Periodically, as part of theMicrosoft LifecyclePolicy, Microsoft might announce an end of support (EOS)date for a version of their operating system that you are using for VM instanceson Compute Engine. On the EOS date for that version of the operatingsystem:

• Google can no longer access updates.
• Google can no longer access security patches.
• The OS image is deleted from the Compute Engine images project.If you need to create VMs that use any of these EOS versions afterthe EOS date,make copies of the imagesbefore the EOS date.

If you are running VM instances on Compute Engine based on one of theseoperating system images, keep in mind that beginning on the EOS date:

• VMs based on images that are beyond their EOS date continue to operate, andbilling continues forpremium images.

• Future Google Cloud features might not perform as expected if youuse an image that is beyond its EOS date.

• Google can no longer provide updates or security patches. Microsoftmight provide additional support through itsExtended SecurityUpdate (ESU) program. It is your responsibility to install and test all updates provided byMicrosoft.

• Google provides support for VMs that use EOS images. For more information,reviewEnd of support (EOS)documentation.

Using an unsupported and unpatched version might create material security risks.If you are running VM instances based on an operating system image with anannounced EOS date, Google recommends that before the EOS date, you:

• Upgrade or migrate to asupported version of the Windows operatingsystem.

• If you anticipate needing to create VM instances after the EOS date, makecopies of the images in your projects.

• Remove anyexternal IP addressbecause publicly accessible instances might bevulnerable to unpatched security exploits. Instead, use the instance'sinternal IP address to hostservices and enablePrivate Google Access.

• Consider configuring aRemote Desktop Gateway torestrict remote access to your instance.

If you continue to use an image after the EOS date for that image, Googlerecommends that you not update theguestenvironment because Google doesn't testnew versions of the image against the EOS version. When Google releasesadditionalimage families, those newlyreleased image families might not support the EOS versions of the images,so we recommend that you continue to use the image family that youare using.

The following table shows Microsoft operating systems that are no longersupported, their EOS dates, where to find Microsoft's EOSannouncements, and links to content about upgrading or migrating:

What's next

• Learn about thelicensing options for Microsoftsoftware onCompute Engine.

• Learn more about theoperating system images thatCompute Engine provides.