Win7 Fresh installation November 2020

[Microfix]

A few weeks ago, I was asked if I could/would revert a haswell based system back to Win7 from W10 that had NO Win7 image backup! Sure, no problem, was the reply, knowing that the Win7 DVD was available. We discussed and the wheels were set in motion..

So yesterday we received the box of PC stuff and began the task of visual and physical maintenance, nuking the payloaded SSD for a Win7 installation and supplying a system backup on the external HDD provided. Luckily the owner stores all his personal data offline so, no data retrieval/ backup required, not even email stuff. (portable kinda guy).. Alex is that you? 😛

Anyway, checking the box contents with latex gloves on..ya never know!, I was provided with their OEM Win7 DVD, OEM CD’s, Desktop, mouse etc.., all antibacterial cleaned by yours truely (groan), they’d got with the custom built PC from a local outfit, which incidentally, has since went south, soon after the mayan calendar date of the 29th July 2015.. (aka September 2012)

After a PC visual and physical dust bust of the PSU fan, various internal fans and inner casing filter, the SSD was nuked using a minitool partition wizard loaded USB flashdrive and so began the task of installing and configuring one of the most reliable Windows OSes in recent times, the other being Win8.1

Win7 Pro x64 was then installed, oem device drivers installations done via device manage, where possible, (previous to this, I researched and downloaded updated drivers), configured GP and task scheduler settings, setup firewall rulesets (from my own .wfw export) – as the owner didn’t want MS telemetryware (after being on W10 for the last few years!)
From my own accumulated patch collection, I installed these MSFT patches whilst still offline:

KB3020369, KB3172605 and KB4474419 (SHA2) and dotnet 4.52 KB2901907 (offline installer)

At this point I remembered a previous installation of Win7 earlier this spring/ summer that had failed updates with post September 2019 patches, so, I stopped short this time, as an experiment.

* I connected to WU (ticked up to and including September 2019 CU, nothing else after that month checked dates and hid patches in WU) and let it rip, until eventually.zzzzzz..they completed after a paintdry download/install and reboot. Once the system restarted, I proceeded to check the system progress via resource monitor until the graphs calmed down, checked event viewer logs to find no errors.

Note*: During initial WU patch selection, there were eighty-ish optional patches installed (pre-dating December 2014) There is a good reason for this too, as Canadian Tech has pointed out previously, Windows 7 development stopped around this time. Some of optionals and recommended patches thereafter are on my telemetry hit-list.

Whilst still offline, I installed KB4516655 (September 2019 SSU) from my collection and restarted the PC (just my habit as it doesn’t require a restart)
Once the system restarted and reconnected online, checked WU, unhid the previous hidden patches and continued to download and install..zzzzz After a system restart the LAST (in extended support) SSU was presented in WU and installed, once again (after my restart) checking the event viewer displayed no issues. With no more patches presented in WU, I then disconnected from the internet, ran cmd prompt as admin and checked sfc /verifyonly …all good no violations, system integrity intact.

Today was a telemetry netralise (thanks again to abbodi86 for the sandscript) and various tweaks of the entire system followed by a disk- cleanup. Once complete, a system image was created on an external HDD for the owners safekeeping (please!). They plan to go with 0Patch and is STILL undecided as to which AV to go with and is quite happy to install himself along with his programs. (at this point is where my disclaimer was explained lol)
He’s getting a new laptop with Win10 and this desktop is for his wife, as she prefers Windows 7 (strange?) Also gave him some advice: ‘Create a system image, or I’ll do it, as soon as you get the laptop’, where an enlightened expression of cunning joy smothered his face.

Note **: I did have MSE on the system which still updates to current date which was removed once updating was completed.

So if anything, sharing this, may be a useful reference in the future..

W10, the itch you simply cannot scratch!

5 users thanked author for this post.

MrChaz, abbodi86, RDRguy, SueW, Kirsty

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[EP]

you should NOT be installing KB3020369 anymore as it is already obsolete and replaced by newer updates like KB3177467, KB4490628 and KB4580970 & KB4536952 and greater

when installing Win7 from scratch, include KB3177467 or better and discard KB3020369

• This reply was modified 4 months, 3 weeks ago by EP.

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[Volume Z]

3177467 doesn’t make a difference either. The 3-somethings are relics of the pre-SHA-2-era. Then again you can’t start off with anything newer than KB4490628 because it’s a prerequiste to the later SSUs.

KB4490628 ist the one to start with.

3 users thanked author for this post.

MrChaz, Microfix, abbodi86

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[MrChaz]

Microfix you struck a few chords there in the original post -chuckle- not being a windows ten fan, I’m planning on sticking with seven until the rustic corrosion is beyond repair.

Thank you for the tip using KB4490628 and noted Volume Z

illegitimi Non Carborundum

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[Alex5723]

Microfix wrote:

and this desktop is for his wife, as she prefers Windows 7 (strange?)

My companion is also “glued” to Windows 7 while I am on Windows 10.
Gave her a 512GB Samsung T5 portable SSD and Macrium Reflect for creating image backups.

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[Author]

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