Certain web page is missing information

There's a regional classified ad magazine that also lets ad be submitted online. Recently they changed their page and some sections of the ad submission page are missing using Windows 7. I called their tech support and the first question they asked is what browser and what OS I used. When I said Windows 7, the answer was that I needed to use at least Windows 10 now to submit an ad. My real question is what difference does it make what OS is being used? Also - is there any work around?

The operating system itself is of little to no importance at all for web pages. The browser does all the work and processing and the OS has little influence in the final look and feel of the site, so the browser is by far the most important factor. An older OS may limit the maximum browser version that works there, but that's it.

What could have an influence is that the browser reports the OS version by default, and the server may choose to send different html, so that the website itself can impose an arbitrary limitation. Try changing your user agent so that you report Win10 instead. Of course that if the site does that I would seriously doubt the seriousness of the company itself.

Alejandro85 said:

. Try changing your user agent so that you report Win10 instead.

How do I do that?

There is an extension for that. In firefox, just search for "User-Agent-Switcher," install it, and check the boxes at the top of the page that say "Windows 10" and "Firefox 102..etc". Then at the bottom, check the last two boxes to set it. You need to do this every time in my experience, as it doesn't seem to last. If using another browser. then do the same from that browser's extension or add-on feature.

Thank you for the follow up info. Seems like a lot of manipulation. I think if I have anything to post on that site, I'll go to the library and use their computers which I hope they have a more recent OS. Thanks again.

debodun said:

Seems like a lot of manipulation. I think if I have anything to post on that site, I'll go to the library and use their computers which I hope they have a more recent OS.

Suit yourself, but that's a lot more cumbersome that what michael diemer has suggested. It's as simple as installing the extension, clicking the drop-down, and choosing which browser and which OS you want to masquerade as. Here's one example using Chrome 103 on Win 7 but the website will think I'm using Firefox 113 on Win 10, and another example using Firefox 114 on Win 7 masquerading as Chrome 118 on Win 10.





Beware there are many generic "user agent switchers" and most are not very good. Make sure you install the correct one -- it's from developer "Ray" and the logo is a shady looking guy in an orange trench-coat and gray hat.

I haven't had the problems michael referred to with a setting not "sticking", but I will note I sometimes have to refresh the page the first time I load a particular website and then my previous setting will take effect for the rest of that browser session.