Windows 7 End Of Support Security Options???

[Banyarola]

I have W7 on one machine and 10 on another...

Any suggestions for Anti-Virus and Firewall programs for W7 after W7 support ends in a few days...??

 

[RolandJS]

There are many posts throughout sevenforums with all kinds of very good suggestions, I simply will not repeat them here.

 

[Banyarola]

Anyone else have any suggestions on what they are doing for W7 end of life?
Please don't suggest browsing the forums..I want to hear what YOU are doing..
Thanks.
Bany..

 

[SIW2]

Pretty much this using non MS mail client and browser and without emet

dedoimoedo

 

[Banyarola]

Thanks for your input SIW2
I use Gmail with Thunderbird and I use Chrome...
What's 'EMET' ??

I will use my W10 machine for banking and also my mail..It's all setup now so I don't have to use W7 for such secure stuff.

I'm just interested in a basic firewall, like Zone Alarm and a free anti-virus like AVG..

 

[RolandJS]

Ahhh, I got it now, I am using Heimdal Premiumv Home, Emsisoft, HitmanPro.Alert TSRs, and a few others as on-demand`scanners. I'm trying Spybot TSR and leaving Emsisoft as an on-demand scanner to test things.

 

[edassange]

Hi Banyarola. If you click on my system specs you'll see I'm using Kaspersky, OSArmor and Voodooshield, a pretty awesome free combo that should still keep you safe.

Of course, it is still also possible to get Windows 7 updates for free:
It appears that the Windows 7 ESU Bypass is indeed working - gHacks Tech News

If you want to find out more about it you could also go to the My Digital Life forum but you will have to register. Good luck.

EDIT: You can actually read more about it on this forum on another thread:
KB4537820 Security Monthly Quality Rollup update Windows 7 - Feb 11

 

[OvenMaster]

Avira AV Free - which I use - has said specifically that they will offer support and virus updates until January 14, 2022.

 

[file3456]

Check out the now free Sandboxie sandbox program for your browser. Scan ALL, and I mean ALL downloads at virustotal.com

Firewall really not needed if you have a router. Routers use SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection). Unless you're concerned about outbounds.

 

[maxseven]

Avira AV Free - which I use - has said specifically that they will offer support and virus updates until January 14, 2022.

I was using Avira Free until I realized recently that they'd done some sort of "Update" wherein they added all sorts of other non-free junk (VPN, Speedup, Software Updater, etc). Worse, it seems also they've done-away with Settings that allow e.g. to add Exceptions to the real-time protection bit. After struggling to install all that crap, I went to Kaspersky site and they too have added "extra tools!" to their free AV.

If anyone knows a free AV that does real-time protection by all means post. In the meantime my Action Center is not happy, and neither am I!

 

[OvenMaster]

I was using Avira Free until I realized recently that they'd done some sort of "Update" wherein they added all sorts of other non-free junk (VPN, Speedup, Software Updater, etc). Worse, it seems also they've done-away with Settings that allow e.g. to add Exceptions to the real-time protection bit. After struggling to install all that crap, I went to Kaspersky site and they too have added "extra tools!" to their free AV.

If anyone knows a free AV that does real-time protection by all means post. In the meantime my Action Center is not happy, and neither am I!

Unless I miss my guess, this is available by right-clicking on the Avast icon in the systray, then going to Menu -> Settings -> Exceptions. You can put exceptions on files, folders, or websites.

 

[maxseven]

Unless I miss my guess, this is available by right-clicking on the Avast icon in the systray, then going to Menu -> Settings -> Exceptions. You can put exceptions on files, folders, or websites.

As I said, those settings are gone, or at least if they were still there, I could no longer find them. I have since uninstalled it (successfully, though man it was a b*tch to do) and installed instead Avast Free, which happily has "custom install" capability where I un-checked all the extra junk and kept only the basic AV. So far so good.

Anyone who might have the absolute newest Avira Free installed and can post how to have it with the Exceptions still intact, I might go-back to it as it worked well enough until the update that lost me.

 

[Banyarola]

I'm using MSE...It's still supported on W7 and updates every day..
I have found that all those free AV programs are full of bloatware, constant popups to but it and various other things.
But, it works for me and maybe not others...

 

[maxseven]

I'm using MSE...It's still supported on W7 and updates every day..
I have found that all those free AV programs are full of bloatware, constant popups to but it and various other things.
But, it works for me and maybe not others...

Of course, to each his or her own, but as I said at least Avast gave me the option of not installing any unwanted extras. I skipped Kaspersky because of their extras--maybe they too have a "custom install" that lets you skip the extras.

It's been my understanding that MSE is just not as thorough as other AV-centric companies' products. No doubt fine for what it does. Banyarola does MSE by itself make Action Center happy in the Virus and Spyware categories?

 

[Banyarola]

As far as I know'Action Center' is only on W10...Besides, I don't know what you mean by 'happy'...
On my W10 machine I use Windows Defender which is by Microsoft..

Anyway, I have used MSE on W7 for years and never have any problems...Don't click on unknown stuff and keep backups and things seem to be fine.
I image every morning to removable HDD

 

[maxseven]

The Action Center is indeed in W7 and will show a red flag in the tray as well as place warnings in its CP if the computer doesn't have an AV program ("Virus protection"), and again if it doesn't have "Spyware and unwanted software protection".

It probably considers MSE to satisfy the Virus reqmt and maybe you have Windows Defender turned on.

Yes we are talking about W7 in sevenforums.com

 

[Banyarola]

Oh, that action center...I never see it..Once in a blue moon..I think it had to do with a conflict or something..Yes, I have Windows Defender as a chrome browser extension..

 

[file3456]

Unless I miss my guess, this is available by right-clicking on the Avast icon in the systray, then going to Menu -> Settings -> Exceptions. You can put exceptions on files, folders, or websites.

He's talking about Avira, not Avast.

 

[maxseven]

Yeah I've been very happy running now Avast instead of Avira. There were two things I needed to pay attention to, first being to un-check the "safe browser" it wanted to install. Next I made sure to click the "Custom" (or was it Customized?) button which showed all the programs it was about to install. Then I checked simply "Minimal Install" and it gave me what I wanted, which as I've said does have things like Exceptions settings which Avira apparently took-out of their Free version.

I had read lots of good stuff about Kaspersky Free but when I went to their website it talked about Extras I don't want. If anyone here know that Kaspersky does also allow for a "Minimal Install" by all means let me know in case I decide I want to change from Avast for some reason.

 

[OvenMaster]

He's talking about Avira, not Avast.

Oh, Lord. I'm so sorry, everyone. I have always gotten the two confused.

If a mod thinks my posts should be deleted, by all means, go for it.
Apologies from Tom