Windows 7 next year

Good Afternoon,

Within the last few days I and most of the world got the message that "As of January, 2020, Microsoft will no longer support Windows 7." followed by a suggestion that I back up my computer. What does it really mean if my Windows 7 is "No longer supported?" Please be aware that simply asking this suggests a significant ignorance of computer technology. I am much dumber than that.

To get the ball rolling, you might want to read this article.

That's a great article, Marian. I always like the "How to Geek" information because it's written so we all can understand it.

This is the same thing that has happened for XP, Vista and other old Windows operating systems. This doesn't mean you can't use your old Windows 7 computer for things like gaming, just that you shouldn't go on-line with it. You will need to start using Windows 10 for going on-line. That could mean a cheap new computer just for email etc. or a whole new system for gaming. I have my old Windows 7 hard drive mounted in the same case with my Windows 10 drive set up as a dual boot. But that is something best left to someone who understands drivers and computer building.

Thanks for that link, Marian. I will definitely use it and get myself "informed"

Thanks for the info. I just printed it and will read and ponder. As always, the people on this site are much appreciated.

Mostly it means no more security updates after January 2020.
That means Microsoft won't make any attempt to patch any new security vulnerabilities that are found in Windows 7 after that date.
Not that they've been doing the best job of that anyway.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...pened-bigger-security-hole-on-windows-7/

As Draclvr has said, you can still use the computer offline. However if you use it online you'll be at increased risk of virus or other malware.

If you have games that require online activation or installation (such as those from Big Fish), you have the option of temporarily putting the Windows 7 computer online long enough to activate, and disconnecting it once activation completes, crossing your fingers that no bad stuff gets in. You shouldn't browse the Internet with the computer unless you are someone who knows how to lock it down and turn off unnecessary services. It doesn't sound like you're in that category.

Most games and other software will still work on Windows 7. It's in the best interest of developers and publishers not to suddenly lock out people who still use Windows 7 when they want to sell them games. Eventually there may be new releases of games that only work on Windows 10, or may not be "supported" if you have a technical problem. That won't happen immediately though. Think about how many years new games were able to be played on Windows XP despite Microsoft supposedly no longer supporting it. Most developers won't want to drop support of Windows 7 unless they want to use a new game engine that doesn't work on Windows 7.

Depending on the age and specs of your computer, you may be better off buying a new one rather than trying to install Windows 10 on the old one.

You can install Windows 10 with no problems. Just install it and download and install the free program Classic Shell. Classic Shell makes windows 10 look and act like Windows 7. You won't see any differences. A few weeks ago my motherboard fried on me. My son in law is an IT professional and he told me to do just as I suggested above. I now have a new Windows 10 Professional computer with 4x the speed and power of my blown one(2x ram to 8x ram now), a 4 core processor. a 500 GB internal hard drive and a 4 terabyte and 8 terabyte external hard drive

Regards,


Barry