Google has decided to stop providing support for the Drive desktop software for these operating systems. The Google Drive software makes it possible to synchronise local files with those stored in the cloud. In order for users to continue synchronising data with Google Drive, they will need to update to Windows 10 or Windows 11.
According to the release notes for Google Drive, the company will stop providing support for Drive for desktops on Windows 8/8.1, Windows Server 2012, and all 32-bit versions of Windows beginning in August 2023. Users of 32-bit versions of Windows, on the other hand, may still access Google Drive by means of a web browser.
Google Chrome for Windows 8, 8.1, and Windows 7 no longer receives support after the company’s announcement in February. This is in line with Google’s policy, which is to stop providing services for obsolete operating systems. After the upgrade, Google Chrome will continue to function normally; however, it will no longer get any feature updates or security fixes on devices running these operating systems.
Mozilla has only lately disclosed the date on which it would no longer provide support for Firefox on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. Customers who are unable or unwilling to update to Windows 10 or 11 will be able to continue using Firefox 115 Extended Support Release (ESR) until September 2024, as stated in a paper. Mozilla has committed to continue the distribution of security updates for a further 15 months.
The departure of Windows 8 and 8.1 from the conventional Windows user interface resulted in a variety of reactions from reviewers. The fact that Microsoft has decided to stop supporting these older versions of its operating systems highlights how critical it is to transition to a more up-to-date and stable platform.
What action should users who are affected take?
Windows users who are affected by the issue have two options available to them. They have the option of either bringing their system up to the most recent version or using Google Drive over the web.
