Greg's Corner

Windows 7 is no longer supported, what should you do?

As of today, January 14th, 2020, the Windows 7 operating system is no longer supported by Microsoft. This means that as of today, Microsoft will no longer be providing security updates for Windows 7 as the operating system has reached its end of life. If you currently have a computer that runs Windows 7, you could be vulnerable to malicious attacks. Not only that but you could also leave any other computer connected to your network vulnerable to attack. In short, if your Windows 7 computer is currently connected to the internet, your data and information are at great risk. So let’s discuss what you can do to correct that.

The first thing you want to do is back up all your data. Most security experts recommend the 3-2-1 method. That means make 3 backups on 2 different forms of media with at least 1 copy kept offsite. The easiest way to proceed from here would be to purchase a new copy of Windows 10 for over $100. That’s as long as you don’t have an older computer that doesn’t meet the requirements to run Windows 10. Microsoft says that no computer over 3 years old should install windows 10, however, Windows 10 has been known to run on older computers. A good rule of thumb may be to only install Windows 10 on a computer that had Windows 7 or 8 pre-installed.

But if you don’t feel like spending a lot of money to upgrade to Windows 10 there is an unofficial way to get the update for free. While Microsoft isn’t advertising this method, they’re not discouraging it either. The steps for that process can be found at this link and they’re not as hard as they may seem. Be warned that this isn’t a guaranteed method for everyone.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o7By0cifNI%5D

If your computer is not capable of running Windows 10 all is not lost. There are a number of free operating systems that fall under the Linux umbrella that should be able to be installed on your computer. If you want one that resembles Windows 7 there is a Linux distribution, or distro for short, known as Zorin OS. They have instructions on how to install their system on your computer. One of the benefits of using Linux over Windows is that Linux is more secure. While Linux does not run Windows programs natively there are many Linux versions of your favorite apps. There are also Linux alternatives for most of your favorite Windows apps.

Just remember to back up all of your data before attempting any of these upgrades or changes.