Using Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 again has provided a healthy reminder that Windows 10, for all its issues, is still the far better experience.

Microsoft is bringing its intelligence-driven security analytics and protection service to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 customers migrating to Windows 10.

Windows 10 now powers 600 million active devices worldwide.

Windows 7 usage share didn't change much over the past year. That is a huge problem for Windows 10, and for Microsoft.

With two major changes to the Windows 7 and 8.1 servicing process in 2016, the question remains: Has Microsoft finally fixed this terrible problem?

It's been a year of Microsoft dialing back the crazy when it comes to its attempts to force its customer base to upgrade to Windows 10 en masse. The latest example: In October, the software giant will belatedly simplify and improve how previous Windows versions are serviced.

As promised, Microsoft this week updated the Get Windows 10 advertisement in Windows 7 and 8.1, providing customers with a way to decline the upgrade for the first time. Here's a quick look at the new experience.

It's fair to say that Windows 7 has been on my mind this weekend. Having just confronted how awful the process of getting a newly-installed Windows 7 up-to-date has become over the years, I'm curious about what happens next. What will it take for Windows 10 to surpass Windows 7?

The promise of the Windows 7 Convenience Rollup is that it will dramatically speed the process of clean installing and then updating a Windows 7 PC. And it does. But Windows 7 updating is still very much broken.

In the latest sign that Microsoft actually does listen to its customers, if belatedly, the software giant revealed on Tuesday that it will dramatically simplify the process of updating its legacy Windows 7 and 8.1 operating systems. Best of all, Microsoft will deliver what is essentially a second service pack for Windows 7, the Windows 7 SP1 convenience rollup.

The busy beavers at Skype have been busier than usual this week, shipping updates to the communications service on Mac, iPhone, Outlook.com and Windows desktop.