Windows 7 Use After Support Ends

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ZeeOSix

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Wondering how many Windows 7 users here (and everywhere) are going to keep using Windows 7 after the Microsoft support ends in Jan 2020.

With all of the updates on Win7, and with use of good anti-virus/anti-malware programs is it really still that vulnerable to viruses and hackers?

Win7 does everything I need and frankly I really like that OS and would use it forever if I could.
 
Over time new vulnerabilities will be discovered, but no patches will be released to fix them. It'll get progressively more risky the longer you use it. AV software is of limited value with lots of the exploits running around in the wild.
 
Yes windows 7 was a great OS and many people will continue to use it. Just like XP before it, there will be malware out there that will specifically attack vulnerabilities in the older outdated operating system.

Do you do any banking on this machine? This could be a problem. If its a BITOG and news surfer only, no problem as long as you don't log into banking sites with it where a keyboard logger, password stealer or cookie sniffer could take your logins and cause you some headaches.

Windows 10 is only $100 and a fairly painless update from 7.

you might have luck with this. https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-...still-works-heres-why-and-how-to-get-it/
 
Originally Posted by csandste
Wouldn't even consider it. Load Ubuntu Mate or any one of many other great, light, Linux distros. You'll never go back.



I need to have Excel. Don't want OpenOffice version. I've used Ubuntu Mint years ago. It was very nice.
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Wondering how many Windows 7 users here (and everywhere) are going to keep using Windows 7 after the Microsoft support ends in Jan 2020.

With all of the updates on Win7, and with use of good anti-virus/anti-malware programs is it really still that vulnerable to viruses and hackers?

Win7 does everything I need and frankly I really like that OS and would use it forever if I could.

Windows 7 is trash compared to windows 10. I hated it. Please upgrade and enjoy life more!
 
Windows 10 is not as bad as many here claim. I've upgraded all my machines to 10 and it has been smooth sailing.
 
Depends on the computer. One upgraded fine, the other one struggles with updates.

Will be looking for a laptop with an SSD drive for quicker boot up times.....
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Wondering how many Windows 7 users here (and everywhere) are going to keep using Windows 7 after the Microsoft support ends in Jan 2020.

With all of the updates on Win7, and with use of good anti-virus/anti-malware programs is it really still that vulnerable to viruses and hackers?

Win7 does everything I need and frankly I really like that OS and would use it forever if I could.

If you just do web browsing, I wouldn't worry about it. You likely would have to replace your PC anyway to run 10. Drivers for your legacy hardware is another story.
 
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I am keeping my 2 Media PC's (using WMC) on Windows 7.
No good, easy alternative out there for me. I have tried several Linux and Windows 10 based options, and they just don't work as well as WMC for my needs.
The only thing they get online is guide updates, nothing is downloaded onto them, they have current AV and are behind a VPN router.

I am about to update my sisters Windows 7 computers (am a little worried about it, a dual core Athlon II with 4 gigs RAM) and my moms (similar spec, just a little faster Athlon II).
I really need to get them to update their computers to something a little more modern (and may do my mom's out of my pocket depending on cyber Monday deals).
I just updated my wife's Windows 7 desktop to Windows 10 a few months ago, and the latest big update bricked it. I luckily had not erased the old cloned SSD I had (I got a new M2 for her, so the OS was on that, so was an easy repair).

Originally Posted by csandste
Wouldn't even consider it. Load Ubuntu Mate or any one of many other great, light, Linux distros. You'll never go back.

Bull.
I have tried various flavors over the past 15 years (Mint (Cinnamon and MATE), Ubuntu (and Ubuntu Netbook), Knoppix, Kubuntu, Fedora and a few others) , spend almost a year on Ubuntu as my primary OS (was on my laptop and Netbook, my 2 primary use computers at the time).
I always end up back on Windows due to something not doing what I wanted how I wanted. Things in Windows that were native or simple just took too much effort to figure out.
Not bashing it by any means, it has it's place, but it just is not for me, and saying things like "You'll never go back" is just ignorant.
 
So if I upgrade to Windows 10, will I have to change/upgrade my excel or word programs to work? I use some files from the 90's.
 
Originally Posted by Lubener
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Wondering how many Windows 7 users here (and everywhere) are going to keep using Windows 7 after the Microsoft support ends in Jan 2020.

With all of the updates on Win7, and with use of good anti-virus/anti-malware programs is it really still that vulnerable to viruses and hackers?

Win7 does everything I need and frankly I really like that OS and would use it forever if I could.

If you just do web browsing, I wouldn't worry about it. You likely would have to replace your PC anyway to run 10. Drivers for your legacy hardware is another story.


Most drivers for 7 work on 10, so I've had very few issues with legacy hardware on systems in the wild. A few notable exceptions are the SiS-based USB VGA adapters, which simply do not work on 10. The "Trigger" based ones work fine. Intel's 9.3-series Chipset drivers for Windows 7 work properly for older chipsets that are identified as "generic" on an install of 10, as do their AHCI drivers/RST software. Video drivers for "unsupported" Intel offerings from Windows 7 also appear to work just fine.
 
Originally Posted by bugeye
So if I upgrade to Windows 10, will I have to change/upgrade my excel or word programs to work? I use some files from the 90's.


No, Office 2007 for example still runs just fine on Windows 10.
 
I don't understand the W10 hate at all. W10 is almost identical and so much more efficient.

Before I sold it, I upgraded my netbook with a super-underpowered AMD E350 APU from W7 to W10, and it breathed some life back into it.

Mainstream programs will work on W10. I don't know if it's still the case, but when I upgraded it did a compatibility check BEFORE install and told me every program that will not work after the upgrade. In my case, there were no programs listed for the three machines I upgraded.

1. Intel Nephalem i7-powered PC (1st gen core)

2. AMD E-350-powered laptop

3. Intel Ivy Bridge i7 (3rd gen core)
 
Time for a new computer with Win 10 I prefer the simplicity of Win XP though.
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
With all of the updates on Win7.....

You really don't understand why updates are necessary, do you ? Updates primarily focus on patching an exploit or flaw that's been found. An exploit that's found next week will require an update from Microsoft.

If you choose to continue running Windows 7, I'd advise disconnecting it from the internet. You'll be safe in that case.
 
By 2020, win 10 is forcasted to have 68% PC market and win7 to be 26% and I would imagine that number dropping fast once the support ends.
From security point of view, it is actually a good thing. Hackers want to target the biggest group. Windows 7 will still have millions of users, so the vonurability will be there, but it should not be as big of a threat as many make it out to be.

Personally, I will install linux as a second boot, for my online stuff, and keep windows 7 for productivity and games as long as I can.

I will probably build another computer when I finally decide to go with the latest windows OS, and keep my current one for some old school games. None of that current, heavily monetized, grind fests are for me.
 
Originally Posted by KrisZ
By 2020, win 10 is forcasted to have 68% PC market and win7 to be 26% and I would imagine that number dropping fast once the support ends.
From security point of view, it is actually a good thing. Hackers want to target the biggest group.

That's a very valid point that many non-Windows users try and tout (for the record, my main computers are Macs). Just because you don't hear about exploits against macOS, Linux, etc doesn't mean they're more secure, it just means they're not a big enough target !
 
I had a gaming PC running Windows 7 since I built it in 2010 and I swore up and down I would never upgrade to 10 unless I absolutely had to.

Just my luck, a few months ago a power surge took my computer and I ended up just buying a pre-built with similar specs to what I was planning to build as a new PC anyway.

It honestly only took me maybe an hour at the most to get used to 10. It's really not that different since it has a desktop and everything, the hardest part was getting used to the new way of navigating the start menu because of the Cortana bar.
 
I don't mind win 10 interface. I have a laptop running win 10 and it's fine in that regard. But if you go through all the data tracking settings, it simply crazy, just like android. Then you add updates that can do all sorts of weird stuff to your system and it's not something I want for my main computer.
 
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