Microsoft stops selling Windows 7 to push users onto Windows 8.1

Windows 8 will also be unavailable - people just want the Start Menu too much

Microsoft has stopped selling Windows 7, forcing users to update to Windows 8.1 – or wait until next year for the company’s upcoming operating system Windows 10.

The date has been set for some time, but as of October 31, the Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Windows 7 - as well as Windows 8 - will no longer be sold separately or installed on PCs or laptops.

The original version of Windows 8 proved to be something of a failure for the company, with users shunning the touchscreen orientated system in favour of the familiar Start Menu and Desktop layout of Windows 7.

Some 53 per cent of users are thought to be using Windows 7 while Windows 8 has only 6 per cent of the company’s market share. Microsoft will be hoping that users will be happier on Windows 8.1, which offers the traditional desktop mode as well as the tile-based touchscreen interface.

The start menu will also be returning in Windows 10, due to be released to the general public sometime in the middle of 2015, but currently available for hardcore user to download and test in its half-finished state.

Microsoft is confident that with 10 they’ve perfected their “post-PC” formula, comparing Windows 8 to a first-generation Prius while 10 is a Tesla. The OS will also run on a massive variety of products, including PCs, laptops, game consoles, TVs, tablets and smartphones.