Author Topic: Windows 7 End of Support  (Read 2344 times)

alsoknownasDean

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Windows 7 End of Support
« on: January 05, 2020, 05:19:37 AM »
Hi all,

As is fairly common knowledge now, Windows 7 will no longer be supported on January 14, which is just over a week away. After this date, there's going to be no more security patches released for 7, so it's increasingly vulnerable.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-windows-7-support

If you're still using Windows 7, what are you going to do after this date?

I'm running 10 on my machine, but I'm trying to decide what the best path forward is for my grandfather's 8 year old Dell. Would running a still-supported browser (Firefox?) on 7 mitigate any issues with Windows 7's end of support if it's mostly used for web browsing/email? I've looked into buying a Windows 10 licence (and an SSD) or into installing Linux, but neither option is ideal. Might be time to buy a replacement PC.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2020, 05:27:10 AM by alsoknownasDean »

Linea_Norway

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2020, 08:39:40 AM »
We are still running windows 7 and DH tried to install windows 10 today. The first attempt did not get installed. I hope he will succeed, though I don't really like windows 10, after having tried it at work for a few months.

RWD

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2020, 10:39:43 AM »
We have never owned a computer with Windows 7. I've been using Linux on most computers.

CoffeeR

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2020, 11:53:15 AM »
I downloaded the Microsoft Media Creation tool v1903 and upgraded my Windows 7 to Windows 10 in-place. Once upgraded Windows 10 said it was properly activated. I did not purchase a separate/new Windows 10 license (I will if I have to).

You can download the Microsoft Media Creation tool v1909 here:

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=691209

Here is another link for some additional info:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/

Anyway, YMMV.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2020, 11:57:30 AM by CoffeeR »

Bernard

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2020, 12:04:46 PM »
I loved, loved, loved Windows XP. I had software that worked perfectly with it, so I kept it as long as possible. We get new work computers roughly every 3 years, custom-built, money being no object, so when XP couldn't be used any longer, I reluctantly went to Windows 7. My latest computer I had built with Windows 7 again. I hate, hate, hate, the newer versions of Windows, and I hate that I have to start over with new software and relearn their use every time the OS changes, so I'm at a crossroads. Continuing with Windows 7 is a risk we can't take, my Google Chromebook of which I'm typing right now doesn't excite me either, and I really don't want to switch to Apple. A true dilemma.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2020, 12:07:55 PM by Bernard »

Linea_Norway

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2020, 01:48:33 PM »
We are still running windows 7 and DH tried to install windows 10 today. The first attempt did not get installed. I hope he will succeed, though I don't really like windows 10, after having tried it at work for a few months.

The second attempt went well, even though it took a lot of time. The laptop still recognizes our external harddisk and opens the mail without problems. There is more free disk space now than before.

In general I also hate to have to get used to new operating systems. Why do they often have to change so many things? But from what I remember from the upgrade at work som months ago, windows 10 wasn't the worst windows upgrade I had to get used to.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2020, 01:50:38 PM by Linea_Norway »

pecunia

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2020, 04:04:21 PM »
I tried updating my old Sony computer to Windows 7 a few years back.  It just wouldn't do it.  The Vaio has some weird stuff in it I guess.  No drivers available.  So, it looks like it will have to become a Linux machine.  Any ideas there?

ender

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2020, 07:17:06 PM »
My windows machine runs a non-activated version of Windows 10.

I can't do some of the customization stuff that's nice to have, but I'm ok with that.

AccidentialMustache

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2020, 09:27:15 PM »
I tried updating my old Sony computer to Windows 7 a few years back.  It just wouldn't do it.  The Vaio has some weird stuff in it I guess.  No drivers available.  So, it looks like it will have to become a Linux machine.  Any ideas there?

By default I stick Ubuntu on things, and tell people to install that. Fedora would also be acceptable.

I've heard good things about Mint (xfce edition), and it got further on my dad's 10 year old POS HP "business" desktop that windows 7 ate itself on (we *think* due to graphics hardware problems which the various linuxes also didn't like) than Ubuntu did.

But fundamentally if it came with 7, you're rapidly approaching the far end of the bathtub curve and should be prepared for sudden hardware failure no matter what you put on there.

Take backups. Good, tested backups.

efree

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2020, 11:06:55 PM »
I switched from Windows 7 to Linux Mint for my home computer a couple of years ago. Haven't regretted it.

Also, I tried installing Windows 10 on a 9 year old laptop a few weeks ago but I was not successful, I only got a black screen. Then I tried installing Linux Mint on the same laptop and it got done without a hitch.

Capsu78

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2020, 12:43:06 PM »
FWIW, I has a computer guy who works solo and has been building my computers from components since 2007.
I asked him if I could DYI upgrade to W10-  he said"Only if you know how to replicate a "...techno babble" from that point on.
He took my computer overnight, backed up and updated everything for me and charged $150.  Said he has been working non stop since Thanksgiving doing the exact same thing for his various customers. 
Paying a service tech I know and trust to keep me current and up to speed is worth it to me.

Xlar

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2020, 01:10:26 PM »
I downloaded the Microsoft Media Creation tool v1903 and upgraded my Windows 7 to Windows 10 in-place. Once upgraded Windows 10 said it was properly activated. I did not purchase a separate/new Windows 10 license (I will if I have to).

You can download the Microsoft Media Creation tool v1909 here:

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=691209

Here is another link for some additional info:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/

Anyway, YMMV.

Upgrading to Windows 10 is the easiest way to go. If you have a legitimate Windows 7 license key then you don't need to buy a new one for Windows 10.

Sibley

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2020, 03:04:37 PM »
My laptop hardware was also nearing end of life, so I bought a new Win 10 laptop.

ketchup

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2020, 03:42:52 PM »
We've been an all-Win10 household for a few years now.  Win10 had a rocky start but it's been fine since about a year post-release.  Drivers are SO much simpler when doing a fresh install of Win10 vs 7.  Way more things "just work" out of the box.  No more hunting around for the ethernet driver before you can do anything else.

Performance has been the same or better on any system I've upgraded from 7 to 10.  If it runs 7, it should run 10 just fine as long as drivers are available.  If you're upgrading an older system, I'd probably toss in an SSD while you do the upgrade.  They're cheap these days and make a big difference.

Definitely treat Win7 as volatile after Jan 14.  Do not connect it to the internet.  Or connect it to the internet in a way that's 100% isolated from the rest of your network (separate VLAN or something), and without anything on it you care about in the slightest bit, including passwords to anything.  I'm sure there are plenty of unpatched 0days waiting to spring out of the woodwork the day after patches stop.

geekette

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #14 on: January 06, 2020, 05:42:26 PM »
I have similar concerns with my 84 YO Mom's Win7 Computer.  We had a horrid time going from XP to Win 7. Skydrive?  WTF.  She can no longer send pics.  And don't tell me it's easy; you can take her support calls.  I actually made right click sent to email go to a different email program, but even that confused her, so she just doesn't send pics any longer, which is a shame.  Then again, all her email correspondents are dying off anyway <sigh>.





alsoknownasDean

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #15 on: January 07, 2020, 04:54:27 PM »
I keep reading that Windows 7 machines can be updated to 10 using their Windows 7 key, yet when I check the Microsoft site they charge full price for a Windows 10 upgrade.

Is this a 'well it activates' situation like those cheap keys from eBay?

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk
« Last Edit: January 07, 2020, 06:01:26 PM by alsoknownasDean »

Laserjet3051

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #16 on: January 07, 2020, 07:22:26 PM »
As one of the last holdouts, I decided to upgrade to Win10 today using the official microsoft link. Despite their admonition that it is no longer free, it actually didnt cost a thing. And this is on a 9 year old i3 3.07GHz desktop, which is still, quite nimble.

first several attempts failed, but finally got it to work, though the whole shebang took almost 4 hours. Working quite smoothly actually.

ketchup

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Re: Windows 7 End of Support
« Reply #17 on: January 08, 2020, 09:15:29 AM »
I keep reading that Windows 7 machines can be updated to 10 using their Windows 7 key, yet when I check the Microsoft site they charge full price for a Windows 10 upgrade.

Is this a 'well it activates' situation like those cheap keys from eBay?

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk
Just enter your own legit Win7 key and it'll activate just fine.  MS doesn't advertise that it works, but it does.  They really really want you on 10.  At home, I'm still using a Win7 key I got from college in 2009.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!