Windows 7 is Dead: Alternatives and Solutions to Update

Windows 7 is dead today. The dark date of January 14, 2020 was what Microsoft had established as the last day that Windows 7 was going to receive security updates . As of now, using the operating system is insecure. Therefore, we will collect the possible alternatives, which include being able to continue using Windows 7 safely.

Windows 7 still has a high market share

The end of official support does not imply that critical updates cannot arrive in the future, as happened with WannaCry with Windows XP , whose patch arrived several years after XP ceased to have support. However, this will be mere exceptions, and the dozens of vulnerabilities that are patched each month will not be solved.

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Windows 7-compatible programs, fortunately, will continue to receive patches and solutions to vulnerabilities , such as Chrome, Steam, Firefox or Microsoft Edge itself . Google has confirmed that it will continue to support for at least 18 months, although from there they guarantee nothing, and browsing with Chrome can lead to serious problems.

According to NetMarketShare , Windows 7 still has a high usage quota. Since the beginning of 2019, the market share of Windows 7 has plummeted to 26.64% of the market in December 2019 , compared to 54.62% of Windows 10 . Windows 8.1 stands at 3.63%. The end of official support will make more sales of new computers, although updating is free.

Option 1: upgrade to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10

Upgrading to Windows 10 is free from Windows 7, whether you have your motherboard activated or if you have a license key. Microsoft offered a couple of years to update for free, and although it officially “closed” that option, it has always been able to keep updating for free.

If you have not updated to Windows 10, it is probably because you do not like the fact that Microsoft collects system usage data in the form of telemetry; although there are programs to root up all that data collection, such as ShutUp10 or DoNotSpy 10 . This data is anonymous and is used to improve the use of the operating system, so your privacy is safe. In addition, Windows Defender is already one of the best antivirus on the market, so you don’t have to bother or install an antivirus in Windows 10.

In addition, there are new programs that you can only use in Windows 10, in addition to the fact that new 7th generation Intel processors and Ryzen only have official drivers for Windows 10. Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Lightroom or Office 2019 only work on Windows 10 in its most recent versions, and if you like to see things in 4K, forget about decoding HEVC by hardware with a system other than Windows 10.

Thus, you have the option of updating Windows 10 once and for all, whose support for updates at the moment seems to be undefined. If you want to continue avoiding it, you can upgrade to Windows 8.1 , which has official support for security updates until January 10, 2023. The problem with Windows 8.1 is that you will need to acquire a new key , since it cannot be updated for free from Windows 7 to 8.1, although it can be from 7 to 10.

To bad ones, changing PCs can also be a good idea if yours is very old, since the new ones also have new licenses included, which are worth more than 100 euros if the original purchases. There is also the option to buy keys online for less than 10 euros, although these may cease to be valid at any time.

Option 2: stay on Windows 7

Windows 7 will continue to work “fine.” 99% of the programs that work well in Windows 7, do it also in Windows 10. If you don’t mind enjoying what Windows 10 offers, you can keep your current version. If you are not going to introduce new programs, if you are not going to connect storage units or you are not going to connect it to the Internet, you will not be exposed to new vulnerabilities.

If you are still going to connect it to the Internet, there is a company called 0Patch that will continue to release security updates in an unofficial way in Windows 7. Most of them will not be free, and it is also likely that they do not patch all the vulnerabilities due to lack of resources, so it is a not recommended option.

Option 3: Pay Microsoft for receiving updates if you are a company

While an individual can quietly update their computer, companies have to update tens or hundreds, which can also present compatibility problems with some programs in more recent versions of Windows. Therefore, some will be more profitable for now to continue paying at least one year of updates.

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Microsoft will thus obtain an additional income from these companies , with a service that will be extended for three years, and where the cost of receiving updates will double every year . The first year the cost will be $ 50 per computer, going to 100 and then 200 in the second and third year.

In December, there were users who claimed to have discovered a method to skip the Microsoft detection program that determined whether we were using a version compatible with paid updates. This method changed the type of version that we have in Microsoft’s eyes, but it is not known if it allows you to update Windows 7 with paid updates. The method is explained in the My Digital Life forums.

Option 4: switch to Linux

If you are fed up with Microsoft, a possible alternative that you have at your fingertips is to switch to Linux. Linux-based operating systems are more complicated to use and there are fewer programs available, but for normal use of content and office automation you are fully covered. Among the best Linux operating systems we have Ubuntu or Linux Mint . If you are looking for an aesthetic similar to that offered by macOS, you have Elementary OS as an option.

Of all these, our recommendation is that you upgrade to Windows 10, not only for security improvements, but for the functionalities and compatibility with the latest programs. The telemetry and other statistical data that Microsoft collects can be blocked with programs, having for practical purposes a secure Windows 10 without spy functionalities .