What are you going to do with Win8.1 past Jan 10 or what have you already done?

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[kandb]

I am pondering that question and have been for a while.  Do I keep Win 8.1 or do I upgrade to Win 10?  It seems I can upgrade as my PC meets all minimum requirements to do so but I’m very hesitant to start the process as I like my current operating system.  It does everything I want to do and the hassle/frustration/problems that might pop… well I don’t want to deal with.

So, if you’re using Win 8.1 or thinking about keeping it going or have upgraded to W10 I’d really like to know your thoughts.  W11 has no appeal for me.  I use Firefox browser and Thunderbird email and both work excellently for me but it looks like Firefox will support W8.1 for just a while longer and I don’t know of any extended Thunderbird support.  If you upgraded to W10 how did the process go and which site did you rely on for guidance and downloading of software as there are many to choose.  If you’re staying with W8.1 how are you going to work with it past Jan 10?  What security will you use to immunize your system against the bad guys?

Thank you in advance for responding and I look forward to hearing from you.

Bill

• This topic was modified 8 months, 3 weeks ago by kandb.

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I don’t have any Windows 8.1 systems, but I do have a laptop running Windows 8 (the original version). To protect it, I have implemented many of the measures described in the first link below my signature; most of what’s there is equally applicable to Windows 8/8.1.

One of the potentially most concerning security developments with regard to older operating systems, is the impending end of browser support. I would start looking now for alternative browsers that pledge to keep supporting your OS past the dates that Google (Chrome) and Mozilla (Firefox) stop issuing patches for their browsers on Win8.1.

Still, with the multiple layers of security installed on it, I have few worries about my Win8 laptop. A couple of caveats:

1. This approach does imply a greater degree of knowledge and personal involvement with the workings of our computers. For example, you’ll find yourself sometimes needing to click on a notification to allow a program (say, an installer) to run, or to go on the Internet. This is one of the ways in which your security is enhanced: if you weren’t trying to install anything at the time, then the notification is a warning that something you don’t want may be trying to set itself up on your PC. Therefore,
2. None of this applies if you intend to do it in an office setting, where other users may be less knowledgeable or less motivated to stay on top of their security just so that they can remain on their preferred OS.

Good luck!

 

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

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Charlie, kandb

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I will continue to use my last Win8.1 beyond Jan 10th and depending on vulns held back for the final occasion, I’ll take it offline and keep it going on that device. I have no intention of upgrading it, I like it too much for it’s stability, control and the work I’ve put into it over the years with OS images in the wings.
0Patch aren’t offering support to Win8.1 so it’ll be offline sooner rather than later.
Already having W10 devices and Linux Mint’s on others will take the online strain. Win8.1 is my runner-up choice of proper Windows once stripped down and tamed, with Windows 7 being the pinnacle of Microsoft’s work, as ever YMMV

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created IT- AE

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Charlie, Cybertooth, kandb

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I have two Windows 8.1 (Pro with Classic/Open Shell) desktops that I was planning an eventual move to Linux since Microsoft’s “Windows as a service” with Windows 10 (or newer) is just not an option for me, primarily due to lack of easy built-in control over updates and dislike for all the telemetry they try to collect. I don’t want anything updating on my system without my explicit consent. And I really don’t care to use third party tools or have to jump through a bunch of hoops to try to prevent Microsoft from controlling my system. But I digress…

I recently started testing Linux Mint Cinnamon a few days ago via a bootable USB. I was very impressed with the setup and operation. Everything just worked, it detected and installed all needed hardware drivers right away and I was able to immediately start evaluating/testing how the system works and that needed software is available (ex. Firefox ESR, Ungoogled Chromium, Proton Mail Bridge, KeePass, Citrix). For f.lux, software that is used to change the color (and brightness) of your screen based on time of day to help reduce impact to your sleep cycle, I found Linux Mint already has the functionality built-in via an application called Redshift. Otherwise the only exception was QTranslate that is only made for Windows and which I could not find a Linux application that even comes close to the same feature set and functionality. However as a workaround for when I need to use QTranslate I was able to use Oracle VirtualBox to run a Windows 8.1 virtual machine. However keep in mind to do that well a computer needs to have proper hardware in particular a high amount of memory (ex. minimum 16 GB) as each virtual machine also needs/uses some of the system’s memory.

So instead of waiting, I decided to go ahead with a full install of Linux Mint on the SSD on one of the two desktops after taking a Macrium Image of the Windows 8.1 system to fall back on if needed. Everything worked even better and was a lot faster being able to take advantage of the SSD. Then after taking a whole day to configure the system as needed I used Macrium to create an image and since the other desktop has exactly the same hardware I was able to simply restore the image to it. So now both desktops are running Linux Mint Cinnamon with the option to run a Windows 8.1 virtual machine.

There is still a bit of a learning curve to learn more details and tips/tricks with Linux. But Mint made the set up and running of a Linux system very easy. It’s very intuitive and works well out of the box.

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unbob, Steve, kandb, Charlie, SueW, Microfix

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While I hadn’t thought of it until your response, for which I say thank you, the idea of Linux Mint Cinnamon is interesting to me.  I’ve lived in the Microsoft Windows world since I started using a computer in 2004 so this concept of moving to Linux Mint is new, a bit daunting and a little exciting too.  I did a search for Linux Mint via Duck Duck Go and read several links and also found at the How-To Geek website that Firefox and Thunderbird are supported, if I understood it correctly, and I may try out Linux in a virtual box.  As with anyone I’m concerned about moving my personal files of videos, mp3 music, pictures, bookmarks, or anything that I routinely use everyday with no problems to the Linux operating system with no loss of content.  If you have other commentary about your use please post as I’ll come back here for the information.  Thank you, again.

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Charlie, Microfix

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I understand as I have only used Windows as well (since 1996) and have had very limited exposure to Linux until recently. But the Linux Mint developers have done a great job to make their OS easy to understand and intuitive to use. If you want to give it a test run, no need for a virtual box/machine. Instead see the installation guide here where you can decide what edition (Cinnamon, Mate, or Xfce) to download and how to create a bootable USB drive (or DVD) that will run a live session of Linux Mint and does not affect the existing operating system on your hard drive. However something to keep in mind is that a live session will be slower since it only runs off the USB drive as well as changes made are not permanent and will be lost on a reboot since it does not write anything to the USB drive. If you decide to install Linux Mint on your hard drive you can either dual boot with Windows or backup all your data to an external source then wipe the drive and install Linux Mint. Either option can be done from a live session.

For existing data, I normally keep backups of all of it on a local NAS (network attached storage) device and just copied it back to the SSD after wiping the drive and installing Linux Mint. But if you dual boot, Linux Mint will be able to see the existing data on the drive. For bookmarks, I exported them from Firefox and Ungoogled Chromium to an html file (saved to the NAS) then imported them into the respective web browsers in Linux Mint. For most other existing files (ex. videos, mp3, Microsoft Word/Excel, pdf, etc.) they can be opened in software that is included with Mint (ex. LibreOffice). For data from Outlook that was stored in a PST file, I had to export calendar and contacts to isc files that could then be imported to Thunderbird. The harder part was trying to migrate hundreds of locally saved email. But I ended up using the online account method with my Proton Mail account and their bridge application where I copied the email from Outlook into the Proton Mail account archive folder. Then in Thunderbird on Linux Mint I copied the email back down locally then deleted it from the Proton account since I do not want/normally keep it there. Instead like the PST file before I now backup the Thunderbird profile (that contains the email, calendar, contacts, etc.) to the NAS.

Otherwise all has been working very well on Linux Mint since migrating about 4 days ago. The system is very stable and fast even when running the Windows 8.1 virtual machine. The only issue I’ve encountered was an annoying pop when a new sound would play. But after a quick search online it was easily fixed via a terminal command to prevent the sound card driver from going into power save mode (the pop was caused by the sound card waking up to play the media).

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unbob, kandb, Charlie, SueW

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Mothy,

I thank you very much for your ideas and detailed information.  You answered a lot of the concern I have about the install of Linux Mint and integrating the software I currently use.  For all that you get an extra helping of beans in your bucket tonight!

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kandb wrote:

I can upgrade as my PC meets all minimum requirements to do so but I’m very hesitant

W10 will do everything W8.1 did and even look pretty much the same with some free/cheap tools. The only thing less good is updating and we get around that with WuMgr.
Tools: https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/should-i-windows-10/#post-2511967

Make a backup, or two, and upgrade. No downside IMO.

cheers, Paul

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kandb, Cybertooth

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[Charlie]

I went as far as Win 7 and gave up on Window’s Updating hassles. I still use Win 7 mostly offline because I like it.  My first experience with Linux Mint was with Cinnamon which I ran right from a DVD my brother made for me.  You can do that – run it right from a DVD or flash drive before installing it.

I’m still using LMC 19.1 on an old Sony Vaio laptop, and I’ve recently installed LMC 20 on a new SSD on my desktop.  You can be up and running in a short time.  Learning all the in’s, out’s, and commands will take a bit longer, but they’re readily available here and other places on the Web.  I wrote down the commands I use the most which now is mainly the trim command for the SSD’s.

I’m a Linux Mint user and I’m not exactly a computer geek.  It’s better than putting up with Windows update craziness every month!

Being 20 something in the 70's was much more fun than being 70 something in the 20's.

• This reply was modified 8 months, 3 weeks ago by Charlie.

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Steve, SueW, Microfix, kandb, Cybertooth

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Linux knows how to handle SSDs, you don’t have to do it manually.

cheers, Paul

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Charlie

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I learn something new almost every day.  Do the older versions like 19.1 know how to handle SSD’s as well?

Being 20 something in the 70's was much more fun than being 70 something in the 20's.

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Yes. It’s based on Kernel 4.15 which supports NVME SSDs as well – anything above Kernel 3.3.

cheers, Paul

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Charlie

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“It’s better than putting up with Windows update craziness every month!”

Yes, very true! Next week’s Microsoft patch Tuesday will be the first time I have not had to worry about updating any personal Windows systems since they are now running Linux Mint instead. Although I think updating Windows 8.1 has always been much easier and much less risky than newer “Windows as a service” versions. But regardless it’s quite refreshing to not even have to think about it anymore. Instead Linux is just inherently more secure and does not require updates every month. So now after running Linux Mint for just a week I can’t help but think to myself, “Why did I not switch to Linux sooner?”. =D

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kandb

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I am going to upgrading to Windows 10 21H2 via an offline process using an ISO. (21H2 ISO is harder to get, you may have to use 22H2)

I am going to make a Checklist about my upgrade and I will put it in this forum some time in January, if you are interested. I will include my reason for going to 21H2 instead of 22H2.

I like Linux Mint too but have only played with the Live Distro via USB.

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KP wrote:

(21H2 ISO is harder to get, you may have to use 22H2)

No.

Use Rufus or use Heidoc.net to download any Windows 10 version ISO.

Windows 10 22H2 is stable and recommended.

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I (very sadly) upgraded to Win10 last night and it worked a-ok. I’m so happy to have this computer keep on keepin’ on. There are a couple of quirks I might need help with but I’ll start a new thread if I can’t figure it out.

So grateful for what I learn here – I did it!

 

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kandb

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Charlie wrote:

I’m still using LMC 19.1 on an old Sony Vaio laptop

Me too.  Its original OS was Vista.  The machine is as slow as molasses compared to my Win10 i7 laptop but it works well enough to serve as my home office PC (mostly web browsing and bill paying).

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My 2007 Sony Vaio had Vista on it too.  My niece used this laptop in college and then just abandoned it at my sister’s place.  I checked it out and it was in very good condition so I asked if I could buy it from her.  She said I could have it but I paid her what I thought it was worth to me.  I was looking for a good computer to put Linux Mint on and this was definitely it at the time.

It has a 1.66 GHz x 2 Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and only 2 gigs of RAM but it runs LMC 19.1 plenty fast enough for me.  The only thing I did to it was replace the original 200 gig HDD with a 250 gig Samsung 860 EVO SSD.  That really sped it up a lot.  It’s still running great and I use it a lot.

Being 20 something in the 70's was much more fun than being 70 something in the 20's.

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Cybertooth

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<span class=”bbp-author-name”>dbvdb4help,</span>

Well congratulations to you for success on the upgrade!

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I decided and downloaded Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1; mounted the file to a USB and downloaded the SHA256sums to a desktop folder in order to verify integrity/authenticity of the download. Following along at https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=291093 and attempting the file integrity check with an open command window I’m met with “too many arguments” in the window after entering what I think is the correct info on the command line. Two arguments are allowed but not three that I’m seeing. I’m dead in the water and haven’t even thought about attempting the authenticity check. HELP! PLEASE! Is this verification process absolutely necessary? Is there a better way to verify the file is not corrupted or hacked by some bad actors and get the software installed and move ahead? Windows Defender and Malwarebytes are happy.

Man! Mama said there’d be days like this… Oh, by the way thank you in advance for your assist!

Signed: Struggling in the cold River City.

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Try VisualHash.

cheers, Paul

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kandb

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Mr PaulT, et al

Oh yes, I did download/install VisualHash and it worked great for verifying the sha256sum.txt checksum file. Thanks so much! I’d not heard of the software until your response. However, for the sha256sum.txt.gpg signing key signature file I used https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php. That also worked but one, at least this one guy, had to pay very close attention to the process unlike VisualHash which was akin to point and shoot. Comparing the two the parties that wrote VisualHash did very well making it easy for those of us not in the IT trade.

That part is accomplished but I’m still batting around whether I’ll go with Linux. I put the boot file on a USB and the stick I used (16Gb)was working quite normally having used it in the past enough times. After installing the boot file I found the stick was then write protected and no matter the process I could not disable WriteProtect. What a crock of crap! Makes me wonder if I should drop this idea and install W10. The one thing I’m positive of is come Jan 10, 23 Win8.1 will still be cookin’ on this PC. For a little while longer anyways…

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Another way on Win 8.1: When I installed 7-Zip, there is a CRC SHA option when I right click on a file. In there, is the ability to get the SHA256 hash.

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Steve, kandb, Cybertooth

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Thank you, KP. I appreciate the help.

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kandb wrote:

After installing the boot file I found the stick was then write protected

How did you burn the IOS to the USB? I generally use Rufus.
Have you tried formatting the USB from Explorer?
Or using partition manager DISKPART to delete the partition?

cheers, Paul

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kandb

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Hello Paul,

I’m continuing to run Win8.1 and want to take time to comment on your response from January 9.  Thank you for the help.  I’ve been working on automobile maintenance/other projects and put the Win8.1 subject aside for awhile.  I did install the Dec, 2022 updates and there is a Jan, 2023 Security Monthly Quality Rollup (KB5022352) in the queue which is probably the very last update we’ll see from Microsoft.

About the write protected USB.  I formatted it for NTFS from Explorer and mounted the iso to the USB, as I recollect.  I thought all went well but discovered the file would not install to the PC and the dreaded term “write protected” displayed.  I have not heard of Rufus although now  I’ve read about it, thanks to you.  I did use DISKPART.  Tried it a couple of times to delete the partition but that didn’t work.  I created a new Registry key for StorageDevicePolicies under HKEY Local Machine and the key/subkey had no effect in clearing the write protection.  As best my memory can say that’s the story.  I feel like I’ll check out Rufus and see what happens when I make time to do so.  But for now Win8.1 is alive and well here.  I’m also waiting to find out how much longer Firefox will be supported.

Bill

 

 

 

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To have the USB bootable you usually want a FAT32 format.

If the USB stick is stuck as read-only then it may have died – they do that sometimes.

cheers, Paul

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kandb

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Bill, I am going to stick with Windows 8.1 for a while. I will never go to windows 10 or above as I don’t like the telemetry collecting who knows what. Looks like I am moving from Group B to Group W. I also like to have control over my PC and update what, when and if I decide it’s best for me.

I will keep 8.1 so long as I can keep a decent antivirus suite and browser that can be updated. Antivirus should be easy as suites like Norton are still updating definitions for Windows XP. They are in maintenance mode where you get no features but still get definitions. For browsers, currently I use Brave, it will be updated thru February. Once that stops getting updates, I will move on (grudgingly) to Firefox ESR. I got rid of them a couple years ago as I didn’t like the stance they took which made me question a few things. Once their gone I may look into browsers like Waterfox or Palemoon. They kept XP around until 2019 I think. K-Melon is still updating their XP compatible browser to this day. I just want to know more about these to decide how long to use 8.1. Oh and I have Office 2016 which will be updated thru Oct 2025.

I am hoping to find a way to keep security updates for 8.1 if someone can figure out how to allow it to get windows 8.1 POS (thru July or October this year) or server 2012 which might get them thru 2026. After all this I’ll go move to Linux. Not sure which version yet… Looking at a few recommendations.

Windows 8.1 Group B, Brave & Mozilla ESR - grudgingly & Protonmail

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Cybertooth, kandb, Charlie

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Hey there Erik,

As I did with Paul I’m making a few minutes tonight to acknowledge your comments from Jan 11.  Regarding the first paragraph you wrote.  I’m there with you, brother!  I agree wholeheartedly.  About the rest of your mail I’ll read and digest it another day and maybe come back with a thought or two.  You packed a lot in your writing and my tired mind needs some rest and I don’t feel like I’ll do a good job responding just now.  Thanks for helping.

Bill

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Chrome 109 has stopped support to 8.1 (and 7).
New Paint.NET 5 stopped support to 8.1 (and 7).
The list will grow every day.

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kandb

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“To have the USB bootable you usually want a FAT32 format.”

Apparently Paul, I blew that.

“If the USB stick is stuck as read-only then it may have died – they do that sometimes.”

Yeah, I was aware that a USB can/will set the flag to write protect and there is nothing but electronic recycling as a choice for the user. Bummer though in that the USB has been in service for several years, used a number of times and worked well.
Thanks, again.

Bill

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Alex5723 wrote:

KP wrote:

(21H2 ISO is harder to get, you may have to use 22H2)

No.

Use Rufus or use Heidoc.net to download any Windows 10 version ISO.

Windows 10 22H2 is stable and recommended.

For the record, HeiDoc’s M$ downloader doesn’t work for W8 or W10.  I can confirm this from a recent failure.  Their forum has several topics about how this needs to be fixed and may be getting ignored or something to that effect.

Meanwhile, I’m about to try the other one that Rick Corbett mentioned.
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/hurry-and-grab-a-windows-10-license-microsoft-to-stop-selling-on-jan-31/#post-2525022

Win 8.1 (home & pro) Group B, Linux Dabbler

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kandb

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Purg2 wrote:

For the record, HeiDoc’s M$ downloader doesn’t work for W8 or W10.  I can confirm this from a recent failure.  Their forum has several topics about how this needs to be fixed and may be getting ignored or something to that effect.

Downloading from HeiDoc.net works just fine.
Just tested.
Rufus had download problem as Microsoft blocked their script.
This has been fixed.

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Purg2, kandb

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Something very strange going on with that downloader because it still doesn’t work for me after a new download just moments ago.

Sorry to disagree.  I’d much rather not be posting about it.  Am only doing so in the interest of clarity not to be purposely contentious.  Good for you though @Alex5723.

No worries, I’m fairly certain the other one will work.  Maybe in the next day or two, shrugs.

Win 8.1 (home & pro) Group B, Linux Dabbler

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My quite-old Gateway laptop is apparently max’d out on Win 8.1 since Win 10 is missing support for the wired and wireless network capabilities.  Gateway (name now owned by Acer) is, of course, no help.  No more Brave browser, and of course no more OS updates.  Too bad, really because it’s been a pretty great little laptop since I bought it new running Windows Vista.  😉

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Perhaps at this late date most Win 8.1 users have run into the problem that use Turbo Tax found the current version will not run on Windows 8.1.

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I upgraded in the first week of March from Win 8.1 Pro 64-bit to Win 10 Pro 64-bit, version 22H2. My PC is an HP desktop that I bought back when manufacturers were promoting Win 8.0. I had seen enough bad stories about 8.0 that I ordered it with Win 7 instead, which HP was still offering at the time. Years later I upgraded to 8.1 using a copy with a new product key that I purchased off Amazon.

I wish I had Susan’s checklist before I did my upgrade. It would have saved me much time doing research putting together my own checklist. What I came up with was similar, but she did a much better job of it.

When I finally took the plunge, I did it offline using the “in-place upgrade” method and avoided setting up a Microsoft Account. I also uninstalled my Bitdefender software before the upgrade and then reinstalled it immediately afterwards. The upgrade process itself only took about 50 minutes and went without a hitch (making sure to keep the cat locked out of the room so he wouldn’t help by jumping on the keyboard or something). I have been using Open Shell with 8.1 and after the upgrade completed there it was running in Win 10 with no problem and my desktop looked very similar. I also did not have to do anything with my original Office 2010 or Outlook 2010. Everything was there and working fine.

During the upgrade process I had my Win 7 and 8.1 product keys written down, but during activation it did not ask for either. After the upgrade I found there was a new Win 10 product key in my system. I assume the activation process found one of my older keys, was good with it, and then assigned a new Win 10 key, but I have no idea how that works. I am just glad it did.

I only had two challenges after the upgrade was done. First of course was dealing with the new (to me) Win 10 manner of handling updates. I tried out both WuShowHide and WuMgr and have pretty much settled on using WuMgr going forward. Nothing is happening automatically now and I think I have all the right system settings in place. Every month I will wait for the green light from Susan to run updates, making sure to run only what the latest Master Patch list tells me to run.

The other challenge was getting my older HP LaserJet printer to work. I didn’t have any problem with it when I upgraded from Win 7 to 8.1, but going to Win 10 was a whole new can of worms. Win 10 kept telling me it was a CD/DVD drive instead of a printer! There was absolutely no advice I could find anywhere that fixed it, not even on HP’s support pages or on any Microsoft page. (I have a feeling the lack of a workable HP solution is their way of getting people to buy a new printer without explicitly making the perfectly good older printer obsolete.) It took me two weeks of trying to get it to run correctly before I finally found the solution. I was about to throw it in the dumpster and replace it with something other than an HP when I came across a comment on an HP user forum from someone with a similar problem getting their printer (not the same model) to work. One of the forum moderators, who sounded like he may be a retired HP employee, told the person what to do. He provided links to two HP programs to run and the order in which to run them, which I did after following other advice on how to eradicate all traces of my prior attempts to set up the printer, and it worked just fine. To help make sure Windows doesn’t try to update the driver (I don’t want to see that CD/DVD driver again), I found a registry fix that prevents the driver from being updated.

All is fine now. My desktop should last at least until the Win 10 EOS date and probably a bit beyond.

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kandb, Cybertooth

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Good to read upgrading went well, with some hassle and that you’re up and running.

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I have been actively staying away from Windows 10 ever since its release in July 2015. But now, almost 8 years later, I have finally moved from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 1809 LTSC (and Windows Server 2019) on my main computer (but still keeping Windows 7 in a partition on a second SSD). I run both the US English and Traditional Chinese versions in different partitions. It is not because I really want to do that, but due to the fact that I want to make use of a recently bought RTX 3060 Ti. The graphics card has drivers for Windows 10 and Windows 7, but not Windows 8.1, which is why I am forced to move. The Nvidia driver for Windows 7 (which normally supports Windows 8.1 as well) refuses to install on Windows 8.1 if a RTX 30xx card is detected.

It is not that I am completely unprepared for the switch, of course. I have been testing Windows 10 1809 LTSC and Windows Server 2019 in VMware Workstation virtual machines for a while now and have configured them to disable Windows Update and Windows Defender (which I find incredibly annoying with lots of false positives and unnecessary quarantines). I just create disk images of the VMware virtual machines (after uninstalling VMware Tools from them) and clone them onto the relevant disk partitions on my two SSDs. Then I just have to reinstall the necessary drivers and all the programs I regularly use, which took several days. I prefer to download and install the Windows updates manually so disabling Windows Update is no big deal to me.

I will continue to run Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 on my second and third computers as those computers have graphics cards that work fine under them. Without or without further security updates I am staying with them (until the hardware fails), and there is a piece of good news in that Firefox ESR will support Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 (in ESR 115 to be released on July 4) for at least another year.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

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Charlie, kandb

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Bond… James Bond.

It’s nice to communicate with you and read of your apparent success moving to W10LTSC.  I did not know of LTSC until your mention and subsequently went to M’soft and read up on it.

It is April 15 and I continue to run W8.1 and so far so good.  How much longer?  I don’t know.  Firefox continues to update (version 112.0), thanks for the word on FFox continuing support for another year; Thunderbird email client continues to update normally and all is well there.  Also, Microsoft Defender updates daily as is normal.  The Microsoft malicious malware removal tool (MSRT KB890830) shows up each month and I’ve switched on UAC, recommended setting, in an attempt to add something of additional security.  Malwarebytes Premium hasn’t quit on me and offered no word that it will and continues to work and provide security.  Still using File History on an external HDD and Macrium Free for backups.  So, the beat goes on and though I’ve maintained my PC for years faithfully installing security/system updates as necessary, in later years, with Susan Bradley’s advice I continue on in the current mode.

 

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Charlie, Cybertooth

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kandb wrote:

Bond… James Bond.

It’s nice to communicate with you and read of your apparent success moving to W10LTSC.  I did not know of LTSC until your mention and subsequently went to M’soft and read up on it.

It is April 15 and I continue to run W8.1 and so far so good.  How much longer?  I don’t know.  Firefox continues to update (version 112.0), thanks for the word on FFox continuing support for another year; Thunderbird email client continues to update normally and all is well there.  Also, Microsoft Defender updates daily as is normal.  The Microsoft malicious malware removal tool (MSRT KB890830) shows up each month and I’ve switched on UAC, recommended setting, in an attempt to add something of additional security.  Malwarebytes Premium hasn’t quit on me and offered no word that it will and continues to work and provide security.  Still using File History on an external HDD and Macrium Free for backups.  So, the beat goes on and though I’ve maintained my PC for years faithfully installing security/system updates as necessary, in later years, with Susan Bradley’s advice I continue on in the current mode.

 

Nice to meet you too.

Windows 10 1809 LTSC is a special build of Windows 10 1809 that is supported for 10 years with end of support in January 2029. Consumer versions (Home and Pro) of Windows 10 are normally only supported for 18 months from day of release, and require periodic upgrades to stay supported, until October 2025. The current consumer version of Windows 10, 22H2, was released on October 18 2022 and will lose support on May 14 2024, about one year from today.

If you are satisfied with Windows 8.1 now, with Firefox ESR now offering support on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 through to at least 2024 Q3, I think there is no urgent need for you to upgrade to Windows 10 (or switch to Linux) and you can stay with Windows 8.1 for now. If I did not buy the new graphics card I might decide to stay on 8.1 for a while longer too.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

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kandb

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good info,thank you so very much.
I am only against the W10,or 11 for the damn sneaky telemetry, I do not need their,or even Goog’s eyeball constantly mining where I eat and sleep (Sleep#bed collects everything, knows if you are alone,or what your heart rate is doing if you share the bed. YEEKS!)
but sadly my faithful Dell 2in1 is needing a battery(overheating)and the 8.1 it came with now demands ESR, and refuses may certs, not opening even simple goog sites.
I miss my BB10 PE phone, Android is decades behind BB a decade old.
I hate the thought of merely being W11 fodder in a data scrape.
Yes, when AI gets smarter, it will not want our jobs, or have its life under scrut

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For me, your thread is all about dependability and security. So here, in short, is what I’d opted to do:

In the Fall of 2019 I opted to begin using Windows 10 Home on my desktop machine, switching from Windows 7. I didn’t want to have to later hunt down how to keep the Whac-a-Mole of Windows 8.x security updates functioning and I was switching to newer, more powerful hardware. When Microsoft later offered a free Windows 10 Home license for my 2015 laptop I changed that away from 8.x. I avoid using the term upgrade because it almost never means improvements in either dependability or ease of use.

But on those machines I run O&O ShutUp 10++ and I’m happy that stops Microsoft’s telemetries. Its controls are granular, and I only have to set it up once and then leave it alone for a very long time. I use the same definitions file on both machines.

I also use the free 0Patch security product as well as whichever internet security suite I subscribe to. Two separate drive images run automatically every day. If something might go amiss with an OS, I would first restore an image, and then suss out what made the problem happen. I’d be back up and running in less than half an hour.

Windows 10 Home did a full meltdown BSOD crash last October on a perfectly-maintained desktop machine. I wiped its drive and installed 10 Pro for free. But I don’t suggest 10 Pro because a pernicious bug no one has figured out crash-reboots the machine every few weeks. I’d posted about that on this site.

By the time Windows 12.x or 13.x are foisted upon everyone I’ll have a strategy in mind to either skip to one of them, or to instead switch to Mac with an OS which allows me to use either Mac or Windows.

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kandb, Cybertooth

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I looked up O&O ShutUp 10++ and if I were running W10/11 or in my case W10 in the future I’d be very interested in the link.  I called 0Patch toward the end of 2022 and was disappointed to learn it would not be supporting W8.1.  Bummer!

Thanks for your scoop, I learned something.

WCT

 

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James Bond 007 wrote:

Windows 10 1809 LTSC

Might you have a preferred source for that license? I’m seeing prices of $290 for them and there’s no advantage for me in paying that much. For example, I’ve two machines running Office 2019 and each license was $50. Thank you.

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Mr. Austin wrote:

Might you have a preferred source for that license?

Microsoft doesn’t sell LTSC licenses to individuals, only to businesses/Enterprises.

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So by your reply does that mean they only sell through VARs or Microsoft corporate?

 

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Here is an update to my last entry about what I was doing in keeping Win8.1 running my PC that was dated April 15, 23.  What I wrote then continues today and all goes well.  All programs and installed software work and there have been no problems.  I thought that the tax software I use might balk this year but the process worked.  I installed the latest FFox update (115.0.1) today and FFox indicated this was the last supported Firefox version – thereafter being moved to FFox ESR until it’s end in September, 2024.  So far Thunderbird email has not informed that it will terminate in any time frame.  As PC operation is normal I do think from time to time that stuff can happen at any time.  But as Win10 is winding down I plan to keep on with the present and look to September 2024 when I will have to make a change.

If you’re running Win8.1 today how’s it going for you.

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A Win8.1 VM on my Mac is where I do all my personal computing. Updates as usual, thanks to @abbodi86 and the other MyDigitalLife gurus. Tax software worked for me this year also, much to my surprise. I shifted to Firefox ESR after the June updates – before doing my pre-July backups this week.

Gonna keep it going as long as possible!

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kandb

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PKCano,

Finished reading “What Should You Do About Windows 11?”.  As the opinions varied among the “house experts” I’m good with where I’m at.  If I get bit down the road it won’t because I wasn’t made aware.  I’ll pick up the pieces and carry on.  And I’d like to believe hum a little bit of “That’s Life” along with ol’ Blue Eyes vocal.

KandB

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