Vendors force changes

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PATCH WATCH By Susan Bradley Whether your operating system is Windows, Apple, Chromium, or even a variation of Linux, there comes a time when a vendor
[See the full post at: Vendors force changes]

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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jburk07, lmacri, fisher75, DLivesInTexas

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Ironically, the biggest offenders for bricking otherwise useful devices with bloated crapware/artificial limits always claim to be “green” and “saving the world” by manufacturing with some eco-friendly friendly version of H2O…all the while generating untold tons of digital junk that is discarded by most who don’t care to hack around the idiocracy.

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Cybertooth

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I have a Windows 11 Pro machine. What is the easiest way to remain on 22H2 until being forced into 23H2? I know this has been mentioned before, I just can’t recall readily.

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Easiest: Try Gibson Research’s InControl. Instructions are on the website.

You can also use Group Policy or Registry settings. See AKB6000004 – use 22H2 for the TargetReleaseVersion instead of 21H2.

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Thanks. I will use one of those methods as stated in your reply.

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Susan- you have mistakenly included Linux in your list of operating systems that push users to buy an updated version of their OS.  Linux does not push anyone to do anything, develops and provides its many variations without charging users, and traditionally has promised to furnish updates for a given distro for five years (This may be changing to three years).  When that period ends, users may update to the newest version of their chosen OS, again without cost (but donations are welcomed).

The above was just one of the reasons I abandoned MS when MS mostly abandoned W7.

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bassmanzam

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I see no mention having to purchase upgrades, just mention of being pushed.
And if you run a commercially supported Linux installation you can also expect to be pushed.

cheers, Paul

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I indicated that even Linux has support windows.  Not that they force – but that vendors ALWAYS draw lines in the sand.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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In this, and several previous Patch Watch posts, your “Patching recommendations for consumers” only mention Windows 11!

I am still running Windows 10, and will continue to do so until we replace the two machines that can’t run Windows 11, as I want to keep all 3 machines in our household on the same version of Windows.

Are you now recommending that I should junk perfectly serviceable machines now rather than in mid-2025 when Windows 10 approaches end-of-support?

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Reading way too much into that one.  🙂
Susan still recommends W10 with 22H2 or W11 22H2. Whichever you have / your machine will allow / you want.

cheers, Paul

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TechTango

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Paul T wrote:

I see no mention having to purchase upgrades, just mention of being pushed. And if you run a commercially supported Linux installation you can also expect to be pushed.

I haven’t run MS for years now, as mentioned, but does MS now provide free updates to a new OS version?

Perhaps our Mint Mate OS is not “commercially supported” since we have never been urged to upgrade or update.  Might be different in the business world, would be fair enough if true.

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Slowpoke47 wrote:

does MS now provide free updates to a new OS version?

Since W10, yes.

cheers, Paul

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Slowpoke47

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My OS is Windows 11 Pro and I am on version 22H2. How or where can I communicate to Microsoft that I don’t want to transition to 23H2 if that means I must use Co-Pilot.

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You do not have to use copilot.
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/9000001-blocking-copilot-in-windows-10-and-11-home-sku

cheers, Paul

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TechTango

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One of the reasons Western readers find Chinese languages difficult to learn are their use of pictographs instead of alphabets for a large portion of their written language. And yet this seems to be the road Microsoft is leading us down.

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Cybertooth

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Susan, I think you may remember me.  The Windows 7 guy.  A few years back, my practice which included about 150 win7 clients.  Today, still going strong at about 80.  Those clients use Win7 that has have not been updated since mid 2017, Chrome, Bit Defender AV+.

Still to this date, not a single instance of any kind of threat on any one of those computers in all those years.  I still replace hard drives from time to time as a maintenance precaution.

Those computers wake up every morning behaving and in fact exactly as they did the day before.  The only “updates” they get are from Bit Defender.

My clients are still delighted with their computers.  To recall, they are at home usrs who use thier computers primarily for email and occasional web browsing.

Incidently, on another note:  I had a recent experience I would like to share.  I bought a new drive on Amazon for a client.  When I got it, it looked to be packaged exactly as I would expect a new Western Digital Black drive should be.  However, I discovered it had been manufactured 3.5 years ago and had been registered for its 5 year warranty and had but 1.5 years left on that warranty.  Clearly, it was a used drive, not new as advertised.  The vendor (not Amazon itself) refused any reponsibility.  However, Amazon made good.

I do replace with SSD’s when it makes economic sense.

You may also be interested to know that a very small percentage of those clients who no longer use Win7, replaced them with a new version of Windows.  Virtually all, use smart phones and or tablets from Apple or Google’s Android.

 

 

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Steve, jburk07, SueW, Cybertooth

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As long as you continue to use older software.  But I use tax software that gets new versions annually and it won’t run on Windows 7.

The threat on using older systems is that software won’t run on it and then you get hit by a bus and your clients have to find someone else to support them.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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Susan Bradley wrote:

But I use tax software that gets new versions annually and it won’t run on Windows 7.

Not on Win8.1 this year either.

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You are correct, Susan.  Tax software does stubbornly refuse to work with Win7.  But few of my clients use tax software.

You are also correct about a bus strike.  I expect my clients will simply continue to use their Win7 systems until they stop working and then simply dump them.  Although, I suspect they will get a few more years before that happens.  These systems just run and run and run.

I did have a problem with an email service provider I had been paying for the service for about 23 years.  I dumpted them in favour of a free Gmail address and have replaced Windows Live Mail (which most of my clients still use) in favour of Thunderbird.

I “discovered” Thunderbird is indeed the progenitor or most email systems in existence today.  An excellent piece of software that is kept up to date and current.  Even Gmail liked it.

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Vendors in technology are always trying to sell and not support. No money in extending the life of a product even if it works well. People in poorer countries suffer the most because they may be forced to use a product well after support ends because it works and they cannot afford a newer product. Or in Microsoft’s stupid wisdom, lock older devices out of upgrading to Windows 11 to extend their life. Even Google extended most Chrome devices to more than 5 years from date of release. Technology isn’t green, they market themselves as such but technologies like cloud and AI require a lot of energy and pushing replacements because last years product sucks now isn’t promoting long life for products. Its encouraging an early disposal of working products because they don’t get support.

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pfvincent

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John S wrote:

Or in Microsoft’s stupid wisdom, lock older devices out of upgrading to Windows 11 to extend their life. Even Google extended most Chrome devices to more than 5 years from date of release.

Windows 11 is officially supported on devices more than six years old.

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Good topic for an article – how OLD is your hardware?  Because I am often surprised that some of my computers are much older than I remember they are.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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Average age my 80 or so client systems is probably about 10 years.  Although there is good reason for this.  The most common failure point in these systems is the hard drive.  Laptops are good for about 5 years, desktops about 8.  I routinely replace these devices to keep them up and running.  Added benefit: When I restore the image I made when I last set their system up, they have essentially a new system.  Performance improvement is always dramatic.  AND, if an SSD is economicaly possible, even better.

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Susan wrote that:

Prior to the new File Explorer, basic operations such as cut, copy, delete, and rename were simply text items on the context menu. It made them easy to find. But with the new UI, I found myself staring at the new presentation and taking forever to remember the icon for copy.

Indeed! There is a reason that hieroglyphics went out of style long ago, but the geniuses at Microsoft (primus inter alia) seem to have a tendency to forget that and need to be reminded occasionally.

 

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

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Liz C., pfvincent

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Yes- who was it, said, “ifn it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?”

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Cybertooth

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It was Ann Landers.

 

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Slowpoke47, Cybertooth

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Mark wrote:

It was Ann Landers.

 

Actually, it goes back way further than her using it in the late ’80s.

The meaning and origin of the expression: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

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After finding the keywords in Susan’s complaint:

Prior to the new File Explorer, basic operations such as cut, copy, delete, and rename were simply text items on the context menu. It made them easy to find. But with the new UI, I found myself staring at the new presentation and taking forever to remember the icon for copy.

I checked online for possible fixes and found one at:

https://www.pcgamer.com/windows-11-context-menu-fix-right-click/

But I’m not sure whether it’s safe to try.  Can one of you more experienced people let me know?

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That method looks to be kosher based on the info on other sites.

This post has the easiest method (copy and paste): https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows11/comments/pu5aa3/howto_disable_new_context_menu_explorer_command/

cheers, Paul

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Thank you so much for your quick reply, Paul.  I very much appreciate it!

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Problems with upgrading to the “latest” version. My Ryzen 7 1700 is not supported by windows 11. Also, my Threadripper 1 1950X also is not supported by malewaresoft, (you call them microsoft). I also have an i5 that, once again, malwaresoft doesn’t support and, do to terrible rewrites of software, I have to run windows 7 because the video capture program written for windows 10 doesn’t work. After 5 minutes, audio sync is off by 10 seconds.

Besides, all these systems run perfectly fine. I know, windows 7 no longer is “serviceable” and no updates allowed. Don’t do stupid stuff and it won’t get viruses. Same thing is going to happen in a year or two when windows 10 dies.

One great thing about windows 10 and 11, SANDBOX. Someone send me a questionable link, I open it in Sandbox. Someone send me a tik-tok link, open it in Sandbox.

 

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Cybertooth

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n0ads wrote:

The meaning and origin of the expression: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

Corollary –

If it ain’t broke…don’t break it.

 

 

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pfvincent, Cybertooth

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Nowadays the motto among software vendors seems to be, “Fix it ’til it breaks!”

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

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Myst, Slowpoke47

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Cybertooth wrote:

Nowadays the motto among software vendors seems to be, “Fix it ’til it breaks!”

Amen to that.  And a corollary-  if a particular “feature” is not there it can’t fail.  Self-driving cars, anyone?

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Cybertooth

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Slowpoke47 wrote:

Self-driving cars, anyone?

Yes please! (Not holding my breath.)

cheers, Paul

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And another favorite tactic — forced upgrade to obtain bug fixes.

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