Is anyone still using Windows 7?

[SCANNERMAN777]

Unfortunately both my credit unions now got a stick up their butts and have basically froze me out of online banking. With my previous credit union (Patelco), all I needed user name and password. With these two the latest&greatest browser is required, and I was unable to install Firefox 115 even temporarily on either LiveCDs. Tried to circumvent it by using the library computer, which worked, but then I found out the next hurdle was I had to play Secret Agent/I Spy with them. They required me to get a super-top-secret-ultra-classified-your-eyes-only code by text. Yeah, don't have a text phone, nor will I ever, so that was the dealbreaker.

I can however still do online shopping with Linux LiveCDs.

Some might say 'tuff titty' for me because I don't want to get with the times. Others might tell me to shut up and stop whining just because I don't want to get with the program and shell out the clams for the latest gimmick going. My point is that I happen to be the end user here. That makes me the paying customer. The tree should bend to me — not me to the tree. OMGG some people talk like tech is their Lord and Master when it was made by man, designed to serve mankind.

I greatly value this thing called Liberty and part of maintaining it is maintaining one's options. When we start running out of choices we begin to lose this and we are in danger of becoming monopolized. Recently this year I could not log into my PayPal account because I didn't own a cell. I called PayPal about this and finally found a way to speak with a genuine, flesh and blood human being there. They verified that this was the standard policy now and insisted that they could not help me if I didn't have access to a cell phone. I asked if our conversation was being recorded and I was assured that it was. Then I stated that this is good because I want it on record that I think PayPal is cutting the nose off their own face by excluding people without cell phones in this manner and that I was surprised that in this age of technology that they would be so inflexible. "Sir," she said, "I'm sorry but I cannot help you." "On the contrary," I said, "you can make sure that your superiors get this recording so that they can make better business decisions." I went on further to state that not even Microsoft does this to people. That they provide options for verification and authentication.

Yeah, some here might tell me to shut up, but they're missing out on something of fundamental importance: Liberty. As natural living, breathing creatures we need to keep our options open to us. We are not cyborgs. (Although I'm beginning to wonder about some people.) If people like me don't stand up and speak up we will all fall under the blanket of monopolistic tyranny and become the servants of those who claim to serve us. I'm not about to pay a monopoly to do that to me.

Change doesn't happen when people shut up and put up with blatant and callous behaviour. A corporation only understands the language of money. So I spoke PayPal's language and stopped using them. Now I realize I'm not alone here. An amazing thing happened this week. It would seem that PayPal finally got the message and made an alternative way to verify ones account so that one could access it online. This is news. I have yet to try this but my wife verified it and she's been trying to access her PayPal account online for over a year now. So yes, it really does pay to COMPLAIN, BROADCAST, and EXPOSE those things that are less than advantageous to a paying customer and to make one's views known.

I'm happy to learn that Linux still provides you with an option. I don't recommend using a public network for financial transactions and you really should not have to. Often times what is being passed off as "progress" is really just a means of bringing we, the plebs, under the thumb of a tyrant. Call your credit union and tell them what you think. There is a difference between service and dis-service. Limiting authentication to cell phone technology is flat-out lazy dis-service on the part of those with the money and means to be flexible.

- - - Updated - - -

Firefox works fine for me.

My favourite browser, my friend!

 

[dg1261]

Unfortunately both my credit unions now got a stick up their butts and have basically froze me out of online banking. With my previous credit union (Patelco), all I needed user name and password. With these two the latest&greatest browser is required

Are those CU websites malfunctioning or freezing with your chosen browser? Or are they merely doing a browser check and refusing to let you continue? If the latter, you might want to try using Ray's "User-Agent Switcher and Manager" extension, available for both Chrome and Firefox. (Warning: if you do a search, there are multiple extensions with the same name, so the one I'm talking about is authored by the developer "Ray".)

"User-Agent Switcher and Manager" works by masquerading your OS and browser versions to make websites think you're using a different version of Windows and/or a different browser version. This has allowed me to continue using my favorite, locked-down OS and browser version with my bank and credit card websites.

Aside: I also have a Patelco account, which I've kept even though I've recently moved out of their service area. I've been a long-time fan of Patelco because they're the only financial institution I've had experience with that supports proper TOTP authenticator apps (like Authy, WinAuth, Google Authenticator, et al). Most financial sites only support the less secure SMS authentication, if at all. With Patelco, I can use TOTP authentication from my desktop without requiring a smartphone.

I opened a new CU account local to my new state, but not only do they support no form of 2FA at all, their Bill Pay functions are farmed out to some rando third-party website with its own login. That's not gonna happen, so I'm still looking for alternatives.

 

[SCANNERMAN777]

Are those CU websites malfunctioning or freezing with your chosen browser? Or are they merely doing a browser check and refusing to let you continue? If the latter, you might want to try using Ray's "User-Agent Switcher and Manager" extension, available for both Chrome and Firefox. (Warning: if you do a search, there are multiple extensions with the same name, so the one I'm talking about is authored by the developer "Ray".)

"User-Agent Switcher and Manager" works by masquerading your OS and browser versions to make websites think you're using a different version of Windows and/or a different browser version. This has allowed me to continue using my favorite, locked-down OS and browser version with my bank and credit card websites.

Aside: I also have a Patelco account, which I've kept even though I've recently moved out of their service area. I've been a long-time fan of Patelco because they're the only financial institution I've had experience with that supports proper TOTP authenticator apps (like Authy, WinAuth, Google Authenticator, et al). Most financial sites only support the less secure SMS authentication, if at all. With Patelco, I can use TOTP authentication from my desktop without requiring a smartphone.

I opened a new CU account local to my new state, but not only do they support no form of 2FA at all, their Bill Pay functions are farmed out to some rando third-party website with its own login. That's not gonna happen, so I'm still looking for alternatives.

I hate to say it, but I don't have these sorts of issues with FireFox on Linux Mint. There really should be a difference between secure and convenient vs frustrating and ridiculous. I refuse to use the GOOGLE browser for ethical reasons. They'll tell everyone else not to be evil while they endeavour to become world leader in spyware. They've already come up with a nasty way to put TPM requirements to work for them and to censor any potential competition. They really don't care about the end user.

Web Environment Integrity Must Be Stopped: Enslavement By "Remote Attestation" - Jody Bruchon Tech - YouTube

 

[Phredtx]

Windows 7 is still my primary operating system. I just prefer it. I have a notebook with Windows 10 and I think it's inferior. XP is also a good platform. I still use Lotus... am I considered a technological neanderthal or cro-magnon?

 

[MisterEd]

My main desktop has Windows 10 Pro while my main laptop has Windows 11 Pro. However, I still have some old computers with Windows XP and Windows 7. These old computers are just to play around with and not used every day like my Windows 10 & 11 ones are.

 

[T17]

Hello everyone, I still use Windows 7 and like plan to keep using it for daily browsing.

Bitdefender will stop supporting 7 in January, haven't heard about the others. What antivirus do you use or plan to use in the future? Or what else do you plan to do with regards security.

I wonder if any browers will continue to support 7 with updates after Firefox ends in 2024. Such as Waterfox, I suppose not as they hobble along after FF.

(Off Topic) Mister Ed was a great old show.

 

[Phredtx]

I hadn't heard that Firefox is ending!

 

[maxseven]

The issue I keep running-into is when I pull-up my bank login screen it says "we'll be ending our support of your browser unless you update it" and at least with one bank I've now seen this with Firefox, Brave, and yesterday I tried Pale Moon (no dice). So I'm looking now for a browser that appears "up to date" to these sites and yet works with Windows 7.

 

[dg1261]

The issue I keep running-into is when I pull-up my bank login screen it says "we'll be ending our support of your browser unless you update it" and at least with one bank I've now seen this with Firefox, Brave, and yesterday I tried Pale Moon (no dice). So I'm looking now for a browser that appears "up to date" to these sites and yet works with Windows 7.

I used to get that kind of message from my bank. Have you tried the "User-Agent Switcher and Manager" extension I mentioned above? It allows you to change your browser's HTTP header data to mimic a variety of different browsers, browser versions, and OS versions. My bank now quite happily thinks I'm using a different OS and browser version.

For example, here's an screenshot (in a VM to avoid accidental PII for illustration purposes) of 32-bit Windows 7 running Firefox 99, but websites think it's 64-bit Win 10 running FF 113. If you wanted, you could even make the website think you were on a Mac, iPhone, Android, linux, and more, running Safari, Chrome, Opera, et al.

 

[ian50]

[MENTION=255879]dg1261[/MENTION]

Interesting posts on User-Agent.

Thanks for the information

 

[maxseven]

I used to get that kind of message from my bank. Have you tried the "User-Agent Switcher and Manager" extension I mentioned above? It allows you to change your browser's HTTP header data to mimic a variety of different browsers, browser versions, and OS versions. My bank now quite happily thinks I'm using a different OS and browser version...

Not only did I overlook your first post about this, but I missed the above until just now too!

It took me a bit to decipher its operation but once I got it running and selected the "latest Firefox" with it, I can now goto my bank and not get the "You're soon to be screwed" message!

Thank you.

 

[MS Windows 7]

Yes, I see a lot of people still use it,

 

[originaljgf]

Well the issue is everyone expects everyone else to immediately jump on the bandwagon with every new tech advancement, be conversant with it, and want to use it. People look at me with astonishment when they find I do not carry this alleged "smart" phone around with me (I have never taken a photo with it, nor made a video or gone online, for me it is just a telephone ...and it most certainly is not smart).
Simply registering at a website has become an onerous and invasive procedure, much less accessing a bank or credit card site. I've leased commercial property with less trouble than getting an account balance online.

 

[Mike Lynch]

Say what?

Yes!

 

[FieroG97J]

Howcan I get rid of this annoying notice concerning Win 10 update at the top of the page?
​

 

[originaljgf]

Howcan I get rid of this annoying notice concerning Win 10 update at the top of the page?
​View attachment 423171

Disable auto-update in the browser.

 

[Megahertz07]

Howcan I get rid of this annoying notice concerning Win 10 update at the top of the page?
View attachment 423171

How to Remove Chrome Notification, To get future Google Chrome updates, you'll need Windows 10 - YouTube

How to disable "To get future Google Chrome updates, you'll need Windows 10 or later" startup warning on portable Ungoogled Chromium? - Super User

Disable or Remove Unsupported OS Warning in Edge on Windows 7 and 8.1

 

[pallmall]

I have IBM 286's with DOS v3.2 up to Win7 Pro that was upgraded from Vista...and that's far enough at my age. That stuff from the '70's still works as it did when it was new...5 1/4" floppy's and 10Mb hard drives...you can "feel" the computing power right through the table-top !

 

[Mike Lynch]

"Call for Pall Mall"!

Hey Pall, I didn't realize there were others out there with "vintage" tin.
I do also but never tried installing Windows on it.
I'm "vintage" 1944 and if GOD allows, I'll give W7 a try.
I'm worried however that I might not have enough strength to actuate the Power Switch.
They were monsters!

Best regards,

Mike Lynch

 

[MisterEd]

I have IBM 286's with DOS v3.2 up to Win7 Pro that was upgraded from Vista...and that's far enough at my age. That stuff from the '70's still works as it did when it was new...5 1/4" floppy's and 10Mb hard drives...you can "feel" the computing power right through the table-top !

You must be thinking about the 1980's...

The first microcomputer was the Altair 8800 in 1975. I never used one but did get to use a couple IMSAI 8080s where I worked. They had dual 8-inch floppy drives. They also had 10MB (5MB fixed/5MB removable) hard drives. BTW, the hard drives were about 2/3 the size of a washing machine.

The IBM PC didn't come out until 1981. They came with 5-1/4 inch floppy drives. Most people probably didn't use hard drives for a few years because they were very expensive then. The IBM PC/AT that came out in 1984 did come with a 20MB hard drive. It was very expensive at $6000 which was a lot of money back then.