Can I stay in Windows 7 and never upgrade?

[Phantum]

So as we all know Windows 7 users don't get any more updates now. I really don't know what to do now, my Win 7 PC working just fine and I want to keep it running, but is it really that dangerous to do so? It all keeps saying "now you won't get any more updates, you are now more vulnerable to threats to your PC, even if you got all kinds of anti-virus program installed."

I guess I'm ready to install Win 10, and I think I know how to do so but still worried all will be messed up and my PC just won't work anymore.

So to you who still running Win 7, can you hold on to it and is it really that much of a security risk to not install Win 10?

I have Win 7 Home 64 bit, Chrome and Norton Internet Security

Thanks in advance...

 

[xrobwx71]

So to you who still running Win 7, can you hold on to it and is it really that much of a security risk to not install Win 10?

You can use it but I would not do anything on it like banking, medical, or anything with personal information you want to keep private. I would also not save any important files or photos.

It is a security risk and it gets worse as time goes on. Each day, week, month, new vulnerabilities are found in all software, when these vulnerabilities are no longer patched, they add up and the vector for getting into your system, network, and even your router becomes exponentially larger with each passing day.

Also, once Microsoft quits supporting the OS, the Anti Virus companies' support will follow. It simply doesn't make economical sense for these companies to keep dumping a bunch of time and money into it.

Please read the banner above for more info. Still running Windows 7? Read this first! Also, see my backup advice in my signature.

Thanks! and Welcome to Sysnative.

My goal is not to be harsh, just honest.

 

[britechguy]

my Win 7 PC working just fine and I want to keep it running, but is it really that dangerous to do so?

The simple answer to that question is an unqualified, "Yes!" When it comes to Microsoft Windows, running any unsupported version where that computer is in contact with cyberspace is an eventual accident just waiting to happen. And the longer you wait, the more likely it becomes.

Upgrade to 10 and, while you're at it, dump Norton. Windows Security is every bit its equal (better in many testing cycles by independent security analysts).

 

[britechguy]

By the way, I wrote a tutorial on this very subject just this past July: The Proper Way to Upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for Late Adopters. (MS-Word format download)

 

[Digerati]

but is it really that dangerous to do so?

Actually, the answer to that question is an unqualified "no!" - for today!

Tomorrow, on the other hand, may be a completely different story.

And that's the problem. Nobody knows how long W7 will remain safe to use. There is over 30 million lines of code in Windows 7. "Today", as far as we all know, all the "known" vulnerabilities have been fix or patched, either my Microsoft or by the anti-malware software industry, so the bad guys cannot exploit them.

But "tomorrow" (or even later on today) a brand new, "zero-day vulnerability" may be discovered. A zero-day vulnerability is a newly discovered flaw that has not been fixed or patched. The danger then becomes if a bad guy learns of that zero-day vulnerability (or discovers it himself - and they are looking!) and then develops and distributes a "zero-day exploit" - malicious software (malware) designed to exploit that vulnerability to compromise your computer, your data, or your (or your kid's ) personal security.

With W10, there are huge teams of "white hat" (the good guys) security experts at Microsoft and throughout the industry actively combing through the Windows code and all the data floating about the Internet looking for flaws in the operating system as well as malicious code seeking to exploit it.

Microsoft no longer has such teams for unsupported operating systems. And more and more security organizations (including the makers of security software) are terminating those activities too. And the bad guys know that the chicken coop is unguarded - or at least has fewer guards and they may be sleeping.

running any unsupported version where that computer is in contact with cyberspace is an eventual accident just waiting to happen.

This is a key point.

And the bigger problem is, if your computer becomes compromised, a top priority of that malware - like any virus (computer or medical) is it will attempt to spread and infect others. So if (or rather when) your W7 computer becomes infected, not only does your computer become a threat to you, your computer then becomes a threat to the rest of us. And that is not cool!

So, you need to upgrade that computer to W10 yesterday. If that hardware is so old it does not support W10, then I recommend migrating to Linux. Otherwise, my best advise is to take it off line. That is, disconnect that computer from any network that has Internet access. And keep it disconnected.

As far as computers not working after upgrading to W10, I'd be lying if I said it never happens. But it really is a very rare problem. The important thing, and ALWAYS an important thing, is to back up any data you don't want to lose before making this (or any) major upgrade.

 

[britechguy]

As far as computers not working after upgrading to W10, I'd be lying if I said it never happens. But it really is a very rare problem. The important thing, and ALWAYS an important thing, is to back up any data you don't want to lose before making this (or any) major upgrade.

I've actually never had a computer not work after upgrading to Windows 10. I've had one, an old laptop that I still own and turned into a Linux box, that would not upgrade due to a hardware constraint that the upgrade software identified before it even started. I have had many that upgraded and were very, very cranky afterward, but have found that the key to avoiding that is getting a clean run from SFC prior to instigating the upgrade or, if that can't be achieved, doing a repair install immediately after the upgrade has completed.

I've actually been astounded at how many times a Windows 10 Upgrade with a Repair Install immediately afterward, when needed, has breathed new life into a formerly crotchety Windows 7 machine. I think I've had to do an actual "nuke and pave" completely clean reinstall of Windows 10, then reinstalling the users programs and recovering their data from a backup, only once since 2015. And in that case, the machine ran like a top after a completely reinstall of Windows 10.

My main point being to reinforce yours that issues with a Win7 to Win10 upgrade are very rare. And your point about always taking a full system image backup as well as a separate user data backup prior to any major update/upgrade cannot be repeated often enough or forcefully enough. And for those who don't already have a backup routine in place, needing one before you upgrade is the perfect reason to tet that backup routine in place.

 

[Digerati]

a clean run from SFC prior to instigating the upgrade

Not tried that - but seems like a good plan. What I have tried and I feel certain is helpful is to make sure the latest hardware drivers have been installed. The older the hardware, the more important this is.

It is important for folks to remember it is the hardware makers' responsibility to develop compatible drivers, not Microsoft's. So if older hardware, the hardware maker may have released newer drivers designed to provide support for W10.

Folks must also realize there is no financial incentive for legacy hardware makers to develop drivers that provide support for newer operating systems. They see zero returns ($$$) on those expenses. That means in many cases, unfortunately, they would much rather folks buy new hardware where profits margins exist.

 

[britechguy]

@Digerati,

But, and not arguing your central point about drivers, one of the lifechanging (at least for me as a tech) improvements in Windows 10 was the introduction of what I call the Great Microsoft Driver Library in the Cloud. You are right in that Microsoft does not directly develop the content (or at least most of it), but the mechanisms are now in place for most hardware makers to submit their latest drivers for inclusion in that library, and Windows Update (and I include the upgrade here) has just gotten better and better and better since 2015 about finding and replacing old (even if not truly incompatible) drivers whenever needed.

You are absolutely correct that if no newer drivers exist, and the existing ones don't work with Windows 10, you are SOL. But, I haven't run across many of those, in fact I ran across one with a now defunct Dell Inspiron 1720 laptop I had, where there was not a Windows 10 compatible touchpad/mousepad driver to be found for the Elon hardware that shipped with (and, believe me, I looked and looked and looked - topics exist out there on at least a couple of forums where I was trying to find out if anyone knew of one).

There was a time in the early days of Windows 10 where I suggested that people turn off the feature to automatically update drivers because Windows 10 was frequently picking ones that simply did not work. Those days are long gone. I have but one of those issues that recurs now, and that's with a machine that came with Beats Audio and Windows 8.1 originally. During major updates Windows 10 still insists on replacing the audio driver that allows for the control of all the features of Beats Audio, but I've simply archived the one from the Windows 8.1 era, that does still work under Windows 10, and reinstall it whenever necessary.

Intel ticks me off because they do not seem to be submitting any of their driver updates to Microsoft, or if they're doing so they are not doing so in a timely manner, or Microsoft is not processing them in a timely manner. I use Intel Driver & Support Assistant on every machine I have with Intel hardware of any sort. They seem to churn out new WiFi drivers and Bluetooth drivers on a many-times-per-year basis.

 

[Digerati]

but the mechanisms are now in place for most hardware makers to submit their latest drivers for inclusion in that library

Key point here, "for hardware makers to submit". It is up to the hardware maker to not only develop such drivers, but it is their responsibility to submit them Microsoft. This is because there are 100s and 100s (if not 1000s) of hardware makers globally, and certainly 1000s of different pieces of hardware currently on the market - with many 1000s more still in use. It would be prohibitively expensive for Microsoft to orchestrate all those companies and all those products for timely updates, not to mention the logistics involve to test each product in every scenario.

Likewise, it is not up to Microsoft to ensure those products are compatible with Microsoft products, or that they comply with industry standards. Microsoft does check the drivers for malware, and may do some rudimentary testing for basic compatibility. Beyond that, it is up the manufacturer. And IMO, that is how it should be. Otherwise, Microsoft would have to pass those costs on to their customers and I have no desire to pay for testing a product I do not, nor ever will own.

 

[britechguy]

@Digerati,

I absolutely agree with your prior sentiments.

But my key point with what preceded is that the days of needing to corral drivers are now a thing of the past except with rare exceptions. I haven't had a Win7 to Win10 upgrade where that was necessary in at least 3 years.

I do tell those doing upgrades to use something akin to Belarc Advisor to get their system profile so that driver sourcing will be easier, if they need to do so, but no longer advise trying to collect them in advance. The upgrade itself replaces them, in the vast majority of cases, when that's necessary these days. You don't even have to do "the Belarc thing" if you're OK with using Device Manager post update to determine what's malfunctioning if anything at all happens to be. Then source the necessary driver (and I'll bet it will only be one, if that).

 

[Digerati]

We are moving a bit off the OP's topic.

So, @Phantum - I think we have addressed your concerns. Bottom line is you should upgrade sooner rather than later, not just for your continued security, but that of others too. At least as long as you stay connected to a network that has Internet access. And this is not just for security concerns either. If you should get a new piece of hardware (a new printer, for example), or upgrade your software, you may start having compatibility issues there too.

I have Win 7 Home 64 bit, Chrome and Norton Internet Security

I note, for example, that Norton is only providing limited support for Windows 7 SP0 (service pack 0). So I hope at the very least, you are running SP1 (service pack 1) with your Windows 7. And you need to understand that Norton will surely stop providing full support for W7 SP1 too, as soon as it is no longer practical, or economically feasible for them.

This is nothing new, by the way. Note that many hardware and software products no longer support Vista, XP and earlier legacy versions of Windows. Windows 7 came out over 12 years ago. That's ancient history in the computer industry. And it has been superseded 3 times now that W11 is already officially out.

So today, you are still okay. But literally tomorrow, you may not be. If not tomorrow, then the next day, or maybe next week. With 30 million+ lines of code, along with some very clever bad guys out there actively searching through that code for vulnerabilities to exploit, it can change that quickly. Don't wait until it is too late.