Keizer: Windows 7 usage isn’t going anywhere

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Gregg Keizer, in Computerworld: The coronavirus pandemic and its countless disruptions, from business closures to workers fleeing to home offices, app
[See the full post at: Keizer: Windows 7 usage isn’t going anywhere]

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[Geo]

Not to mention W7 daily 0patch Pro micro-patches are doing what Microsoft should have been  doing all along.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by Geo.

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Opatch?

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rc primak

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0patch is a third-party provider of security patches for Win7 EOL (instead of buying the ESU updates from Microsoft).

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rc primak

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Or in addition to.  I’m up to current on the ESU updates, and 0patch is still micro-patching a number of other items Microsoft and other vendors haven’t fixed.

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Cybertooth

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Any large scale migration will be hold as they often require some physical ‘hand-holding’ to fix issues, install overlooked software, orient users, etc of at least some.

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I agree with making the updates available to everyone…  as long as Microsoft gives ESU customers 1 year from the date Microsoft cuts off the non ESU people again.

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rc primak, AlexEiffel

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I had one customer this week that wanted to work from home on a well functioning Windows 7 laptop. She was concerned about Windows 10’s frequent bugs. So, she didn’t want it updated to W10 at this time. I set the laptop to have 0patch’s micropatches do their thing. I’ve been using 0patch for a few months now. It appears to work well. Sometimes, 0patch puts out security patches before Microsoft does. I agree that Microsoft releasing critical security patches for Windows 7 would be a great PR move and good for Windows users. I doubt they’ll do it though.

It’s a crazy world, these days.

GreatAndPowerfulTech

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rc primak, Chessie, rontpxz81, Pepsiboy, Myst, Pierre77, Lars220, OscarCP, jburk07, Charlie

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As well as the ESU and 0Patch, could the ESU workaround also be responsible for the increase in usage? curfews, computers and curiosity ;)/

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“I think Microsoft has everything to gain, and absolutely nothing to lose, by making the Win7 Extended Security Updates available to everyone.”

For FREE.

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rc primak, Chessie, rontpxz81, Pierre77, Zathras, OscarCP, woody

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Still remaining a Win 7 warrior. Seeking advice for which version of 0 Patch is best for a home user; the free version or the purchased version with added on features?

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Chessie

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Demeter wrote:

Still remaining a Win 7 warrior. Seeking advice for which version of 0 Patch is best for a home user; the free version or the purchased version with added on features?

The 0patch FAQ makes it clear that you need the paid version (Pro) in order to be reasonably protected. As they state, “Our Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 security micropatches are only available with a 0patch PRO license.”

That being said, the Pro version is very reasonable (around US $26 for a year with the current exchange rate). I’ve been using 0Patch Pro for a few weeks and have been very happy with it.

Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1
Group A:
Win 10 Pro x64 v22H2 Ivy Bridge, dual boot with Linux
Win l0 Pro x64 v22H2 Haswell, dual boot with Linux
Win7 Pro x64 SP1 Haswell, 0patch Pro, dual boot with Linux,offline
Win7 Home Premium x64 SP1 Ivy Bridge, 0patch Pro,offline

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Demeter wrote:

Still remaining a Win 7 warrior. Seeking advice for which version of 0 Patch is best for a home user; the free version or the purchased version with added on features?

The Pro version.

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Group B people should be aware that to get either MS or 0patch fixes they first need to install the December S&Q rollup, to make all Win 7 PCs “look the same” for those patching services to be able to install patches. Otherwise, different patching strategies complicates the situation for them. That is one reason why I have not subscribed to any Win 7 EOL patching service. To some my motive might not seem that important: so, please, go ahead and install that rollup, if you have not done so already, and carry on. What others choose to do is definitely none of my business and, most likely, subscribing to 0patch is a good idea. Just one I don’t like to adopt myself. I do have several backups and another computer with the OS still being supported, so if my Win 7 PC gets hit by a really bad bug and goes belly up, I’ll be sorry, but shall remain able to carry on.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
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Patched up through the last patches that rolled out in Jan. ’20 so should be good to go with 0Patch. Thanks for all of the advice. Win 7 Pro, x 64, SP1, i7-Core “Haswell”, was a Grp. A patcher

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rontpxz81, jburk07

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That’s an interesting question. My understanding is that the final (January 2020) rollup is needed for 0patch micropatching to work, but I have installed only the Group B patches and yet 0patch seems to be working fine:

I’d be curious to see screenshots from 0patch customers who did apply the January rollup, in order to compare the numbers of micropatches applied to our respective computers. Maybe some of 0patch’s micropatches don’t get applied if one has installed “only” the January SO update.

(I may decide eventually to install that final rollup and then rely on the methods, published here, to prevent MS telemetry.)

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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Cybertooth ( #2214182 ) Do you have the paid 0patch or the free version installed?

As to which rollup: I was not sure of for which month had to be installed. I seemed to remember that, around September, the word was to install October’s, then December’s, but I did not followed this issue any further, as I was not interested, after nearly two years of avoiding them, to go and install a rollup right at the very end.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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@oscarcp, that’s the paid version of 0patch. The free version is very limited, but the paid one is well worth the investment IMHO. Especially in combination with the other security measures I’ve taken for that system, I have no fear of going on the Web with my main Windows 7 machine.

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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Cybertooth wrote:

I’d be curious to see screenshots from 0patch customers who did apply the January rollup, in order to compare the numbers of micropatches applied to our respective computers. Maybe some of 0patch’s micropatches don’t get applied if one has installed “only” the January SO update.

@cybertooth, I installed the January rollup, and my Applied Patches screen looks very similar to yours.

Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1
Group A:
Win 10 Pro x64 v22H2 Ivy Bridge, dual boot with Linux
Win l0 Pro x64 v22H2 Haswell, dual boot with Linux
Win7 Pro x64 SP1 Haswell, 0patch Pro, dual boot with Linux,offline
Win7 Home Premium x64 SP1 Ivy Bridge, 0patch Pro,offline

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Thanks a bunch for the screenshot, @jburk07. It looks like maybe installing the rollup vs. the Security Only patch does make a difference for 0patch purposes: I have 11 micropatches installed and you have 14. One of yours is for Foxit Reader, which I don’t have on this PC, but then you also have two micropatches for jscript.dll (patches 412 and 414) that I don’t have even though my computer also has jscript.dll on it.

No doubt the differences will keep mounting over time unless I do that final rollup.

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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Cybertooth wrote:

I have 11 micropatches installed and you have 14. One of yours is for Foxit Reader, which I don’t have on this PC, but then you also have two micropatches for jscript.dll (patches 412 and 414) that I don’t have even though my computer also has jscript.dll on it.

@cybertooth,
That Foxit Reader patch was applied when I ran one of 0patch’s suggested “tests” when I was in the trial period. Per their instructions I downloaded the Foxit Reader file for that test. I *hope* I uninstalled it all later – the folder in Program Files (x86) no longer exists, though there might be some unseen remnants somewhere – and I’m thinking that particular applied patch is just listed “historically” in the Applied Patches, but I don’t really know.

For the jscript.dll patch, I thought maybe one of your other security procedures had sidestepped that vulnerability. It would be interesting to find out whether the rollup really makes that difference.

Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1
Group A:
Win 10 Pro x64 v22H2 Ivy Bridge, dual boot with Linux
Win l0 Pro x64 v22H2 Haswell, dual boot with Linux
Win7 Pro x64 SP1 Haswell, 0patch Pro, dual boot with Linux,offline
Win7 Home Premium x64 SP1 Ivy Bridge, 0patch Pro,offline

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Cybertooth

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Foxit Reader is a third party application. Not part of the Windows 7 core OS.

Third Party updates are best managed through a separate update manager. I agree with Fred Langa (AskWoody Newsletter) that SUMo when used in an advisory role, is an excellent way to catch those non-OS patches and updates.

I believe it is not the role of a Windows Patching application to make recommendations for patching third-party software, and vice-versa. Fred further breaks patching down into four types. (The article is in the Paid Version of the AskWoody Newsletter, so I’ll leave it to the discretion of the Admins here whether to post a Link.)

-- rc primak

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jburk07

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[Cybertooth]

Although 0patch is best known for its Windows micropatches, it isn’t the only software for which 0patch issues micropatches. For explanation and reasoning, see here and especially here.

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

• This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by Cybertooth.

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jburk07

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In other news according to

https://www.netmarketshare.com/

Both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 Increased their Market Share.

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Cybertooth

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I have some difficulty seeing the share of “other” (research labs, universities, movie making studios, search engines, graphic arts, science and engineering) amounting altogether to less than 30% percentage of all users. And the same being true also of the very small 0.74 % assigned to users of  Linux (less than the percentage of Mac users), as many of those organizations mentioned above use Linux as their preferred operating system, particularly in Europe. Also the counts are based, if I understood this correctly, on the use of Web browsers. That is a big part of the use by the general public and many businesses, but not so much by those other users, and uses, of non-embedded general computers.

“Additional estimates about the website population:

• 76% participate in pay per click programs to drive traffic to their sites.
• 43% are commerce sites
• 18% are corporate sites
• 10% are content sites
• 29% classify themselves as other (includes gov, org, search engine marketers etc.)”

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
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Are you referring to the netmarketshare.com numbers, Oscar?  The Linux share is about double what you suggest, if so, at ~1.54% (it lists Ubuntu separately, as if it is not Linux).  MacOS has always had higher market share than Linux in these reports.

The netmarketshare.com numbers are presumably based on user agent strings of browsers that visit whichever sites that run their analytics scripts.  The computers that run Linux for various tasks, but that are not used for browsing the web, are not reported.  If you were to run a survey of the OS run on the 500 fastest supercomputers in the world, the Linux share would be 100%, but that was not the sample they used.

Most likely, the desktop users (of any OS) who use script (and maybe ad) blockers in their browsers would also not show up in the stats, as the scripts that do the data collection would never run in the first place.  Since Linux has thus far been used as a desktop OS mainly by techie types, I would guess that they are also more likely to run script blockers while browsing.  The Linux share on desktops might be a little higher, but it’s not going to be higher than MacOS.

I don’t mind that Linux has appeared on so few desktops.  Even with its small numbers, it’s better than anything released by Microsoft for better than half a decade, and it keeps getting better.  Linux has 100% market share of my PCs, and my PCs are the ones I am most concerned about, of all those PCs in the world.

It would be nice if Linux was a big enough player to get some of the software companies to decide to release Linux versions of their products, which would reduce the reliance people have on Microsoft, but that’s not a problem for me personally.  I don’t run anything that needs Windows and that won’t run in WINE (unless it’s a relatively simple thing that I only need on occasion, like the software to program my mouse, in which case I may use it in a Windows 7 VM).

I’d prefer it if more stuff did work in Linux, but I’m never going to use Windows in the form it’s in now, so it’s not a choice between using any given product on Linux or Windows, but of Linux with or without the given program in question.  If it won’t work on Linux, I don’t need it.

In a more general sense, it would be nice if Linux would increase in market share enough to catch the attention of people who would like to leave Windows behind but who think Linux is just for techies or that it’s too [this] or too [that].  It would be nice for there to be a general consensus among PC users that there is a viable alternative to Windows (even if they still choose to use Windows), as that would force Microsoft to behave like they need to earn people’s OS business rather than simply being entitled to it because they’re Microsoft.  If they’re still interested in the PC OS market, that is, which is something about which I remain unconvinced.

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Ascaris  ( #2223195 ):

“Are you referring to the netmarketshare.com numbers, Oscar? The Linux share is about double what you suggest, if so, at ~1.54% (it lists Ubuntu separately, as if it is not Linux). MacOS has always had higher market share than Linux in these reports.”

Yes, to the question, and I was not suggesting anything, merely quoting the netmarketshare article and expressing my skepticism that it is a valid assessment of how many computers (and, quite roughly, also users) are there using Linux as the OS, as a percentage of all those counted in the way explained in the same article. So, as I hoped to have made clear in my comment, I strongly suspect that percentage to be a serious undercount of computers running Linux, for the reasons I have given there.

So it seems to me that we are both in good agreement in our assumptions, in our reasoning and in our conclusions.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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I’ve still got Windows 7/7 Pro installed on 4 out of 5 of my laptops but they are never allowed online  with 7 anymore as 4 out 5 are  laptops are dual booting 7/Linux. So 7’s still at EOL and used offline and Linux when booted for online usage.

It’s past peak Windows 7 and Windows 10 is all the remains for new PC/Laptops going forward. I do not really need any 7 ESU but I can see where for some 7 folks, that are dependent on Windows 7 only based software, that they may really need that ESU extended support offered with all that is happening currently.

I’m moving away from any dependency on only Redmond’s OS/Application ecosystem and even the 5th(Windows10) laptop is getting a Linux alternative dual boot OS option.

Those usage numbers are no surprise to me for 7 what with that Enterprise/ESU option and 0Patch for non enterprise consumer Windows 7 end users.  MS maybe should have offered that ESU to all users of 7 and made more in ESU licensing revenues. But as for me that’s water under the bridge as I’m experiencing better things when booted into Linux, performance wise, on 4 laptops under Linux than when the 4 laptops are booted into 7/7Pro partitions.

Windows 7 is the new XP, and then some, if folks are looking for similar longer term OS stability like the 10/Enterprise/LTSC folks are offered. I’m happy with my Linux/7 dual use option and 7 around even long after 2023 when the ESU program ends for 7 and even 8.1 goes EOL. Windows 7 is still the best productivity OS that MS ever offered and all of 7’s consumer/enterprise end users getting better OS stability rather than 10’s rolling instability.

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“Windows 7 is the new XP, and then some,” Nope. Windows Xp is the new OS. Many business still use it. Plus many are removing Windows 10 and install Windows 7 since the VPN bugs has made the Windows 10 useless.

 

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anonymous wrote:

many are removing Windows 10 and install Windows 7 since the VPN bugs

You have figures to back this up, please?

cheers, Paul

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rc primak, b

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I guess it will take a year at least to shake Windows 7 usage share

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I look after about 120 Win7 client machines. The current crisis has caused a surge in my support work as my clients are using their systems far more.

I read a few months ago that something like 75% of medical scene computers using Win7 will not be replaced by Win10 systems. Medical use computers tend to be integrated with other systems. The cost of a switch over like that is many times the cost of the PC itself. AND, those systems are mostly behind walls that protect them. Win7 is actually a much better system for most of those settings.

I am not the least bit interested in Windows Update. Not a one of my client systems has had a WU in 34 months now and they run far better than any systems I have ever seen. Not a single instance of any kind of problem in 34 months on 120 systems.

CT

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If anyone is running Windows 7 consumer client in a medical environment and not Windows 7 Enterprise then those folks may be in a HIPPA of trouble as medical needs 7/Enterprise for the proper medical privacy settings to be in place and available via the Enterprise OS’s UI.

And that Enterprise 7 better be getting ESU as well or that’s just waiting for a lawsuit for the clients and their IT provider. Consumer versions of Windows should never be used in any medical setting what with all that can go wrong there because of MS’s consumer version monetization antics.

But 7 will always have less issues simply because of that OS’s fixed code base relative to 10’s massively rolling code base refactoring madness that sees 10 remain in a continuous unstable BETA release state. Windows 7 was pretty much code complete after service pack 1 and remained stable more because MS kept its hands off the feature creep button for the most part with 7.

Even the folks that got 10 for “Free” are paying the price in lost time and productivity as things get broken so often with each new update with feature updates breaking drivers and all manner of things that would never happen under Windows 7 in relative comparison.

It’s only the 10 enterprise/LTSC folks that get more stability for longer periods of time and that’s on the backs of the 10 consumer end users that are the BETA testers for MS’s cash cow enterprise/volume/quality assurance licensees.

Windows 7 ESU users like the medical folks have more costs/recurring costs sunk into their mission critical medical software that’s more custom/bespoke and any 7/ESU licensing costs pale in comparison to the costs of that mission critical medical software.

That’s why XP got extended paid updates and that’s why 7 is the new XP in regards to any entity that has so much invested in their custom/bespoke mission critical software that’s only been vetted/certified for 7 currently like it was for XP in the past. Mission Critical Software has to be vetted/certified($$$$$) to work on any OS/OS version at as close to 100% up-time as possible or the entity(Enterprise, Government, other) can not function. 7 is the new XP in that regard and that’s just because the mission critical software costs so much to get vetted/certified that that needs to last at least 10 years in order to be properly amortized.

The folks staying on 7 currently are more than likely the same folks that took their time moving from XP to 7 back when 7 arrived. And that’s not because of 7 that’s because of the mission critical software that’s most expensive and has vetting/certification costs that have to be amortized over a longer period of time and that time period may not exactly mesh with MS’s new OS release/update cadence.

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I have a 9 year old Windows 7 machine that I still use for a particular program that I like better in its Windows 7 version than its Windows 10 version.

As far as I can tell 0Patch has been working fine for me, and I’m very satisfied with the under $30/yr. price. Solves a problem for me. I also continue to install whatever updates Microsoft puts outfor Windows 7.

BTW if Microsoft “no longer supports” Windows 7, why do they still offer the malicious software removal tool every month? I thought that would stop after January, but I’ve gotten and installed them for Feb. and March also.

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Chessie

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BTW if Microsoft “no longer supports” Windows 7, why do they still offer the malicious software removal tool every month? I thought that would stop after January, but I’ve gotten and installed them for Feb. and March also. – scooby

I can think of three possible reasons, either individually, or in combination:

1. The amount of coding work to create Win 7 MRT updates every month is minimal, i.e., largely shared with the Win 10 MRT.
2. Microsoft recognizes there are a large number of Win 7 machines in use, and feels some responsibility for the Windows ecosystem as a whole.
3. Microsoft wants to track the number of live Win 7 installations through Windows Update.

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Have a look here for some numbers that contradict this post

https://gs.statcounter.com/windows-version-market-share/desktop/worldwide/

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This article is about desktops, the article discussed in this thread is about all PCs, so it includes laptops as well.

It is my impression that laptops have more users, these days, than desktops. Am I wrong?

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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rc primak

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@oscar wrote@: ‘It is my impression that laptops have more users, these days, than desktops. Am I wrong?’

That’s for M$ to answer, using their gathered telemetry statistics, CPU type etc.

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One factor to keep in mind: Desktop computer life expectancy is about double that of laptops.

CT

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SueW, Elly, OscarCP

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OscarCP wrote:

This article is about desktops, the article discussed in this thread is about all PCs, so it includes laptops as well.

So does that statcounter article:

Are laptops included in the desktop platform?
Yes. Laptops and desktop machines are included in the desktop platform together. We use the browser useragent to determine the platform and there is not enough information contained in the useragent to distinguish between laptops and desktops. That is why we do not have a separate laptop platform.
https://gs.statcounter.com/faq#desktop-laptop

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alpha128 wrote:

I can think of three possible reasons

4. Microsoft doesn’t want Win 7 PCs to spread viruses so it also updates Win 7 defender/Microsoft Security Essentials.

Microsoft Security Essentials reached end of service on January 14, 2020 and is no longer available as a download. Microsoft will continue to release signature updates (including engine) to service systems currently running Microsoft Security Essentials untill 2023.

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rc primak, Elly

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MSRT is useless tool anyway

i believe they don’t want to change or break MSRT and MSE mechanism just to differentiate ESU-systems from non-ESU

MSE is still downloadable
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5201

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Elly

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Just a clarification re MSE. It was never part of Windows 7 but released  by M$ as a separate piece of software.

Just my 2 cents worth.

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rc primak

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And MSE can no longer be downloaded and installed/activated on 7 EOL and only those 7/EOL customers that had MSE installed prior to 7’s EOL will be able to get the MSE virus definition updates. I’ve only got 1 out of 4 Win 7 laptops with MSE installed that can still get virus definition updates and the other laptops had MSE uninstalled and I did not reinstall MSE before 7 when EOL for consumers.

 

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Please see @abbodi86 ‘s download link in #2223651 above. You can still download/install for Win7. There are no more engine updates, but it still provides updated definitions.

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Cybertooth, ryegrass

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PKCano, I had read Alex5723 (in this thread) and was surprised to see a quotation that included updating the engine in MSE. This caused me to review my own MpSigStub.log where I found that on 20-MAR-2020 the engine updated from 1.1.16800.2 to 1.1.16900.4

I do not know if or when the next MSE engine update may occur, but do see at least one instance where it has happened since Win7 EOL. I do also continue to receive regular signature updates as well, just as you say.

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I believe MS said it would not be updating the engine. But with MS, who knows.
Did you verify the date on the executable to be after Win7 EOL?

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This was received through the automated update process. So no, I did no verification ahead of time. Copied from the MpSigStub.log (could provide more of the alphanumerics if it is helpful)

================================ ValidateUpdate ================================

MpSigStub successfully updated Microsoft Antimalware (Beijing) using the Engine only package.

         Original:    Updated to:
 Engine: 1.1.16800.2  1.1.16900.4

DeltaUpdateFailure set to 0
BddUpdateFailure set to 0
End time: 2020-03-20 19:40:40Z
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The format of the lengthy log entry matches prior entries, I have no reason to doubt authenticity. This entry was then followed by that days signature package as a separate process.

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PKCano

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Upon some reflection, I have these thoughts to offer:

The Win 7 % vs. Win 10 % is not the most important consideration to those of us who are Win 7 holdouts. What really matters to us, or to me at least, is that the Win 7 % stays sufficiently high for developers of Win 7 patches or equivalent (such as 0patch) and the developers of applications for Windows to find the necessary incentive to keep their products for Win 7  current enough, particularly those applications and firmware we most need to use, as well as providing patches as needed to protect their users from emerging malware threats and, or their software security holes that allow a potential exposure to them; also fixing their own bugs and incorporating recent advances in their kinds of software. And, generally, remaining compatible, while keeping up to date, with Win 7.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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ryegrass, Cybertooth

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