Support for Windows 7 is set to end on Jan 14. 2020, but access to Windows updates may end in March if you don't allow your Windows 7 machines to download and install Microsoft's next patch.

As MSPoweruser reports, Microsoft needs to ensure that the operating system updates end users receive haven't been tampered with. It does this using SHA-1 and SHA-2 hash algorithms to authenticate the updates. The problem is, the SHA-1 algorithm has a weakness and can no longer be relied upon.

As Windows 7 SP1, Windows 2008 SP1, and SP2 all rely on SHA-1 encryption, they need updating with support for SHA-2 as future Windows updates will require it. So next month Microsoft is rolling out an update to add support for SHA-2 encryption for its oldest supported operating systems. If you're a Windows 7 user and don't install this critical update, wave goodbye to any future Windows patches.

The date to prepare for is March 12, which is when Microsoft rolls out the Stand Alone update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. Just leave your desktop or laptop turned on and let Windows Update do its things.

After that, you'll be in a position to receive all remaining updates until next year. It's also a chance to grab a few extra months to decide on which upgrade path to take. Do you want a new Windows 10 PC, are you considering a switch to Mac, or is Linux a possibility?