Ramblings of an old Doc
You can still update to W10 for free
Published on January 14, 2020 By DrJBHL In Personal Computing

W7 ran its course from 2009 to 2020.

MS has notified that there will be no more support for W7, meaning its kernel will become vulnerable to attack:

"Security updates are essential to staying safe online, and Windows 10 is getting them while Windows 7 isn’t. Many flaws found in Windows 10 will also apply to Windows 7. Attackers will hear about them and can start attacking those vulnerable Windows 7 systems. As more time goes by, more unpatched, known flaws will exist in Windows 7 for exploiting. Hardware manufacturers are also supporting Windows 10 instead of Windows 7. This will only get truer after the end-of-support date. Even software companies will one day stop releasing new versions of their web browsers and other software for Windows 7." - How to Geek

Needless to say, drivers compatible to W7 will also not be updated by the various hardware and software companies.

Many aren't updating because their machines might be old. This is another error. W10 will run faster than W7 if the W10 requirements are met, and which aren't so different than the demands of W7.

True, the huge updates are a minus, but, they go hand in hand with security updates as well. Also, the updates have been getting smaller, perhaps because they involve enabling features present in prior downloads which sit quietly on your system until enough testing (supposedly) allows MS to "unmask" them.

The security, or lack thereof in W7, is well explained here: https://www.neowin.net/news/gchq-its-time-to-ditch-windows-7-if-you-want-to-stay-safe-online. GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters), is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the government and armed forces of the United Kingdom.

There's still a way to update to W10 for free: https://www.howtogeek.com/266072/you-can-still-get-windows-10-for-free-with-a-windows-7-8-or-8.1-key/

All in all, W7 is now an OS with a major liability, and you should migrate.

 

gHacks has a good take on W7's end of life: https://www.ghacks.net/2020/01/14/windows-7-support-ends-today-here-are-your-options/?_m=3n%2e0038%2e2414%2ehj0ao01hy5%2e2iur


Comments (Page 1)
5 Pages1 2 3  Last
on Jan 14, 2020

Done switched today.....

on Jan 14, 2020

don5318

Done switched today.....

Sound move. The risks of continuing to use W7, even though it was a wonderful OS, just aren't justifiable.

on Jan 14, 2020

Thanks for the information.   

on Jan 14, 2020

I posted about this a few days ago.  Thanks Doc.  I gave up on 7 way back when 10 first arrived.  10 is just better under the hood, if not ugly as hell.

 

Security is a must tho.

on Jan 14, 2020

I have to say, Windows 10 is just so much better in so many ways than Windows 7 at this point.

on Jan 14, 2020

Frogboy

I have to say, Windows 10 is just so much better in so many ways than Windows 7 at this point.

Only with Start10 installed  

on Jan 14, 2020

Oh right! This was a problem.

I switched 6 months ago. I got a new computer and everything. I figured it would be best to take care of this problem sooner rather than later.

on Jan 14, 2020

Every computer here is on 10....except 2.

One is still on XP....it's ancient...gonna experiment with a to 7 to 10 revival....see what happens....

The other one is this one....and I'm definitely NOT ditching 7 yet....

on Jan 14, 2020


The other one is this one....and I'm definitely NOT ditching 7 yet....

I have an ancient Alienware laptop that I still use occasionally with 7 on it. It came with Vista and I upgraded it to 7.  Tried to upgrade to 10, but it failed because of no drivers for some of the hardware.  I'm stuck with 7 on that machine.

on Jan 15, 2020


The other one is this one....and I'm definitely NOT ditching 7 yet....

ESUs are available for businesses, but not for home users, unfortunately.

Make sure you have a good backup...

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4527878/faq-about-extended-security-updates-for-windows-7

on Jan 15, 2020

Windows 7 will always have a special place in my heart. I still remember how much of a nightmare Vista was, not just in its visual design but how bad the driver support was, poor optimization etc. With Windows 7 it was like an apology from Microsoft after Vista and it was a breath of fresh air for many users.

on Jan 15, 2020

Doc...my backups are auto and daily and redundancy enabled...and I have 'entertaining' methodology when it comes to security...eg...my mobile phone does not do emails....or banking...or shopping....

on Jan 15, 2020

SchismNavigator

but how bad the driver support was,

It was dead in the water for me....the driver it couldn't 'find' was the network card...so no Internet so no go.

on Jan 15, 2020


Doc...my backups are auto and daily and redundancy enabled...and I have 'entertaining' methodology when it comes to security...eg...my mobile phone does not do emails....or banking...or shopping....

 

Now THAT deserves a major bravo. Glad especially about the phone part. Btw, NEVER use a "free" public charging station for your phone/mobile devices.

on Jan 15, 2020

I still run 7 and 8.1 in VMWare.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.   And since it's a VM, updates aren't as crucial.

5 Pages1 2 3  Last