Daily use of Windows 7 in 2025

[ikeece]

I recently found my old HP Pavilion g6 Dandelion Breeze laptop running windows 7 Home Premium SP1 so i figured i should go through it and in doing so, i remembered how much i loved this laptop and just windows 7 itself so i decided to begin using it as a daily laptop for at home use, as performance wise, it still puts up a fight to my current laptop that I'm using for work, school, and personal use. I just came on here to see who out there is still using windows 7 as their main operating system, and if there's any somewhat basic things i should do to increase the security on this computer as I'm not too comfortable with getting into super complex things. Thanks!

 

[SIW2]

Definitely get a decent av. microsoft security essentials. You need to install the sha2 update for the av definitions.
windows6.1-kb4474419-v3-x64.msu
Microsoft Update Catalog

 

[wa791st]

I'm certainly not as knowledgeable as others, but going on what you said you're using it for and the question of security, some of my advice would contain a measure of common sense about links and attachments and not opening them if you're unsure.
Something else that would be good is making backups so you have something to fall back on in case something happens. I believe the option to backup is within your settings. I don't remember the path off the top of my head.

I would consider purchasing a USB that contains versions of Windows 7, too. I used one that I ordered off of Amazon recently to reinstall Windows 7 on a laptop I accidentally broke due to mismanagement on my end. It was not very expensive and if you would like, I can find the name of it and send it your way for you to look into.

If others come and say this advice shouldn't be heeded, feel free to listen to them. This is what I know with the experience I have.

 

[sluggerb]

. I just came on here to see who out there is still using windows 7 as their main operating system, and if there's any somewhat basic things i should do to increase the security on this computer as I'm not too comfortable with getting into super complex things. Thanks!

I daily Win7, never had an issue ever. PC Security is mostly a behavioral issue, not a technology issue.

If someone gets a spoofed email from someone in their contact list telling them to look at this cute puppy dog video and they click on "CutePuppyDogs.exe" and click "Ignore" and "Yes" 20 times in a row while their email client, AV, and OS all desperately tell them not to run the program, and it installs a backdoor on the PC, that's not a technology problem. Any PC on earth will be compromised by that user behavior, regardless of OS or AV being used.

Make sure Windows Firewall is turned on, keep the laptop behind any old consumer grade router, Install MSE, keep it updated, and create a standard user account you use to log in and not an administrator account, and on the technology side you will be just as secure and any other PC out there. Practice safe computing behaviors and you will have nothing to worry about