit	O
sRGB	O
,	O
24-bit	O
sRGB	O
,	O
30-bit	O
sRGB	O
,	O
30-bit	O
with	O
extended	O
color	O
gamut	O
sRGB	O
,	O
and	O
48-bit	O
scRGB	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
developers	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
includes	O
a	O
new	O
networking	O
API	B-General_Concept
with	O
support	O
for	O
building	O
SOAP-based	B-Protocol
web	O
services	O
in	O
native	B-Language
code	I-Language
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
.NET-based	O
WCF	B-Application
web	O
services	O
)	O
,	O
new	O
features	O
to	O
simplify	O
development	O
of	O
installation	O
packages	O
and	O
shorten	O
application	O
install	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
by	O
default	O
,	O
generates	O
fewer	O
User	O
Account	O
Control	O
(	O
UAC	O
)	O
prompts	O
because	O
it	O
allows	O
digitally	O
signed	O
Windows	O
components	O
to	O
gain	O
elevated	O
privileges	O
without	O
a	O
prompt	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certain	O
capabilities	O
and	O
programs	O
that	O
were	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
are	O
no	O
longer	O
present	O
or	O
have	O
been	O
changed	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
the	O
removal	O
of	O
certain	O
functionalities	O
;	O
these	O
include	O
the	O
classic	O
Start	O
Menu	O
user	O
interface	O
,	O
some	O
taskbar	O
features	O
,	O
Windows	O
Explorer	O
features	O
,	O
Windows	B-Architecture
Media	I-Architecture
Player	I-Architecture
features	I-Architecture
,	O
Windows	O
Ultimate	O
Extras	O
,	O
Search	O
button	O
,	O
and	O
InkBall	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Four	O
applications	O
bundled	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
—	O
Windows	B-Device
Photo	I-Device
Gallery	I-Device
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Movie	I-Application
Maker	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Calendar	I-Protocol
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Mail	I-Protocol
—	O
are	O
not	O
included	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
were	O
replaced	O
by	O
Windows	O
Live-branded	O
versions	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Live	I-Application
Essentials	I-Application
suite	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
is	O
available	O
in	O
six	O
different	O
editions	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
the	O
Home	O
Premium	O
,	O
Professional	O
,	O
and	O
Ultimate	O
were	O
available	O
at	O
retail	O
in	O
most	O
countries	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
pre-loaded	O
software	O
on	O
most	O
new	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
includes	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
capabilities	O
and	O
features	O
of	O
the	O
edition	O
below	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
adds	O
additional	O
features	O
oriented	O
towards	O
their	O
market	O
segments	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
Professional	O
adds	O
additional	O
networking	O
and	O
security	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
Encrypting	O
File	O
System	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
join	O
a	O
domain	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimate	O
contained	O
a	O
superset	O
of	O
the	O
features	O
from	O
Home	O
Premium	O
and	O
Professional	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
other	O
advanced	O
features	O
oriented	O
towards	O
power	O
users	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
BitLocker	O
drive	O
encryption	O
;	O
unlike	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
there	O
were	O
no	O
"	O
Ultimate	O
Extras	O
"	O
add-ons	O
created	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Ultimate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retail	O
copies	O
were	O
available	O
in	O
"	O
upgrade	O
"	O
and	O
higher-cost	O
"	O
full	O
"	O
version	O
licenses	B-License
;	O
"	O
upgrade	O
"	O
licenses	B-License
require	O
an	O
existing	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
to	O
install	O
,	O
while	O
"	O
full	O
"	O
licenses	B-License
can	O
be	O
installed	O
on	O
computers	O
with	O
no	O
existing	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Starter	O
edition	O
is	O
a	O
stripped-down	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
meant	O
for	O
low-cost	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
netbooks	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
comparison	O
to	O
Home	O
Premium	O
,	O
Starter	O
has	O
reduced	O
multimedia	O
functionality	O
,	O
does	O
not	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
change	O
their	O
desktop	B-Device
wallpaper	O
or	O
theme	O
,	O
disables	O
the	O
"	O
Aero	O
Glass	O
"	O
theme	O
,	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
support	O
for	O
multiple	O
monitors	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
only	O
address	O
2GB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
highest	O
edition	O
,	O
Enterprise	O
,	O
is	O
functionally	O
similar	O
to	O
Ultimate	O
,	O
but	O
is	O
only	O
sold	O
through	O
volume	B-License
licensing	I-License
via	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Software	B-Application
Assurance	I-Application
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
editions	O
aside	O
from	O
Starter	O
support	O
both	O
IA-32	B-Device
and	O
x86-64	B-Device
architectures	B-General_Concept
,	O
Starter	O
only	O
supports	O
32-bit	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retail	O
copies	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
are	O
distributed	O
on	O
two	O
DVDs	O
:	O
one	O
for	O
the	O
IA-32	B-Device
version	O
and	O
the	O
other	O
for	O
x86-64	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
OEM	O
copies	O
include	O
one	O
DVD	O
,	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
processor	B-General_Concept
architecture	O
licensed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
installation	O
media	O
for	O
consumer	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
are	O
identical	O
,	O
the	O
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
and	O
corresponding	O
license	O
determines	O
the	O
edition	O
that	O
is	O
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
copies	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
only	O
contained	O
one	O
license	O
;	O
in	O
certain	O
markets	O
,	O
a	O
"	O
Family	O
Pack	O
"	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Home	O
Premium	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
for	O
a	O
limited	O
time	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
upgrades	O
on	O
up	O
to	O
three	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
certain	O
regions	O
,	O
copies	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
were	O
only	O
sold	O
in	O
,	O
and	O
could	O
only	O
be	O
activated	O
in	O
a	O
designated	O
region	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
without	O
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
ended	O
on	O
April	O
9	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
requiring	O
users	O
to	O
update	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
continue	O
receiving	O
updates	O
and	O
support	O
after	O
3	O
years	O
,	O
8	O
months	O
,	O
and	O
18	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
ended	O
the	O
sale	O
of	O
new	O
retail	O
copies	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
in	O
October	O
2014	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
sale	O
of	O
new	O
OEM	O
licenses	B-License
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Home	O
Basic	O
,	O
Home	O
Premium	O
,	O
and	O
Ultimate	O
ended	O
on	O
October	O
31	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OEM	O
sales	O
of	O
PCs	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Professional	O
pre-installed	O
ended	O
on	O
October	O
31	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sale	O
of	O
non-Professional	O
OEM	O
licenses	B-License
was	O
stopped	O
on	O
October	O
31	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mainstream	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
ended	O
on	O
January	O
13	O
,	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Extended	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
ended	O
on	O
January	O
14	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
7	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
a	O
paid	O
"	O
Extended	O
Security	O
Updates	O
"	O
service	O
that	O
will	O
offer	O
additional	O
updates	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Professional	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
three	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
extended	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Variants	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
for	O
embedded	O
systems	O
and	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
have	O
different	O
support	O
policies	O
:	O
Windows	O
Embedded	O
Standard	O
7	O
support	O
ended	O
in	O
October	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
will	O
mark	O
the	O
final	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
6.1	O
product	O
line	O
after	O
15	O
years	O
,	O
2	O
months	O
,	O
and	O
17	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2019	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
display	O
notifications	O
to	O
users	O
informing	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
upcoming	O
end	O
of	O
support	O
,	O
and	O
direct	O
users	O
to	O
a	O
website	O
urging	O
them	O
to	O
purchase	O
a	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
upgrade	O
or	O
a	O
new	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2019	O
,	O
researchers	O
reported	O
that	O
"	O
all	O
modern	O
versions	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
"	O
may	O
be	O
at	O
risk	O
for	O
"	O
critical	O
"	O
system	O
compromise	O
because	O
of	O
design	O
flaws	O
of	O
hardware	O
device	B-Application
drivers	I-Application
from	O
multiple	O
providers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
same	O
month	O
,	O
computer	O
experts	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
BlueKeep	O
security	O
vulnerability	O
,	O
,	O
that	O
potentially	O
affects	O
older	O
unpatched	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
versions	O
via	O
the	O
program	O
's	O
Remote	B-Protocol
Desktop	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
,	O
allowing	O
for	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
remote	O
code	O
execution	O
,	O
may	O
now	O
include	O
related	O
flaws	O
,	O
collectively	O
named	O
DejaBlue	O
,	O
affecting	O
newer	O
Windows	O
versions	O
(	O
i.e.	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
all	O
recent	O
versions	O
)	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
experts	O
reported	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
security	O
vulnerability	O
,	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
legacy	B-Device
code	I-Device
involving	O
Microsoft	O
CTF	O
and	O
ctfmon	O
(	O
ctfmon.exe	O
)	O
,	O
that	O
affects	O
all	O
Windows	O
versions	O
from	O
the	O
older	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
version	I-Application
to	O
the	O
most	O
recent	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
versions	O
;	O
a	O
patch	O
to	O
correct	O
the	O
flaw	O
is	O
currently	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
provide	O
free	O
security	O
updates	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
on	O
federally-certified	O
voting	O
machines	O
through	O
the	O
2020	O
United	O
States	O
elections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Mode	O
(	O
Professional	O
,	O
Ultimate	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
)	O
:	O
Requires	O
an	O
additional	O
1	O
GB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
additional	O
15	O
GB	O
of	O
available	O
hard	O
disk	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
requirement	O
for	O
a	O
processor	B-General_Concept
capable	O
of	O
hardware	B-General_Concept
virtualization	I-General_Concept
has	O
been	O
lifted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Center	I-Device
(	O
included	O
in	O
Home	O
Premium	O
,	O
Professional	O
,	O
Ultimate	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
)	O
,	O
requires	O
a	O
TV	B-Device
tuner	I-Device
to	O
receive	O
and	O
record	O
TV	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
maximum	O
amount	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
that	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
supports	O
varies	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
product	O
edition	O
and	O
on	O
the	O
processor	B-General_Concept
architecture	O
,	O
as	O
shown	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
table	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Professional	O
and	O
up	O
support	O
up	O
to	O
2	O
physical	O
processors	O
(	O
CPU	O
sockets	O
)	O
,	O
</s>
<s>
whereas	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Starter	O
,	O
Home	O
Basic	O
,	O
and	O
Home	O
Premium	O
editions	O
support	O
only	O
1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Physical	O
processors	O
with	O
either	O
multiple	O
cores	O
,	O
or	O
hyper-threading	B-Operating_System
,	O
or	O
both	O
,	O
implement	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
logical	O
processor	B-General_Concept
per	O
physical	O
processor	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
x86	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
support	O
up	O
to	O
32	O
logical	O
processors	O
;	O
x64	B-Device
editions	I-Device
support	O
up	O
to	O
256	O
(	O
4	O
x	O
64	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2016	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
no	O
longer	O
support	O
Windows	O
platforms	O
older	O
than	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
on	O
any	O
future	O
Intel-compatible	O
processor	B-General_Concept
lines	O
,	O
citing	O
difficulties	O
in	O
reliably	O
allowing	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
to	O
operate	O
on	O
newer	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
stated	O
that	O
effective	O
July	O
17	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
devices	O
with	O
Intel	B-Architecture
Skylake	I-Architecture
CPUs	O
were	O
only	O
to	O
receive	O
the	O
"	O
most	O
critical	O
"	O
updates	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
8.1	O
,	O
and	O
only	O
if	O
they	O
have	O
been	O
judged	O
not	O
to	O
affect	O
the	O
reliability	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
on	O
older	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
enterprise	O
customers	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
issued	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
Skylake-based	O
devices	O
"	O
certified	O
"	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
8.1	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
to	O
assist	O
them	O
in	O
migrating	O
to	O
newer	O
hardware	O
that	O
can	O
eventually	O
be	O
upgraded	O
to	O
10	O
once	O
they	O
are	O
ready	O
to	O
transition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
18	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
criticism	O
from	O
enterprise	O
customers	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
delayed	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
support	O
and	O
non-critical	O
updates	O
for	O
Skylake	B-Architecture
systems	O
to	O
July	O
17	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
but	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
also	O
continue	O
to	O
receive	O
security	O
updates	O
through	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
extended	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2016	O
,	O
citing	O
a	O
"	O
strong	O
partnership	O
with	O
our	O
OEM	O
partners	O
and	O
Intel	O
"	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
retracted	O
the	O
decision	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
continue	O
to	O
support	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
8.1	O
on	O
Skylake	B-Architecture
hardware	O
through	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
their	O
extended	O
support	O
lifecycle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
knowledge	O
base	O
article	O
announced	O
which	O
implies	O
that	O
devices	O
using	O
Intel	B-Device
Kaby	I-Device
Lake	I-Device
,	O
AMD	O
Bristol	O
Ridge	O
,	O
or	O
AMD	O
Ryzen	O
,	O
would	O
be	O
blocked	O
from	O
using	O
Windows	O
Update	O
entirely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
official	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
device	B-Application
drivers	I-Application
are	O
not	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
Kaby	B-Device
Lake	I-Device
and	O
Ryzen	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Security	O
updates	O
released	O
since	O
March	O
2018	O
contain	O
bugs	O
which	O
affect	O
processors	O
that	O
do	O
not	O
support	O
SSE2	B-General_Concept
extensions	O
,	O
including	O
all	O
Pentium	B-General_Concept
III	I-General_Concept
processors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
on	O
June	O
15	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
retroactively	O
modified	O
its	O
support	O
documents	O
to	O
remove	O
the	O
promise	O
that	O
this	O
bug	O
would	O
be	O
resolved	O
,	O
replacing	O
it	O
with	O
a	O
statement	O
suggesting	O
that	O
users	O
obtain	O
a	O
newer	O
processor	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
effectively	O
ends	O
future	O
patch	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
on	O
these	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
(	O
SP1	O
)	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
March	O
18	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
available	O
via	O
Windows	O
Update	O
,	O
direct	O
download	O
,	O
or	O
by	O
ordering	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
SP1	O
DVD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
pack	O
is	O
on	O
a	O
much	O
smaller	O
scale	O
than	O
those	O
released	O
for	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
particularly	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
adds	O
support	O
for	O
Advanced	B-General_Concept
Vector	I-General_Concept
Extensions	I-General_Concept
(	O
AVX	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
256-bit	O
instruction	O
set	O
extension	O
for	O
processors	O
,	O
and	O
improves	O
IKEv2	B-Protocol
by	O
adding	O
additional	O
identification	O
fields	O
such	O
as	O
E-mail	O
ID	O
to	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
also	O
resolves	O
a	O
bug	O
related	O
to	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
audio	O
and	O
another	O
related	O
to	O
printing	O
XPS	B-Device
documents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Europe	O
,	O
the	O
automatic	O
nature	O
of	O
the	O
BrowserChoice.eu	O
feature	O
was	O
dropped	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
in	O
February	O
2011	O
and	O
remained	O
absent	O
for	O
14	O
months	O
despite	O
Microsoft	O
reporting	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
still	O
present	O
,	O
subsequently	O
described	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
technical	O
error.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Platform	O
Update	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
SP1	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
R2	I-Device
SP1	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
February	O
26	O
,	O
2013	O
after	O
a	O
pre-release	O
version	O
had	O
been	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
5	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
included	O
with	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
10	I-Application
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
includes	O
enhancements	O
to	O
Direct2D	B-Library
,	O
DirectWrite	O
,	O
Direct3D	B-Application
,	O
Windows	O
Imaging	O
Component	O
(	O
WIC	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	O
Advanced	O
Rasterization	O
Platform	O
(	O
WARP	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	O
Animation	O
Manager	O
(	O
WAM	O
)	O
,	O
XPS	B-Device
Document	O
API	B-General_Concept
,	O
H.264	B-Application
Video	O
Decoder	O
and	O
JPEG	B-Device
XR	I-Device
decoder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
support	O
for	O
Direct3D	B-Application
11.1	O
is	O
limited	O
as	O
the	O
update	O
does	O
not	O
include	O
DXGI/WDDM	O
1.2	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
making	O
unavailable	O
many	O
related	O
APIs	B-General_Concept
and	O
significant	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
stereoscopic	B-Algorithm
frame	O
buffer	O
,	O
feature	O
level	O
11_1	O
and	O
optional	O
features	O
for	O
levels	O
10_0	O
,	O
10_1	O
and	O
11_0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2013	O
,	O
a	O
Disk	O
Cleanup	O
Wizard	O
addon	O
was	O
released	O
that	O
lets	O
users	O
delete	O
outdated	O
Windows	O
updates	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
SP1	O
,	O
thus	O
reducing	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
the	O
WinSxS	O
directory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
update	O
backports	O
some	O
features	O
found	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Management	O
Framework	O
5.0	O
includes	O
updates	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
PowerShell	I-Application
5.0	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
PowerShell	I-Application
Desired	O
State	O
Configuration	O
(	O
DSC	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	O
Remote	O
Management	O
(	O
WinRM	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	B-Library
Management	I-Library
Instrumentation	I-Library
(	O
WMI	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2016	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
a	O
"	O
Convenience	O
rollup	O
update	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
SP1	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
R2	I-Device
SP1	O
,	O
"	O
which	O
contains	O
all	O
patches	O
released	O
between	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
SP1	O
and	O
April	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
package	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
integrated	O
into	O
a	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
installation	O
image	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2018	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
'll	O
be	O
moving	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
to	O
a	O
monthly	O
update	O
model	O
beginning	O
with	O
updates	O
released	O
in	O
September	O
2018	O
-	O
two	O
years	O
after	O
Microsoft	O
switched	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
their	O
supported	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
to	O
that	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
new	O
update	O
model	O
,	O
instead	O
of	O
updates	O
being	O
released	O
as	O
they	O
became	O
available	O
,	O
only	O
two	O
update	O
packages	O
were	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
second	O
Tuesday	O
of	O
every	O
month	O
until	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
reached	O
its	O
end	O
of	O
life	O
-	O
one	O
package	O
containing	O
security	O
and	O
quality	O
updates	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
smaller	O
package	O
that	O
contained	O
only	O
the	O
security	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Installing	O
the	O
preview	O
rollup	O
package	O
released	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
on	O
March	O
19	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
or	O
any	O
later	O
released	O
rollup	O
package	O
,	O
that	O
makes	O
Windows	O
more	O
reliable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
change	O
was	O
made	O
so	O
Microsoft	O
could	O
continue	O
to	O
service	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
while	O
avoiding	O
“	O
version-related	O
issues	O
”	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
announced	O
in	O
July	O
2019	O
that	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Internet	O
Games	O
services	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
Windows	O
Me	O
would	O
end	O
on	O
July	O
31	O
,	O
2019	O
(	O
and	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
on	O
January	O
22	O
,	O
2020	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
non-extended	O
security	O
update	O
rollup	O
packages	O
were	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
14	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
last	O
day	O
that	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
had	O
extended	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
14	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
support	O
ended	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
no	O
longer	O
providing	O
security	O
updates	O
or	O
fixes	O
after	O
that	O
date	O
,	O
except	O
for	O
subscribers	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Extended	O
Security	O
Updates	O
(	O
ESU	O
)	O
,	O
who	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
receive	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
security	O
updates	O
through	O
January	O
10	O
,	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2020	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
an	O
update	O
via	O
Windows	O
Update	O
to	O
fix	O
a	O
black	O
wallpaper	O
issue	O
caused	O
by	O
the	O
January	O
2020	O
update	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
an	O
update	O
via	O
Windows	O
Update	O
to	O
roll	O
out	O
the	O
new	O
Chromium-based	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
to	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
8.1	O
machines	O
that	O
are	O
not	O
connected	O
to	O
Active	B-Protocol
Directory	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
those	O
on	O
Active	B-Protocol
Directory	I-Protocol
,	O
can	O
download	O
Edge	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
support	O
document	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
has	O
stated	O
that	O
a	O
full-screen	O
upgrade	O
warning	O
notification	O
would	O
be	O
displayed	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
PCs	O
on	O
all	O
editions	O
except	O
the	O
Enterprise	O
edition	O
after	O
January	O
15	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
notification	O
does	O
not	O
appear	O
on	O
machines	O
connected	O
to	O
Active	B-Protocol
Directory	I-Protocol
,	O
machines	O
in	O
kiosk	O
mode	O
,	O
or	O
machines	O
subscribed	O
for	O
Extended	O
Security	O
Updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
received	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
,	O
with	O
critics	O
noting	O
the	O
increased	O
usability	O
and	O
functionality	O
when	O
compared	O
with	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
CNET	O
gave	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Home	O
Premium	O
a	O
rating	O
of	O
4.5	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
stars	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
is	O
more	O
than	O
what	O
Vista	B-Application
should	O
have	O
been	O
,	O
 [ and ] 	O
it	O
's	O
where	O
Microsoft	O
needed	O
to	O
go	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Magazine	O
rated	O
it	O
a	O
4	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
saying	O
that	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
is	O
a	O
"	O
big	O
improvement	O
"	O
over	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
with	O
fewer	O
compatibility	O
problems	O
,	O
a	O
retooled	O
taskbar	O
,	O
simpler	O
home	O
networking	O
and	O
faster	O
start-up	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maximum	O
PC	O
gave	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
a	O
rating	O
of	O
9	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
and	O
called	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
a	O
"	O
massive	O
leap	O
forward	O
"	O
in	O
usability	O
and	O
security	O
,	O
and	O
praised	O
the	O
new	O
Taskbar	O
as	O
"	O
worth	O
the	O
price	O
of	O
admission	O
alone.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
World	O
called	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
a	O
"	O
worthy	O
successor	O
"	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
said	O
that	O
speed	O
benchmarks	O
showed	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
to	O
be	O
slightly	O
faster	O
than	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
World	O
also	O
named	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
products	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
review	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
Engadget	B-Application
said	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
taken	O
a	O
"	O
strong	O
step	O
forward	O
"	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
reported	O
that	O
speed	O
is	O
one	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
's	O
major	O
selling	O
points	O
—	O
particularly	O
for	O
the	O
netbook	B-Device
sets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Laptop	B-Device
Magazine	O
gave	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
a	O
rating	O
of	O
4	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
stars	O
and	O
said	O
that	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
makes	O
computing	O
more	O
intuitive	O
,	O
offered	O
better	O
overall	O
performance	O
including	O
a	O
"	O
modest	O
to	O
dramatic	O
"	O
increase	O
in	O
battery	O
life	O
on	O
laptop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
TechRadar	O
gave	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
a	O
rating	O
of	O
5	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
stars	O
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
combines	O
the	O
security	O
and	O
architectural	O
improvements	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
with	O
better	O
performance	O
than	O
XP	B-Application
can	O
deliver	O
on	O
today	O
's	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
is	O
ever	O
perfect	O
,	O
but	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
really	O
is	O
the	O
best	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	O
yet.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
USA	O
Today	O
and	O
The	O
Telegraph	O
also	O
gave	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
favorable	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
of	O
Gizmodo	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Kills	O
Snow	O
Leopard.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Ultimate	O
users	O
have	O
expressed	O
concerns	O
over	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
pricing	O
and	O
upgrade	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Ultimate	O
users	O
wanting	O
to	O
upgrade	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
to	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
had	O
to	O
either	O
pay	O
$219.99	O
to	O
upgrade	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Ultimate	O
or	O
perform	O
a	O
clean	O
install	O
,	O
which	O
requires	O
them	O
to	O
reinstall	O
all	O
of	O
their	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
changes	O
to	O
User	O
Account	O
Control	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
were	O
criticized	O
for	O
being	O
potentially	O
insecure	O
,	O
as	O
an	O
exploit	O
was	O
discovered	O
allowing	O
untrusted	O
software	O
to	O
be	O
launched	O
with	O
elevated	O
privileges	O
by	O
exploiting	O
a	O
trusted	O
component	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Peter	O
Bright	O
of	O
Ars	O
Technica	O
argued	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
way	O
that	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
UAC	O
'	O
improvements	O
 '	O
have	O
been	O
made	O
completely	O
exempts	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
developers	O
from	O
having	O
to	O
do	O
that	O
work	O
themselves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
it	O
's	O
one	O
rule	O
for	O
Redmond	O
,	O
another	O
one	O
for	O
everyone	O
else.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
engineer	O
Mark	O
Russinovich	O
acknowledged	O
the	O
problem	O
,	O
but	O
noted	O
that	O
malware	O
can	O
also	O
compromise	O
a	O
system	O
when	O
users	O
agree	O
to	O
a	O
prompt	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2009	O
,	O
in	O
only	O
eight	O
hours	O
,	O
pre-orders	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
at	O
amazon.co.uk	O
surpassed	O
the	O
demand	O
which	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
had	O
in	O
its	O
first	O
17weeks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
became	O
the	O
highest-grossing	O
pre-order	O
in	O
Amazon	B-Application
's	O
history	O
,	O
surpassing	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
record	O
holder	O
,	O
the	O
seventh	O
Harry	O
Potter	O
book	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
36hours	O
,	O
64-bit	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Professional	O
and	O
Ultimate	O
editions	O
sold	O
out	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
weeks	O
after	O
its	O
release	O
its	O
market	O
share	O
had	O
surpassed	O
that	O
of	O
Snow	B-Device
Leopard	I-Device
,	O
released	O
two	O
months	O
previously	O
as	O
the	O
most	O
recent	O
update	O
to	O
Apple	O
's	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Net	O
Applications	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
reached	O
a	O
4%	O
market	O
share	O
in	O
less	O
than	O
three	O
weeks	O
;	O
in	O
comparison	O
,	O
it	O
took	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
seven	O
months	O
to	O
reach	O
the	O
same	O
mark	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
February	O
2014	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
had	O
a	O
market	O
share	O
of	O
47.49	O
%	O
according	O
to	O
Net	O
Applications	O
;	O
in	O
comparison	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
had	O
a	O
market	O
share	O
of	O
29.23	O
%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
4	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
90million	O
licenses	B-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
April	O
23	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
more	O
than	O
100million	O
copies	O
were	O
sold	O
in	O
six	O
months	O
,	O
which	O
made	O
it	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
fastest-selling	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
June	O
23	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
has	O
sold	O
150million	O
copies	O
which	O
made	O
it	O
the	O
fastest	O
selling	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
in	O
history	O
with	O
seven	O
copies	O
sold	O
every	O
second	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
worldwide	O
data	O
taken	O
during	O
June	O
2010	O
from	O
Windows	O
Update	O
46%	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
PCs	O
run	O
the	O
64-bit	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Stephen	O
Baker	O
of	O
the	O
NPD	O
Group	O
during	O
April	O
2010	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
77%	O
of	O
PCs	O
sold	O
at	O
retail	O
were	O
pre-installed	O
with	O
the	O
64-bit	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
July	O
22	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
had	O
sold	O
175million	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
21	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
more	O
than	O
240million	O
copies	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
had	O
been	O
sold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
months	O
later	O
,	O
on	O
January	O
27	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
total	O
sales	O
of	O
300million	O
copies	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
12	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
sales	O
figure	O
was	O
refined	O
to	O
over	O
400	O
million	O
end-user	O
licenses	B-License
and	O
business	O
installations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
July	O
9	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
over	O
630million	O
licenses	B-License
have	O
been	O
sold	O
;	O
this	O
number	O
includes	O
licenses	B-License
sold	O
to	O
OEMs	O
for	O
new	O
PCs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
other	O
Microsoft	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
was	O
studied	O
by	O
United	O
States	O
federal	O
regulators	O
who	O
oversee	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
operations	O
following	O
the	O
2001	O
United	O
States	O
v	O
.	O
Microsoft	O
Corp	O
.	O
settlement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
status	O
reports	O
filed	O
,	O
the	O
three-member	O
panel	O
began	O
assessing	O
prototypes	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
in	O
February	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Michael	O
Gartenberg	O
,	O
an	O
analyst	O
at	O
Jupiter	O
Research	O
,	O
said	O
,	O
"[Microsoft's]	O
challenge	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
will	O
be	O
how	O
can	O
they	O
continue	O
to	O
add	O
features	O
that	O
consumers	O
will	O
want	O
that	O
also	O
do	O
n't	O
run	O
afoul	O
of	O
regulators.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
discard	O
the	O
separate	O
version	O
for	O
Europe	O
and	O
ship	O
the	O
standard	O
upgrade	O
and	O
full	O
packages	O
worldwide	O
,	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
criticism	O
involving	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
E	O
and	O
concerns	O
from	O
manufacturers	O
about	O
possible	O
consumer	O
confusion	O
if	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
with	O
Internet	O
Explorer	O
were	O
shipped	O
later	O
,	O
after	O
one	O
without	O
Internet	O
Explorer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
the	O
previous	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
an	O
N	O
version	O
,	O
which	O
does	O
not	O
come	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
,	O
has	O
been	O
released	O
in	O
Europe	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
for	O
sale	O
directly	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
sales	O
websites	O
and	O
selected	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
