If you use OneDrive (opens in new tab) for Business on Windows 7 (opens in new tab), you’ll be glad to know the file hosting service (opens in new tab) will continue to support the defunct OS for another couple of years yet.
Windows 7 reached end-of-life (EOL) (opens in new tab) over a year ago, in January 2020, which means normal installations aren’t receiving updates anymore.
But, as is the norm, once an OS reaches EOL, Microsoft continues to support it under a paid Extended Security Updates (opens in new tab) (ESU) program, which allows business users (opens in new tab) extra time to implement their migration strategies.
- Here are the best cloud storage (opens in new tab) services on the market
- These are the best Windows 10 VPN services (opens in new tab)
- Also check our collection of the best SSDs (opens in new tab)
While many software vendors officially drop EOL OS’s from their support list, Microsoft has announced plans (opens in new tab) to support Microsoft 365 (opens in new tab) apps on Windows 7 until January 2023.
However, a couple of weeks back, multiple readers of The Register informed the publication that they could no longer use OneDrive for Business on their Windows 7 installations, hinting that Microsoft might have quietly pulled the plug on the service.
Not quite dead
Much to their delight, though, a Microsoft spokesperson has now confirmed that the use case is still very much supported.
"Microsoft continues to support OneDrive on Windows 7,” the spokesperson told The Register.
The difficulties experienced by the users were reportedly due to Microsoft’s attempt to kill support for the older Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol in its products.
If you’re a Windows 7 user and experience issues with the client for OneDrive for Business in your installation, The Register suggests you tweak the registry to force the OS to switch to using a newer TLS protocol.
- Check out our list of the best cloud computing (opens in new tab) services right now
Via The Register (opens in new tab)
