Windows 7 lives! How to keep your favorite fossil running As the expiration date for Windows 10 presses ever closer, spare a thought for its classic forerunner. No, not Windows 8 – nobody ever loved that – but Windows 7, with its classic Start menu, tasteful transparency, lack of built-in advertising, and so on. The Reg FOSS desk was recently in beautiful snow-covered Czechia, …
The sole windows desktop machine here has W10 but with classic shell after it was forced onto me by Microsoft, but the XP CNC boxes are still as stable as ever, and not going anywhere ... except perhaps to linux is the hardware finally gives up the ghost. NONE of these would ever take W11 anyway. Windows 7 could not be 'restored' to the machine despite all attempts at the time ...
So long as you protect it behind a proper OS-level firewall (perhaps OpenBSD in a Hyper-V VM) and only expose a few trusted programs via a SOCKS5h proxy (i.e Dante, OpenSSH, Tor), then Windows 7 (heck, Windows 2000) is much more secure than Windows 10+ can ever be when raw-dogging on a standard network.
Basically, guys, don't let your OS raw-dog your network... ;)
Sorry no sorry, but anyone willing to go through the pain of using Windows 7, is already well equipped to use a much more accessible, user friendly, easier to install, update-able, and easier to configure Penguin pet of ones choosing.
And if you absolutely want to run Win7...why not do so inside a handy Virtual Box, which can be set up in a GUI with a few clicks? At least if that goes belly-up from some malware, you can just delete the box or reset it to a snapshot.
OH I wish -- tried it... tech and others in forum tried to help and I got lots of tips and suggestions... I learned on DR-DOS ... Then Gates changed the kernel and you had to switch Miss Shit.. DR-DOS had 3 revisions and my similar MS-DOS had like 26 in the same year... DR-DOS Gem Desktop was out and loved it when Gates licensed it as the base for the first Windows 95... I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop from 2002 on Windows Media XP for a great flatbed scanner that will do books, magazines, and even old photo slides.
Did a driver update to my Win 7 Pro 64 two days ago and NO IDEA what happened but hard drive won't boot.. Did the HP recover. WHAT a mistake. Can't get the MS .NET Framework will NOT install -- MS doesn't support it so 4 different version from the Way Back world and NONE will install. I got iso of the XP Pro with SP3 and it won't install because it shows that the existing files are NEWER than the ISO... Got to format the drive and and boot from the CD. WHAT A PITA... USB drive with Zorin on it is about 1 foot away.... try again????
Gem Desktop was written by Lee Jay Lorenzen who worked at Xero PARC, which is where the Gem Desktop GUI came from. Both Apple and Microsoft also took their GUI designs (was all but given to them) from Xerox PARK's Alto computer for Mac OS and Windows. Gates stole Windows GUI from Apple as the Lisa came out Jan 1983 and the Macintosh was out in Jan. 1984. So Microsoft's claim that Apple stole their GUI from Windows is absurd! I don't find any licensing of DR DOS\Gem Desktop to Microsoft. Perhaps I am misunderstanding you.
You can run the latest Firefox with the help of Windows 7 Extended Kernel. Also other software I imagine.
Wow there are literally only five API functions that Windows 7 doesn't have:
SetThreadpoolTimer
SetThreadpoolTimerEx
TpSetTimerEx
NtSetThreadpoolTimer
https://github.com/tahaghafuri/vxkex/releases/tag/1.1.1.1376
Why do we have to upgrade to Windows 11 again Microsoft?
This post has been deleted by its author
That github repository looks pretty sketchy - no source, just an executable that 47 AV programs say is malicious on virustotal . The original VxKex github page was closed by it's author and apparently taken over by an imposter. What appears to be a more legit fork, with source, is https://github.com/i486/VxKex although many on virustotal flag it as well. But those detections could be false positives due to what this programs does in the internals of Windows.
If you have a fondness for a particular machine the most common cause for failure are repairable without a great deal of equipment (generally, the newer a box the less repairable it is - although capacitor lifespans have improved, which helps).
But when the sad day comes, current lower-end kit (i.e. kit that is beyond our dreams in the days Windows 7 was released) can still run the OS. Or you can set up a VM - e.g. KVM/Qemu, not VirtualBox - that can, bar a couple of annoying extra screens at boot time, be configured to go straight into the OS of your choice (rather, the choice of the person who is going to use the box), full screen and all the hardware passed over.
There is no need to be bullied into "a modern OS" if you wish to stick with W'7.
> There are valid reasons: hardware that lacks drivers for newer versions, or a need for some software that won't run on later versions.
The most valid reason (and why my two W7 instances live on as VMs) is that it runs all the software I needed it to, and it was the last version of windows a person who bought it, actually owned.
Plus it remains the least sucky of Microsoft's offerings.
As security or bug fixes. I don't care. My VMs are well hidden, have backups and have no need for an external connection outside of some carefully curated remote mounts.
I live with a writer who is somewhat a technophobe. She started with TRS-DOS 5, went through MS-DOS, several versions of Windows, and every time there was an upgrade the house was very tense for months and months. She uses Windows 7, and it is no longer being updated. An upgrade would seriously be a homewrecker. She has a Win7 laptop. If it dies, I'm keeping another as backup. (The suggestions in the article will probably be implemented in the backup.)
Here is the bedrock fact: Windows 7 is what it is. It's not being updated or improved. Using it is no longer a moving target, and it does what she wants. Why change? (I do keep a backup of her data files Just In Case.)
I'm more free-thinking. I have a cheapo Win10 laptop for travel, and two Win11 machines. But I'm not totally ecumenical -- don't try to make me use Apple. Those people don't think like me.
I'm surprised that you weren't disabused of that notion by the GWX saga. Far from being the last version of Windows that didn't do all the very objectionable thing that current incarnations insist upon, it was the first in which Microsoft realised that in an always-on internet world they can install whatever "updates" they like.
-A.
The most valid reason (and why my two W7 instances live on as VMs) is that it runs all the software I needed it to
Yep, same here. Main production is *nix, going back to when XP was still a thing. Problem though, if you need the rest of the world to give you money once in a while, you do have to do MS occasionally. Mainly Office output for me TBH. So, a decade now, there is the VM, isolated, no net connection, no updates, just a virgin (trial) install with (trial) Office (+ set date and --disable-timesync). And thus, if I need to send something to a payer (mainly PPT, for rest LO is absolutely 99%) I pull it through, making sure there are no awkward moments (mainly format and transition FUs) if you're in front of an audience. And yes, honestly, there will always be some situation where somebody uses something proprietary, part of the windows walled garden (in my case e.g. Endnote). That does require a bit more effort, and explaining slowly and patiently that they would be very helpful if "that other generic option you have too" was used. TDLR: IMHO all this "industry standard", "make money!", "I need to..." is for a very large part laziness, ignorance and FUD. But hey... everybody their party.
Early memories of the Pink Floyd concerts had upgraded my hearing ever since. Standing in front of their loud speakers in an performance with Syd Barrett being great has made listening to events ever since to be so easy! I'm sure our problems driving home were only a result of the massive sound level, not what we were smoking.
ccsetup 5421486499 LastB4Avast is what I continue to run to this day. Telemetry turned OFF. No updates. It just works. My Win7 is currently security updated via patch Tuesdays secondary access for 6.1 core systems. Even this will end Jan 2026. I have been using ZORIN as my secondary OS for 2 years now & it will become my primary when my old & feeble Win7 is finally laid to rest. My Acer laptop is performing well (replaced keyboard, key pad, Hdd w/SSD, added max memory & new battery - all parts available online). Will not upgrade just because M$ commands it. Anyone else notice what a nightmare that Win11 is & continues to be with each failed update? Register should research how many medical systems, kiosks & business/manufacturing systems are still running XP/Win7 today & will not update. Most are "slave" systems without internet access but still proves lasting viability.
The missus's machine runs Win7 and any attempt to upgrade it has met with 'resistance with extreme prejudice'. The occasions that I've had to use it I've been impressed at just how simple, functional and generally usable it is. Admittedly it was de-crufted a long time ago and since its now no longer favored with Microsoft's updates its likely to stay that way indefinitely.
I put its longevity down to a its web browser being up to date and not from Microsoft. Its not Chrome but if the truth be told the vast majority of what she does is either in a browser or a bit of word processing. So if it was necessary to change then Linus Mint or a Chromebook would work just as well. The other system of the same type has long moved 100% to Linux -- it struggled with W10 as dual boot for a bit but it was just too much trouble to keep it.
As for W11, I'd probably end up buying a Mac first (I don't like them but everyone has their breaking point.....)
My Windows box is running W7 and I see no point in changing that. I keep is off-line and the applications I use on it would all need upgrading ($$$) to run on W10/11. Besides that, I'd have to learn where all of the menu items have been moved, what the icons are for, again, and all for a hit to useful work until I was back up to speed on everything. I'll hang on until there's a very compelling reason to change and at my age, that may never come. I've learned that even if there another application/version that has more options or runs faster, I can often get more done with the older version that I know quite well and don't need to get on YouTube to find out what they did with some tool or another. I don't NEED a new CAD package to design a part. I don't NEED the newest version of Photoshop to edit a photo. I do like that Adobe usually leaves the old tools in place when they add new ones so that option is there if I don't have the time to learn the new tool right at the moment. My customers pay me for output, not process.
I run “Virsh” (Qemu) on Linux, onto which I installed “Ghost Spectre” edition of Win7, with all antivirus and updates permanently disabled. Then, I created “snapshots” after all my apps were installed. I have no data stored inside the Win7 virtual machine, all my data is safely stored in Linux. I created a Samba share folder in Linux, and that’s the data transfer folder. If ever an occasion arises I think I need Windows (very rarely, now) I copy the data to the Samba folder, boot up Windows, do whatever is needed, then put the data back to Linux. It doesn’t matter if anybody hacks or corrupts Windows: I just restore the last snapshot.
Honestly, this completely eliminates the risk and all the Microsoft hassles. If they try to do an update, I just roll it back!
By eliminating Microsoft meddling, finally, Windows is tolerable!
I still run a Windows 7 laptop because A) Literally not compatible with Windows 11 B) I have games on it and C) Anything I need to fo online I do it on my phone or my Linux Desktop instead.
I would love to move it to Linux Mint but sadly it has programs and games that do not run well or at all in Wine.
>” You can use third-party tools such as CCleaner for this if you wish, ….
We favor the simple built-in Disk Cleanup tool. Run it once, tick all the boxes, and let her rip. Then, run it again, and click the button to Clean Up System Files.”
I use both as Disk Cleanup restricts itself to Microsoft folders, whereas CCleaner also tackles a selection of common third-party appiications (strongly recommend using the advanced clean and double checking the settings before you click go). I also reboot between runs.
I disagree with this statement entirely "Just because its original vendor no longer supports a proprietary OS doesn't mean that you must do as instructed and cough up for an upgrade."
An unsupported OS is a ticking time bomb, keeping software up to date is not optional unless you're air-gapping your system. Information on exploits is too available these days to make that an option. Windows 7 should not be used for any network-connected applications at this point. If you don't want to pay Microsoft more money there are a lot of open source OSes you could be running.
"An unsupported OS is a ticking time bomb, keeping software up to date is not optional unless you're air-gapping your system. "
There's one major problem with this argument, which is this: The vast majority of things that the average person does on their home PC, or even what a power user does on their home PC, is not sensitive in nature. It's not an existential threat if a hacker gets into your PC and compromises your web browsing history, video game save files, hobbies and creative works, movies, TV shows, music collection etc. And a hacker is not interested in any of those things anyway. They are interested in installing ransomware (which can be fixed with proper backups and restores) and accessing social media and financial accounts.
If your only argument against using an "unsupported" operating system pertains to security, then why not simply offload the security-sensitive tasks onto a different PC or dual-booted OS that accommodates those tasks?
Many moons ago I bought an Acer 15" laptop from Tesco in early 2009 [it was cheap] for the clildren to do their school homework on. It came with Vista, which was swiftly replaced by Win7 Home Premium. the machine is still chugging on albeit with a larger HDD and a new keyboard (£12 IIRC after a key broke on the original).
I keep it because it runs a piece of legacy 32 bit software that won't run on W10 even under compatability mode.
It is running a version of Libre Office and Office 2010 home and student and works fine if a little slow to boot.
The interface still looks like the original XP and it still does a job.
I don't connect it to the internet often but it has an up to date antivirus and get peridically de-cluttered.
I currently use Windows 7 as my main OS, both for desktop and laptop use. I only have Win 10 installed as a secondary OS on a laptop, and as a virtual machine on the desktop. I only use it for anything that won't work on 7, of which there really isn't much. However, I do have a lot of older peripheral hardware and custom configurations that are very likely to break on a different or newer OS, with no real alternative or substitute available.
Security? Number 1, nothing beats good quality, regular backups. If anything gets screwed up, restore the OS from a recent image. Want to do online banking and want to minimize any possibility of a breach. Have a cheap, dedicated Linux laptop and turn it on once a month.
Having used newer OSes for work, I can say 7 is simply better. Everything about it is pre-enshittification. It's faster, cleaner, more resource-efficient, and completely ad-free. Will there come a day where I can't feasibly use it any more? Frankly, I don't see that happening. It's difficult to imagine any use case that couldn't be easily transferred over to a virtual machine, remote desktop, or secondary PC.
work is 'forcing' us over to W11
so it will happen, but I am not a fan, the intrusiveness just got worse as the numbers climbed :o(
so for ME, I CAN see Linux Mint being the way to go sooner rather than later
will still use Windows for work
may need to keep a W11 PC on a leash so I can still play the games I like, the way I like
I DO have a dual boot laptop - Mint with Cinnamon desktop / Kali, set up with auto updater to keep it easier for me :o)
I USED to play around with both, but not for a while, so it may be time for a refresher
I DO still yearn for / hanker for the earlier days, when things were simpler
but that is not the way of the world we live in now
for better or worse, we live in the times of changing for changes sake, and WAY more intrusive apps doing anything they want, whether we ask it to or not
as has been noted, here at El Reg, we do have one advantage, basic knowledge, and an apparent surplus of common sense too :o)
but yea, I can see my days as a MS Windows guy grinding to a close, and I should have retired last year, that's the only thing keeping me on MS kit TBH
still could be worse .............
switching to a Windows-like FOSS alternative such as Linux Mint.
I have an old Dell Latitude E6330 laptop that ran Windows 7 until recently when I decided I was sick of Chrome telling me how out of date it was so I reformatted and installed Linux Mint.
After much gnashing of teeth and a BIOS update, I had Linux Mint installed. But there's one annoying problem: the audio drops out randomly for a good second or so. Just watching or listening to something and suddenly it all goes quiet for a moment. Which is a problem because I'm using it as a sort-of streaming box so uninterrupted audio is kinda important.
It's emblematic of what I feel to be the biggest problem with FOSS - somebody wrote this driver over a decade ago, never encountered this problem, and now nobody who can do something about it cares enough to actually fix it (lord knows it isn't going to be me) because it's for a 12 year old laptop and why would they?
And what did you do to troubleshoot it? Did you try another version of Linux? Change you CMOS battery if it's that old? (90% of hardware issues in old PCs) Try a reinstall just in case, because nothing works perfectly the first, time single every time?
What's yer point again?
My old Tosh laptop has a license sticker on it and I have one or two reasons to want to install Win 7 on it, but CBA to keep installing different versions to find out which one the license is for. Is there a way to identify a Windows version from it's license sticker? I suppose I could probably find a hooky one or try the link in the article to see if that will authenticate a legit license for me.
When I want to do Interesting Things to my computer's hard drive, I take the original drive out, install a different HD, and do it to that. If something goes wrong, I can try it again, or try something else. The original drive sits quietly on a shelf. If what you're doing doesn't work out, put it back in. There are DOZENS of 240-GB SSDs on Amazon for under twenty dollars. That's a lot of room for experimenting. (I'm not interested in mammoth C: drives, I use separate, larger drives for data.)
The only reason I upgraded from win7 to win is so many of mictosoft's sycophants crippled their code to no long run under 7. I NEVER suffered from viruses, malware, hijacks, or miscreant behavior under 7. That's because 1) I always kept Norton running, 2) I never opened emails from unknown or faked addresses, 3) I never clicked on every URL that showed up, and 4) I promised all users of my kit a manusectomy if they didn't adhere to my rules.
I'm not that emotionally attached to W7 to be bothered to go through this entire article for the two Laptops I had gathering dust and what to do with them. Whilst not as old as some here, neither are W11 "compliant"; one has TPM, blah blah but is 7th Gen i3. The other (that got me through my Computing BSc) is a 5th Gen i7 ULV. They've both had SSD upgrades. So the 7th Gen i3 was easy....now running Mint (with Cinnamon Desktop) and its great, still need to replace the CMOS battery though!! The older i7, that's had a tough life in the hands of my offspring (running Minecraft, Roblox, Fornite on a teenage bed strewn with god knows what) when I graduated, now has a dodgy mouse trackpad and one of the USB A ports is getting dicky. That one was a little more tricky, but as an avid Retro Gamer installed Batocera 40, already had a MAME 2010 ROM Set download on an old HD, using a Bluetoothed XBox Controller now entertains by being able to play the classics; Defender, Donkey Kong, Galaga, Pheonix, Robotron 2084 etc...even Street Fighter 2 and managed to get Mortal Kombat running too!! Will swap out the XBox controller for a decent Arcade stick as I'll have a better chance of making Ryu go "HOOCHIT" more often and perhaps get a couple of light guns (I have Operation Thunderbolt!)....and a steering wheel!
My Win7 is currently security updated via patch Tuesday's secondary access for 6.1 core systems. Even this will end for me Jan 2026. I have been using ZORIN as my secondary OS for 2 years now & it will become my primary when my old & feeble Win7 is finally laid to rest.
My Acer laptop is performing well (replaced keyboard, key pad, Hdd w/SSD, added max memory & new battery - all parts available online). Will not upgrade just because M$ commands it.
Anyone else notice what a nightmare that Win11 is & continues to be with each failed update?
Register should research how many medical systems, kiosks & business/manufacturing systems are still running XP/Win7 today & will not "upgrade". Most are "slave" systems without internet access but still proves lasting viability.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2025
