1 Year To Go for Windows 7

Agreed!.

At least we still have control of our systems especially with Windows Update unlike with Win10 but sadly new hardware will only support Win10 and it'll get more difficult to find drivers for it if you install Win 7 or Win 8.1 on it. When i finally buy a new system i will have no choice but to keep Win10 on it just to reduce the amount of work hunting down Win7/8.1 drivers and just follow all the tweaks and guides posted on here on NBR to make it a less ****ty OS. Tbh im not looking forward to that.

 

As long as I can activate Windows 7, either the right way or another way, (whatever it takes to get the job done,) I will continue using it. The updates beyond what we have now are not needed. I only use Simplix Update Packs anyhow. I have been running with automatic updates disabled and have not allowed updates directly from Micro$lop servers for probably 5 or 6 years, maybe 7. I have lost track... a long time ago.

I won't stop using Windows 7 until software I want to use simply won't run under Windows 7 any more and drivers are no longer available. Windows 10 will not be my operating system of choice until there are no other choices available from Micro$lop. Actually, it still won't be at that point... it will simply be the solo take it or leave it option, and nothing more. Windoze OS X is better than Wympdose 8.X but that is essentially saying nothing.

 

Windows 8 and 10 should have never come, just service packs for Windows 7.

 

Amen to that.

 

I'll continue using Windows 7 on my M18x, but for newer devices it seems some are stuck with 10 or 8.1 due to things like no driver support or UEFI (No CSM in BIOS).

In that case if no one wants windows 10 I recommend trying out Windows 8.1 with startisback ($3) or classic shell (free). I've been using startisback since Windows 8 and I can say it is truly the best at bringing back the taskbar. It even has the 7 style bar/menu.

8.1 is supported until 2023 and even works on systems stuck in UEFI only mode.

Just an alternative. You definitely have more control in 8.1 compared to 10 and it's definitely more stable imo.

 

I think 8.1 do not have Coffe Lake IGP driver either, or?

 

I keep Windows 7 on an older machine for supporting some legacy games. Other than that, Windows 10 works fine. With just a few necessary tweaks, it runs quite well.

Windows 8, now that was the abomination of Windows for desktop users.

 

Has MS released the details on how one can pay for extended-extended Win7 support (post Jan 2020)? Or rather, how will thry dole-out the updates to Enterprise/extended paying customers? Im thinking, if it's feasible, we could all chip-in $$ to crowd fund Simplix -in hopes he could continue releasing Update7R2 packs (post 2020).

 

TBH it wont be updates that kill off Windows 7, it will be the lack of drivers from OEM's. I could care less about the continued update support coming from Microslop.

 

My plan, which I've shared a number of times, is to keep systems on each OS (Vista, W7, W8.1) as long as possible - VM's otherwise - and to stay away from Windows 10 as long as possible.

Giving MS time to get tired with screwing it up - and spin out the official support timers on Vista, W7, W8.1 and keep using them until vendors stop supporting them for things I really can't do with out - so far nothing.

Steam dropped support on Vista Jan 1, 2019, I did all the installs and updates, then took it offline, and it's still working.

For about a year before that some Steam game updates stopped running on Vista, so I restored backup and block auto-updating of games, and some games have work-arounds to support new versions on Vista.

Chrome also dropped Vista support a while ago and then added incompatible app libs and as extensions become incompatible I side load the last version available as needed - so far no show stoppers.

So far that's all that is a problem with Vista, and I still have a machine used daily and no problems running everything I need to run across a wide usage - even on 10 year old AMD hardware.

Windows 7 / 8.1 can be run similarly with progressive loss of support from vendors, but on older hardware it doesn't matter. And all my old hardware (AMD, Intel, Nvidia) was top of the range at the time, so it's still punching at and above the performance of average hardware today.

Windows 10, Microsoft / Intel / AMD have sandbagged a line in the sand blocking new hardware, but for much of it there are work arounds.

For me W10 has already been needed for work - from before release - even though I specialize in Linux, UNIX, Solaris, so for work it can't be avoided, but it's not quite the same spy-ware ridden version and patch updates are blocked and staged for controlled release, and only needed to support new hardware without workarounds - needed for support requirements.

So far I don't see a reason, at least for me, to run W10 at home even if I am missing out on some things the main thing I am happy to miss out on are the instabilities introduced on a regular and random basis.

When I am off work I don't want to waste time doing sysadmin work on my own hardware, so it's a real win for me to completely avoid Windows 10 shenanigans - it's very relaxing.