MS to give small/medium businesses access to Win7 patches after January

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Chip, chip, chip. Jared Spataro, MS corporate VP for Microsoft 365 (note the title) has just posted a reprieve, of sorts: today we are announcing that
[See the full post at: MS to give small/medium businesses access to Win7 patches after January]

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abbodi86

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Woody, you probably need to truncate your posted a reprieve link. 😉

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woody

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Still wondering how they will control the rollout.

Can those patches be distributed via WSUS? If not, will we somehow have to manually patch our fleet of workstations (if we decide to pay for the privilege)?

And how will the quality control of those patches work? Right now we get patches for free, and there’s lots of “beta testers” to wait for the screams to come from before deciding to patch. When this new regime comes around, there will be almost no such testers, so what guarantee will Microsoft give as to the quality of these patches? If you pay, you should have higher confidence, but the whole idea says it won’t be so.

No matter where you go, there you are.

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Yes.  there will be a servicing stack update released that will expose a MAK key spot.  You’ll get the mak keys from a site and enter them.  This will “license” you and then you can use WU and WSUS (or other means) to install updates.  (per ms site assuming that they are the same as Windows 2008 R2)

• Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 instance running on-premises: Delivery of Extended Security Updates for Windows Server is no different than what customers have been doing for the last decade for security patches. They are Security updates only, and they are released every Patch Tuesday. Customers can install them using whatever tools and processes they are using today. The only difference is that the system must be unlocked for the updates to install.

• On-premises customers that purchase Extended Security Updates will receive an add-on Multiple Activation Key (MAK) through the volume licensing portal (VLSC). Customers can deploy the new MAK key and any pre-requisite servicing stack updates to the applicable machines, then continue with their current update/servicing strategy to deploy Extended Security Updates through Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), or whatever patch management solution the customer prefers. This is also the process that customers will need to follow for Azure Stack.

• Please note, because support for Windows Server 2008/R2 does not end until January 14, 2020, MAK keys cannot be activated until Fall 2019 for Windows Server 2008/R2. Further instructions will be available at that time. Installing MAK keys add the ability to receive Extended Security Updates. They do not replace the current product activation key (e.g. OEM, KMS), nor do they re-activate the system. Customers will need to install a new MAK key each year they have Extended Security Updates deployed.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/extended-security-updates

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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woody

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What about Windows 7, and what are “on-premises customers”. Aren’t customers always on some sort of premises? Unless they are passengers on a train, plane, car or bus, or gone on a walkabout cross-country, that is.

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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It’s already released

SSU KB4516655 add the support
Preview Rollup KB4516048 add the required MAK licenses

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woody

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https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4522133/procedure-to-continue-receiving-security-updates
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=100304

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Well, I’m Jim, Inc., a small business; and I may be interested in buying the license needed to keep the updates coming.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 8.1 running in a VM

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SueW, LHiggins

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Mine can be considered an small business  too, these days, when I work primarily as a consultant for NASA by running my own one-man operation. I am not sure how MS may actually define this in their “fill in the blanks” forms to apply for their possible extended patching service for Windows 7 Pro, which is a current OS in my HP PC.

So it already might be coming to a choice between security micropatches from 0patch and patches from MS under this extended service just announced. Would more and more choices start to come out of the woodwork now, as the countdown to official Win 7 EOL relentlessly continues? Is it, perhaps, that a potentially tens-of-millions-of-dollars market about to open in January, is calling all would-be patch makers to get into this business before others do so?

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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Excellent question. Susan and others who understand this stuff are digging for real-world answers….

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So MS is going to charge twice as much for Pro licenses in comparison to Enterprise licenses? Did I read that right? If correct, MS is blatantly [edited] to all but large corporations.

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I would like to know whether Windows 7 Ultimate can also get updates. I use Ultimate in my small business because with ultimate it is possible to switch between languages. I always install the English language version and then add a Dutch language pack. The advantage of that is that whenever I get an error message I can switch to English and then search the internet using that error message in English. This has helped me many times and saved me a lot of time, especially because Dutch is such a small language and finding a solution on the the internet for an error message in Dutch usually is much harder, if possible at all.

I would be helped by adding 1 more year to one or two of my computers, while upgrading to Windows 10, in order to avoid too much work for having to upgrade several computers in 3 months, which I just cannot handle right for personal reasons.

Yeah, the $50 is too much IMO. Microsoft keeps pampering large businesses and forgetting about small businesses. How do they think large businesses start? As a large or a small business?

ASRock Beebox J3160 - Win7 Ultimate x64
Asus VivoPC VC62B - Win7 Ultimate x64
Dell Latitude E6430 - Win7 Ultimate x64, Win10 Pro 22H2 x64 (multiboot)
Dell Latitude XT3 - Win7 Ultimate x86
Asus H170 Pro Gaming - Win10 Pro 22H2 x64

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MrJimPhelps

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GoneToPlaid wrote:

So MS is going to charge twice as much for Pro licenses in comparison to Enterprise licenses? Did I read that right? If correct, MS is blatantly [edited] to all but large corporations.

Sorta makes sense, because with Enterprise you are already paying a premium up-front support cost.

 

No matter where you go, there you are.

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Pim

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What I’m trying to get my head around is their definition of “small business”. They say this will be delivered through the Volume Licencing portal. But that only applies if you have at least five licences of something, if you’re a true home based small business, you may only have one computer. How the heck will I be able to get ESU without qualifying for volume licencing?

No matter where you go, there you are.

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SueW, LHiggins

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Actually, following a couple of links from the linked blog post, I found:

Starting on December 1, 2019, businesses of any size with Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Enterprise will be able to purchase ESU through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program. The Windows 7 ESU will be sold on a per-device basis and the price will increase each year.

(emphasis mine, quoted from https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/partners/news/article/announcing-paid-windows-7-extended-security-updates )

So. I expect it’ll go approximately the same way as getting Office 365 or Microsoft 365 subscriptions through the CSP program…? Can get just one of those too.

I don’t immediately see any clause actually forbidding a CSP to sell *one* Microsoft 365 E3 license to a one-man business. (Yes, to me that would seem to be the simplest way to get one Windows 10 Enterprise license with downgrade rights.) Anyone else find one? Because, well, the 365 Business ones may have a maximum number of subscriptions but AFAICT the E subscriptions don’t seem to have a minimum…

Pricing is a whole another can of worms of course.

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LHiggins

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And small business may have 10 or 20 individual PCs and no VL agreement – they are busy being a business, not worrying about fitting in with an inconsequential software supplier.

cheers, Paul

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AlexEiffel, woody

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Going to throw this observation in, again. We are discussing a program to extend services beyond the contracted time period that licensees agreed to, at the time they purchased equipment and agreed to licensing.

Microsoft is altering the deal. They have altered the deal further. (apologies to Mr Lucas)

But they have altered the deal in your favor. And you are complaining that it is not in your favor by a large enough value. It should be even more in your favor at a less expensive pricetag.

I know small business is busy. But over the same timeline, you have likely replaced your leased vehicle(s) according to their contracts. Same is likely true of your mobile communications hardware, according to those agreements. Your particular business probably has other specific hardware and plant requirements that would put you out of business when ignored for too long. Good business looks ahead.

Microsoft is going beyond prior agreements here. They deserve a thank you.

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OscarCP

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anonymous wrote:

Microsoft is going beyond prior agreements here. They deserve a thank you.

If the initial agreement was to provide a working system, then MS have breached that by allowing bad actors to take control of your machine. The least they can do is provide fixes for these breaches at no cost, as an auto manufacturer would if your car has a potentially dangerous fault.

cheers, Paul

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According to this MS document, “small businesses” employ between one and six people. Now this is possibly a good question: is The Big Boss supposed to be counted in that number? If so, I am the Boss of a one-employee small business, and so is MrJimPhelps! Yay!

The extended support for “small businesses” is open for applications, for those with Windows 7 Pro SP1 or higher, to join in from 1st December of this year and they have to do this through the MS-affiliated organization Cloud Solution Provider or CSP:

https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing

The hyperlink to get in touch with the appropriate Web Page of this organization to make the application through them is in the PDF. Of particular interest to single-users like me, besides the general overview of the deal, in Section 1, would be in the section “Last Resort” (for those that intend to buying the extended patching service), starting in page 13.

Now, let’s say one individual user can get the extended service, does not mind the price and buys it. Then that user will continue to receive patches for Windows 7. Question: would anybody, here at Woody’s or at any other similar site would be keeping an eye for bad patches, warning users of them and helping out those with patch issues? Because I don’t see a reason to think they’ll be better, more reliable, even trouble-free patches, compared to what we are getting these days (that, at least, are for free.)

Windows-7-and-Office-2010-End-of-Support-FAQ-20191003-Public

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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