Technical support and updating of the Windows 7 operating system, released on October 22, 2009, has been discontinued since Tuesday.

"After 10 years, support for Windows 7 is coming to an end on January 14, 2020. We know change can be difficult, so we are here to help you with recommendations for what to do next and to answer questions about end of support," Microsoft said in a statement.

Computers running Windows 7 will continue to function, but Microsoft will no longer provide technical support and will not release updates. The company recommended that users of Windows 7 create copies of files and photos using the OneDrive cloud service and use the Windows 10 operating system.