If Microsoft goes ahead with its plans, after Halloween, OEMs and systems builders will no longer be able to get new licenses of Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate for the machines they sell.

Once the licenses they have in stock run out then they will not get access to any more. PCs preinstalled with Windows 7 Professional will not suffer from the same fate, at least not for now. After October 31 there will be no chance for systems builders to replenish stock of the Windows 7 OS, except for the Professional version. This date is the one year anniversary of the last day of Windows 7 shrink wrapped retail sales.

Microsoft is yet to signal any end-of-sales cutoff date for Windows 7 Pro machines and Redmond is probably waiting to see if business users scream blue murder about Windows 9. The Halloween deadline does not impact downgrade rights so buyers of business PCs can buy a Windows 8.1 Pro machine and downgrade to Windows 7 Professional or Windows Vista Business if they want.

Users of Windows 7 SP1 will cease to get mainstream support from 14th January next year. Security fixes and the like will continue to be supplied until 14th January 2020 as part of Windows extended support