PCs with latest AMD, Intel and Qualcomm processors not to receive security updates for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1

Microsoft has implemented a new support policy for Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 that was announced last year, a recently-revised support document suggests.

PCs powered by the latest processors from AMD, Intel and Qualcomm will no longer receive security updates for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

Users would also receive a message that cited error code 80240037, when the attempt to retrieve updates made from Windows 7 - or Windows 8.1-equipped devices powered by seventh-generation processors from Intel and AMD - aka "Kaby Lake" and "Bristol Ridge," respectively - or the next-generation Snapdragon 820 series mobile CPUs from Qualcomm.

According to the document, those processors would only be supported by Windows 10.

The document added, it meant "Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 devices that have a seventh generation or a later generation processor may no longer be able to scan or download updates through Windows Update or Microsoft Update."

The company announced the new-silicon support limitation in January 2016, when it said making Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 run on the latest processors was "challenging."

Users with the hardware reported getting error messages when using Windows Update to get patches, including, "Unsupported Hardware. Your PC uses a processor that isn't supported on this version of Windows and you won't receive updates."

And, nother message that said, "Windows could not search for new updates. An error occurred while checking for new updates for your computer. Error(s) found: Code 80240037 Windows Update encountered an unknown error."

Although Microsoft would extend support for Windows 7 and 8.1 on Skylake processor PCs till January 2020 and 2023 respectively, Microsoft said last year that the newer Intel Kaby Lake and AMD Bristol Ridge hardware would be supported only on Windows 10.