What should we do after January 2020

[ZakGordon7]

Windows 8 (and the initial launch of XboxOne) showed me the general direction Windows was likely to go in, And then we had Windows 10. Point proven.

Sure you can fiddle with Windows 10 to try to make it look like a decent Windows OS, you can (now) switch of some telemetry easily within the OS options etc, but you are still completely at the mercy of MS in relation to updates. It's not an OS you control (certainly not easily on a home license) so much as an OS that allows you some access to it. From my experience of it (we have one 'test' laptop running Windows 10 to see exactly how it stacks up vs 7) it is a pain to use and each update often resets a bunch of choices i've made within the OS. So i have to redo all the settings most of the time. It's certainly not an OS i would use seriously on a main PC that handles important info.

So a few years back (around that Xbox One disaster release) i set one laptop up with Linux Mint (first Cinnamon, then now after a recent upgrade from 17.1 to 18.3 i switched over to Mint XFCE) just to see what that was like. As a longtime Windows user (back to the 98se days) i found it overall much better in terms of GUI and general functionality than the more recent MS OS (8 and 10 in this case).

It felt like a proper solid OS built with the user in mind and it soon became the PC i use nearly exclusively for internet connection. My running fine Windows 7 Pro machine has mostly been used offline for games and some specific productivity software i was not sure Windows 8 or 10 would run well.

I will not be changing this setup come January 2020. Windows 8 was already showing us a side of MS i had no interest in supporting, and Windows 10 just 100% confirmed MS was not a company i could trust anymore. Luckily Linux Mint is a solid Windows replacement and Windows 7 was such a high point in MS OS design (with a few little GUI tweaks) i have no desire to move to a new inferior product designed not for me but to troll me and treat me like an asset to strip (off data) and sell off to third parties. Just yuk! What an abusive relationship!

So no thanks MS, but thanks for forcing my hand to try out Linux (Mint) and discover you were no longer required (mostly).

My latest build (AMD Ryzen 5 1600 mini-itx system) will be dual-boot Linux Mint and Windows 7 (the old Ryzens and Mobo's work fine on Windows 7 if you get the right hardware). Windows 10? it's just awful (and subject to change at any moment with no control over that from end user). RIP MS as far as this household is concerned.

 

[michael diemer]

My situation is similar to Zak's. I use Linux for all my internet work. I have another computer with W7 Pro, which I use for music creation. I plan to keep that machine as is, as far into the future as my legs will carry me. I stopped updating several months ago, when the update process just became too problematic.

However, my wife wanted a new laptop, a smaller one than the 17" Dell beast she now has. So we picked up an HP 360 2 in 1. She likes the touch screen and the "flippability," both things I can do without. The plan is to install Linux (Zorin, specifically), keeping W10 "just in case." In case of exactly what, I'm not sure. but I have discovered that the WIFI doesn't work when running Linux on this machine. I did not research it enough. There is a fix, which I will attempt when the usb-ethernet adapter arrives (I've only run Linux as a "live" distro (OS) so far). Meanwhile, I have done everything I could to tamp down the more obnoxious features of W10. And the machine is growing on her, so I'm not sure we will return it. Point being, make sure you research the machine you plan to use Linux on, especially if you're buying one for that purpose. A good idea is to check the forum for that distro (Mint, Zorin etc.). Even better, join it, and ask the question: How does this distro work with this machine, or HP's, or Lenovos etc in general?

 

[Rokkor]

I enjoyed Windows 7 and planned on keeping it until hell froze over, or it would no longer work on the internet...whatever came first : ) I'm no computer guru, just an end user who was concerned about MS end of support for W7. So for the last 6 months I've been haunting this excellent board for tips on making my W7 more secure...and I learned a lot. I also spent a lot of time searching internet articles about different Linux distributions, as I thought I'd try duel booting. I'd google: 'best Linux', 'easiest to use Linux', 'best Linux for Windows users' and as my wife has a 12 year old under-powered laptop I also googled 'best Linux for older computers'...Of course the major computer sites had different recommendations, but one Linux distribution kept appearing at the top of all of those list.

It was Linux Mint that was highly recommend for being easy to use for those new to Linux, and easy to transition to for Windows users. Mint was also highly rated for coming complete 'out of the box' with all needed software and apps, and with the drivers one would need. In other words a simple to use operating system, and one that didn't need high end, powerful computers to run.

So I went ahead and installed the latest version of Linux Mint 19.2, I chose the Cinnamon desktop which to me is very much like Windows 7. I installed Mint 19.2 on my wife's old laptop but chose the MATE desktop, just to be different. I couldn't believe how easy it was to install Mint, much easier then when I installed Windows 7. You can even run Mint from a USB thumb drive, though if you only have USB 2.0 like me, it runs slower, but once installed on a hardrive it's fast....faster than W7.

I still have W7 on my second hardrive in my PC, though I seldom boot to it now. The only reason I kept W7 was to use Photoshop but once I installed WINE software on Mint I could then install Windows programs on Mint.

I don't blame anyone for not wanting to go to Windows 10, the thought of having ads forced down my throat and having my telemetry mined by MS is unacceptable to me, not to mention those pesky W10 updates. I shut off updates in W7 awhile ago and it ran better for it. I see MS this summer yet again updated some telemetry to W7, ugh.

Anyway just wanted to say this has been a great website with lots of helpful information and W7 was a great OS. But for me I need to be in control of my OS, not some corporate giant. Thank goodness I found Mint.

 

[johnk1va]

Tried Win 10 and hate it

I still have a computer operating--it was an old XP in which I installed Win 7 to maintain more easily for the visiting granddaughters (read rebuild after they loaded game/song stuff each visit!)--that I let "upgrade" to Win 10. I did that even though the granddaughters now use iPhones and never touch it; I wanted to see how Win 10 worked. I had a Win 7 HP laptop and a vacation Win 7 Dell desktop that got upgraded with that corrupt "red X to close" gambit--got the download to block Win 10 install on my main Win 7 desktop in home. After several months of Win 10, I used the HP and Dell reinstall disks to get back to Win 7 for both. Win 10 acted more like a virus than operating system!

I installed Debian Linux on an old XP computer I had and have been playing with it. I like it but the lack of support for some of my programs and network devices limits it. I probably need to spend more time with Linux--it has been 25 years since I used Slackware on an old computer.

I plan on using Win 7 after the EOL date. I use Norton 360/Malwarebytes/Spybot on all computers (premium versions on the laptop, home, and vacation Win 7 computers). Also, I don't go to unsafe sites, don't launch e-mail attachments generally, and practice good opsec. We'll see what happens next...

 

[nord899]

I've been missing from sevenforums for a long time as Real Life kinda got in the way, but today I've come back and wanted to know what folks were saying about W7's impending EOL and this has been the best thread so far.

I must say that I stopped reading about midway as I've decided I'm with the ladies on this one. I have a W7Pro laptop that has worked well for some years now, that I move between our Summer and Winter homes, and which I have a backup for i.e. an identical twin that sits in wait of any hardware failure. I can see here that an upgrade to W10 is cheap (free) but...why? Why should I put myself through the "upgrade" process if everything works to my satisfaction, i.e. it ain't broke, so why should I fix it? I already practice safe computing, am not in any kind of situations where someone might pick me out of a crowd i.e. to hack into me.

I expect there'll come a time in the future where I'll need to upgrade this LAPTOP machine (a Dell Latitude i7) to some new platform I can't live without, and at that time I will no doubt be forced into some brave new MS world but heck it probably won't even be called 10 at that time. And in the meantime my wife has a W10 laptop (for fun) and I have an Intel Compute Stick with W10 that I haven't even deployed yet, so my skillset won't be left completely in the dust. But my current setup is comfortable so I'm gonna stick with it.

Surprise, surprise, we have a rescuer for Windows 7 updates.

0Patch to support Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 with security patches after official support end - gHacks Tech News

 

[dg1261]

Like several others here, I stopped updating Win 7 a few years ago. For all I care, MS could have ended support two years ago, and my computer would be no less safe than it is today.

All this hand-wringing over Jan 2020 is like a lovers' spat over who-broke-up-with-who first. Who cares? If you already broke up, it doesn't change things when your ex finally accepts that you broke up.

Although, I would prefer it if people stopped calling it EOL. There's still plenty of life left in Win 7 yet, so Jan 2020 is not EOL. Instead, I've been calling it EOS: "End of Support". EOL is when something no longer does what you need it to. Win 7 is nowhere near reaching that point.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi dg1261,

[1] Like several others here, I stopped updating Win 7 a few years ago. For all I care, MS could have ended support two years ago, and my computer would be no less safe than it is today.

[2] All this hand-wringing over Jan 2020 is like a lovers' spat over who-broke-up-with-who first. Who cares? If you already broke up, it doesn't change things when your ex finally accepts that you broke up.

[3] Although, I would prefer it if people stopped calling it EOL. There's still plenty of life left in Win 7 yet, so Jan 2020 is not EOL. Instead, I've been calling it EOS: "End of Support". EOL is when something no longer does what you need it to. Win 7 is nowhere near reaching that point.

[1] I mostly agree with that [excluding .NET Framework etc].
[2] Very true!
[3] I like the EOS: "End of Support".

 

[RoWin7]

...

Although, I would prefer it if people stopped calling it EOL. There's still plenty of life left in Win 7 yet, so Jan 2020 is not EOL. Instead, I've been calling it EOS: "End of Support". EOL is when something no longer does what you need it to. Win 7 is nowhere near reaching that point.

Should we be concerned when the anti-viruses stop supporting 7? That's when I finally dumped xp, reluctantly.

 

[Brds7t7]

Depends how long they're planning to support it for. I'm guessing it will be until at least 2023, because MS is offering businesses the ESU option.

Older versions of AVs will continue to run anyway, and they'll still get definition updates. If you're using multiple layers of protection on your PC then I wouldn't worry about it too much.

The only one I worry about these days is ransomware. But, I do have good ransomware protection and lots of group policies set to stop Malware from running in the first place. Best practice is to have multiple backups and images anyway.

 

[enderpman]

The solution: free Extended Security Updates through January 2023

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/modern-desktop/enterprise/windows-virtual-desktop
"Customers can also access Windows 10 and Windows 7 with Windows Virtual Desktop from their non-Windows Pro endpoints if they have a M365 E3/E5 or VDA per user license."
For free, but it's only for business licenses. Oh well.

 

[RoWin7]

Depends how long they're planning to support it for. I'm guessing it will be until at least 2023, because MS is offering businesses the ESU option.

Older versions of AVs will continue to run anyway, and they'll still get definition updates. If you're using multiple layers of protection on your PC then I wouldn't worry about it too much.

The only one I worry about these days is ransomware. But, I do have good ransomware protection and lots of group policies set to stop Malware from running in the first place. Best practice is to have multiple backups and images anyway.

Right. If you have good backups, ransomware is toothless. Aside from images, I have another entire computer that duplicates the OS, programs and data of this one. It's my hardware and software backup.

 

[erpster4]

just recently saw this on Softpedia news

Windows 7 Under Attack as Retirement Date Just Around the Corner

 

[feetand nches]

0patch.com

Take a look at this and tell me what you think?

 

[Bree]

There's still plenty of life left in Win 7 yet, so Jan 2020 is not EOL. Instead, I've been calling it EOS: "End of Support". EOL is when something no longer does what you need it to. Win 7 is nowhere near reaching that point.

That is in fact the official term Microsoft use....

The specific end of support day for Windows 7 will be January 14, 2020

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4057281/windows-7-support-will-end-on-january-14-2020

Should we be concerned when the anti-viruses stop supporting 7? That's when I finally dumped xp, reluctantly.

I dumped XP when the laptop I was using it on fell apart. Up to then it had been doing a fine job in running a bank account spreadheet and all my other other finances. Never connected it to the web, so safe from hacking or ransomware.

It's place was taken by a Win7 laptop. That's going to stay on 7 (and away from the web) for as long as it keeps working


(my other car is a Porsche machines are W10)

 

[maxseven]

0patch.com

Take a look at this and tell me what you think?

Been reading for only a few minutes but it seems this is legit. A service from a company named ACROS Security in Slovenia that has been around for a long time.

My first reaction was "micropatches that fix security issues on-the-fly? NO WAY, feels like an opportunity for exploitation". But they seem (perhaps) trustworthy and their service will be free for home users. Haven't decided if PRO patches are worth an annual fee (cheaper than MS).

I am going to seriously consider trying it.

 

[sdowney717]

How about drivers, when you install PCIE cards, windows 7 retrieves the right drivers. Is that going away?
Because that would be worse than not getting new security updates.

Is MS saying you wont get ANY updates even old ones? Say you just installed raw windows 7 ultimate, will MS provide all updates up to a final end game point as mentioned that 2020 date, or will it not offer anything at all?

 

[Melchior]

How about drivers, when you install PCIE cards, windows 7 retrieves the right drivers. Is that going away?
Because that would be worse than not getting new security updates.

Is MS saying you wont get ANY updates even old ones? Say you just installed raw windows 7 ultimate, will MS provide all updates up to a final end game point as mentioned that 2020 date, or will it not offer anything at all?

You should be able to get all current and old updates,

they just are not releasing any new updates for Windows 7...

 

[SIW2]

Is MS saying you wont get ANY updates even old ones? Say you just installed raw windows 7 ultimate, will MS provide all updates up to a final end game point as mentioned that 2020 date, or will it not offer anything at all?

MS updates for Vista are still available.






Pretty obvious win7 updates will be available for quite some time.

 

[Melchior]

SIW2, what is the name of the program u are using to view Windows update catalog?

 

[SIW2]

If you are interested in creating updated win7 installation media, I have made a thing that can do it for you

Update your Win 7 installation media.