Windows 7 Minimum Updates

[Leo625]

I used to run Win 7 with minimum updates years ago and thought it would be interesting to do so again. So I'm asking for input about what members recall are the bare minimum updates Win 7 requires in 2021 to run effectively. Gonna have to have USB3, SHA2, SP1, latest framework, C++, etc., and there are a few more I had, like maybe 5 or 6. If you can think of updates for a modern day skinny 7 shout out! Thanks!

Here is what I had several years ago..

[TABLE="width: 715"]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB976902[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 6"] Prerequisite for SP1 has been superseded by KB2533552[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12/7/2012[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB976932[/TD]
[TD]Win7 SP1[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12/7/2012[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB917607[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 3"]Windows Help file remedy[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11/19/2013[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB958488[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 4"]DotNet 3.5 fix leads to two KB's[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1/20/2014[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2529073[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 5"]USB Drive fix after SP1 Maybe not need after SP1[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7/23/2014[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2852386[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 2"]Disk Cleanup Aid[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1/20/2015[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2775511[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 8"]Hotfix Rollup Requires KB2732673, KB2878378, KB2728738, KB2601014 afterward[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8/26/2015[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2732673[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 6"]Fix 'Delayed Write Faile' for .PST files Win Server 2008R2[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8/26/2015[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2878378[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 4"]Heartbeat Failure Win Server 2008R2[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8/26/2015[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2728738[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 3"]Long Logon Win Server 208R2[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8/27/2015[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2601014[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 4"]Fix a regression in Mrxsmb10.sys[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8/27/2015[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2685811[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 4"]Kernel Mode Driver Framework 1.11[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9/2/2015[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="colspan: 4"]Windows English Hyphenation Package[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7/30/2016[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="colspan: 4"]Windows English Spelling Package[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7/30/2016[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]IE11[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7/30/2016[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2670838[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 5"]Video Improvement may need update KB2834140[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7/30/2016[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2729094[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 2"]Font Fix Segoe[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7/30/2016[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2731771[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 4"]New API s for UTC time updates[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7/30/2016[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2786081[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 3"]IE10 does not save credentials[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7/30/2016[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2834140[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 2"]0x000005 Stop Error[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7/30/2016[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2882822[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 2"]Itrace Logger[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7/30/2016[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2888049[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 2"]Improve IE11[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7/30/2016[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB2999226[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 3"]Universal C Runtime[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5/7/2017[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB958559[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 2"]Windows Virtual PC[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9/22/2017[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB4019990[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 3"]Install before DotNet 4.7[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2/7/2019[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="colspan: 2"]Silverlight[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1/30/2019[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="colspan: 2"]VISIO 2007 SP3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8/14/2014[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="colspan: 2"]Office 2010 SP1[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9/26/2014[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]KB982726[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 5"]Office 2010 Junk email Definitions Update[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9/26/2014[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Adobe XI[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9/29/2013[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


I don't really see a need for Hotfix Rollup. Or at least, the PC ran fine without it.

 

[mmmabear]

I don't know how easily this could be done now. I did it when I could still scan normally for the old updates that were needed at Windows Update after a "clean" install of Windows 7. What you have listed looks an awful lot like what I did.

Another group, Group W, of which I am a member, simply does no further updating. That group has decided the risk of not applying updates that could immunize your system from some disease, hacker or virus is a lesser risk than applying updates and allowing your system to become something you would not buy if you had a choice, or risk having defective Microsoft updates fouling your working system. Of course this strategy includes some other choices that become far more critical: A very good antivirus program, switching to a browser that will be updated and therefore be more secure, and the acceptance that the January 2020 date that Microsoft has set for the end of updates for Windows 7, has already come.

At this date, I support 122 Windows 7 systems, and have for 16 years now. None of these are enterprise systems, just home PCs. All systems have a major Anti-virus product that I have selected. Most have switched to Chrome browsers, which no longer requires the security problem prone Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player or Java. These three programs are needed by Internet Explorer, but not by Chrome, and are a common hacker/virus attack vector. The fact is that the Chrome browser is now in use by more than 2/3’s. None of these systems have versions of Microsoft Office any more recent than 2010. None of these systems has had Microsoft updates since May, 2017. That is 42 months now. Not a single one of them has had a problem of any kind after a cumulative over 5000 computer use months. In fact, my support activities have fallen off by at least 85% as these systems have become so stable and reliable that problems just do not occur. Most of my work is now hardware maintenance.

START HERE: (about 1/3 down the page)
When I re-build a system, I follow a very specific process of updating. Note well that I do not apply any updates after May 2017:


Rebuild — Windows Update (December, 2020) | Canadian Tech

 

[SIW2]

Somebody posted that article a while ago.

They ended up using simplix update pack dated may 2017. 17.5.15.zip

 

[mmmabear]

Thank you! I've made system backups but this is nice to have should I ever need to start from scratch. I saved copies of the updates manually one at a time.

 

[Windows7Guest]

...

 

[arpharazon]

On this subject, is this a list of what I can install for updates right now and avoid the 150+ updates a fresh install of Win7 wants.

And then I'd need to hide the rest?

What about rollups? Can those be used in place of additional SP's and will they prevent Win7 from wanting to do more unnecessary updates?

Any chance someone outside of MS made a SP2 (or SP3) for Win7?

 

[Leo625]

Thanks All for your replies. This should get me back to minimal 7.