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Microsoft ending Windows 7 support 1/14/20


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Support has ended. Security updates will end then. Makes no difference to how you use your computer. It's heresy to say this, but none of the antivirus programs work anyway, so just learn to be careful. NOTE that security updates have nothing to do with your bank or making purchases online. That type of security is supplied by you, your bank, and your passwords.

You can get any number of antivirus programs for free, if you feel you need them. The one thing we need to protect ourselves from is spyware: stuff that comes onto your computer when surfing the Web. And the only thing that comes even close to protecting you from that (albeit poorly) is the paid version of Malwarebytes AntiMalware. And that is a yearly subscription. (The free version only works manually. It will not run in the background to alert you.) Antivirus programs cannot deal with spyware or prevent it.

I have been turning off Windows 7 updates of all kinds for my customers for years, to help prevent unnecessary screwups. And there hasn't been a serious update for years anyway. Windows 7 works perfectly well the way it is. Your only potential problem is installing programs that have been updated to the point where they will no longer work on Windows 7, and those programs that are designed for much more powerful machines (they can be installed, but will be painfully slow in many cases).

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I would not recommend PCMatic. Right off the top, they offer to keep your registry clean. There is not a single program that I trust not to screw that up, except the one that is built into Windows. There is no need for any other tool. But their big concept of ad blocking is passe, and doesn't sit well with any number of sites that don't use the type of ads they block.

They also offer to do updates, which is pointless, and driver updates, which may or may not work, I don't know. But every tool I know that does whitelisting either requires too much manual involvement (helping them to do the job you are paying them for), or blocks the wrong sites. I've had dozens and dozens of cases where AV software blocks your favourite sites without even telling you, assuming that there is too much traffic going there from your computer. Sites like your bank or Amazon.

It is free to try, and very expensive to buy. But I have to add, there are literally hundreds of these programs out there, and I just can't --and won't anymore-- try them all until I get the buzz on the Web about their validity. (Computer magazines are absolutely atrocious with their reviews, never taking into account the fact that zero-day attacks cannot be handled by any of these programs. By zero day, I mean brand-new, unknown spywares.) Last but not least, we don't get viruses anymore, unless we are dumb enough to click something stupid, either in email or in an ad. We get spyware, which none of these protect against, except the aforementioned Malwarebytes.

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I have used Hitman Pro anti-virus successfully to remove some previous infections. It does not take a lot of space on your computer and constantly updates its base. I'm still mourning the passing of XP pro operating system. I do interface of high end microscopy and 24 RAM computer and nothing was better. I tried MS 10 but had to revert to 7 because 10 had too many dumbed down operations.

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Thank you Computer Guy for weighing in with all the valuable information.  That said, how many plan on keeping Windows 7? I assume that making  operating systems obselete is Microsoft's means of getting users to purchase its latest OS? I'm keeping  my Windows 7. Very few issues with Windows 7 in IMHO. How about others reading this post?

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Although most of us liked Win7 a lot, it is a 10-year-old product and in the computer world that's a lifetime. As CG said it hasn't had any meaningful updates for quite a while. Personally I migrated to Win10 free when I had the chance and have NOT regretted that decision for a moment. Many stayed with Win7 and are probably doing just fine. 

Keeping Win7 on your PC is a personal choice... no one is going to be able to tell you whether that is a good or bad decision because no one really knows what might happen to your particular configuration and what you are using it for and what nefarious actions await your or anyone else running 7. 

And while I know that it is a favorite thing for folks to jump on Microsoft for 'making OS's obsolete so that they can sell more product', that is a lame  position to take in my opinion. Pick a product... and not only technology... where a manufacturer introduces something and then never updates it and guarantees it for life. Doesn't happen. Makes us feel good to cry foul 'tho and I"m sure it will continue as long as there are products being made and people looking for someone to blame when it changes or someone clandestinely attacks it. 

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A new OS has always been a money-maker, of course, but lately their position is Windows 10 is the last version. And they are not charging for updates.  And the truth is they don't rely on Windows anymore for the majority of their income.

But the problem is the corporate-think. Okay, let's say you work for a company that has 500 employees with computers. You have a select IT staff, setting up computers for new users, repairing network problems, fixing software, installing updates for Office, etc... They make a CLONE of the operating system in use, and that is propogated on all 500 machines, so that they know in advance exactly how to deal with issues that arise. No surprises. Many corporations will not allow personal software to be installed; most will only let their IT staff install anything. This keeps everyone the same.

For Microsoft to maintain any semblance of management of the millions of machines out there, upon which every single user can add their own software, is a task of insurmountable size. So they decided to make everyone the same, with Windows 10. It's almost impossible to prevent updates (please no comments; we've had this argument before on this board), and really, except for those cases where an update causes major screwups, it doesn't make sense for customers to lag behind. The trouble is, because every customer manipulates his/her own machines differently, they seem to have forgotten that part of it: the one that says no matter how much you try to control it, you can't.

But that is the major technical reason behind Windows 10.

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1 hour ago, blankletmusic said:

Thank you Computer Guy for weighing in with all the valuable information.  That said, how many plan on keeping Windows 7? I assume that making  operating systems obselete is Microsoft's means of getting users to purchase its latest OS? I'm keeping  my Windows 7. Very few issues with Windows 7 in IMHO. How about others reading this post?

For my customers who use Windows 7, and are not computer people as such, I recommend they stick with it. It is familiar, it works extremely well, and it is finalized. For those who want the latest, pretty much they have already updated to Windows 10.

Those who are using Windows 7 are typically using email, sending photos, and chatting on Skype or something similar. Windows is a very expensive utensil just to use email, but it works.

The only problem that will arise is from software makers who update their programs beyond the point where Windows 7 is technically capable of using them. For example, Internet Explorer 11 is the last version, and you will get constant reminders to update it with something else. Fortunately, there are lots of alternatives. However, some of those are also getting to much for W7 to deal with. Another example: newer versions of PhotoShop won't work on older versions of Windows. Solution? Don't update it. Don't update Office. Just use what you have that already works. And like I said, for security, there are tons of free antivirus programs out there.

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Keep in mind that Android has more users than Windows or IOS. As of Sept 2019, the breakdown was: Android 40.44%, Windows 35.32% and IOS 14.29%. If you are mostly using your computer for email, Web browsing and not much else, you might be better off with an Android tablet or Chrome book.

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Most of us on the Board are getting pretty old.... no offense to those of you who are not!

IMO, by the time this kind of thing happens to Windows.... and we no longer have use of the Windows OS as we have had for decades.....we will have passed. And passed on our ancient Win10 PCs to the museum of old farts. 

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It wasn't long ago that I bought a Dell Computer from The Seattle (University District) Microsoft brick and mortar retail store. I wanted Microsoft Office as well, and I was given the opportunity to either rent or purchase Microsoft office. I chose to purchase it, of course. I don't remember what the annual rent would have been, but I sure didn't want that option.

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