Items tagged with Windows 7
Windows 10 is by far and away the most popular PC-centric operating system on the market, and quickly rose through the ranks following its initial debut over 5 years ago (Summer 2015). Despite its age, Window 10 doesn't "feel" like an old and crusty operating system because Microsoft's "Windows as a Service" strategy has kept it looking fresh, complete with numerous new features over the past half-decade. One operating system that is old and decrepit at this point is Windows 7, which was first introduced to the public back in 2009. Despite Microsoft declaring the end of support for Windows 7 back on January 14th, 2020, many consumers and businesses alike refuse to get rid...
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Zoom has had more than its fair share of security issues over the last several months with the popularity of the service soaring while people around the world are working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Zoom is currently working to fix a recently discovered zero-day vulnerability with its Windows client that could lead to arbitrary remote code execution. The vulnerability was discovered by a researcher who wishes to remain anonymous. According to Acros Security CEO Mitja Kolsek, the researcher who discovered the vulnerability didn't report it to the vendor or a third-party broker, but didn't object to Acros reporting the issue to Zoom. Acros Security analyzed the problem and determined...
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Many Windows 10 users have already had Microsoft's latest version of its Edge browser pushed out via a software update. Now users of older versions of Windows will get the same treatment, whether they want the Edge browser or not. Microsoft is currently pushing the new Chromium Edge browser to users on Windows 7 SP1 or later and Windows 8.1 and later that are on Home, Professional, Ultimate, Starter, or Core editions. The good news for network administrators in large organizations is that Microsoft promises any of those editions that are running on Active Directory or Azure Active Directory domain will be excluded from the automatic update. Microsoft very much wants all Windows users, no matter...
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Some Windows 7 users have been hit with a strange bug this week that prevents them from shutting their computer down. When the user attempts to perform a shutdown or a reboot using traditional Start menu methods, they are greeted with a message that reads "You don't have permission to shut down this computer." It's also unclear what is causing the bug at this time. However, while the cause of the shutdown issue is unknown, there is a workaround that will allow users to reboot or shutdown as needed. The workaround isn’t difficult, and any version Windows 7 user can take advantage of it. The downside is that users must follow these steps each time they want to shutdown or reboot the...
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It's been a long time coming, but Microsoft has announced via its Italian-language website that Windows 10 installations have finally crossed the 1 billion mark worldwide. Although the news is interestingly coming first from the Microsoft Italy, we'd imagine that the company will soon be making an official announcement via channels in its home market of the United States. When we last visited Windows 10 adoption numbers, the company reported 900 million active installations in September 2019. "Windows 10 runs across a family of devices and today marks more devices added to Windows 10 within the last year than any year before," said Microsoft in a statement at the time. "Thanks to the...
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Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7 on January 14th. The company has urged users to update to Windows 10 as soon as possible, but many are still clinging to Windows 7. Fortunately for die-hard Windows 7 fans, several antivirus companies and browser manufacturers will continue to offer support to Windows 7 users for a few years. It is not unusual for antivirus companies and browser manufacturers to continue to pledge support for OS systems that have been phased out. Google recently announced that it will continue to offer Chrome security updates until at least 2021. McAfee stated that it will provide support to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 until December 31, 2021. They...
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Microsoft inadvertently left Windows 7 users a parting gift with what was supposed to the be the final update for the now-retired operating system. Like a fruitcake at Christmas, however, it was an unwanted gift. In this case, users found that if they were using a stretched background image, Windows 7 would display a black background instead. Oops! Fortunately, Microsoft is not planning to leave users of the legacy OS hanging. "We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release, which will be released to all customers running Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1," Microsoft stated in a support article. The issue occurs after installing KB4534310. It only affects...
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Microsoft ended official extended support for the Windows 7 operating system on January 14th, 2020... or did it? We devoted a lot of attention to covering this now-passed deadline, as Windows 7 is a decade-old operating system that should have been upgraded to Windows 10 (for free) by now for most consumers. As a last hurrah for Windows 7, Microsoft issued the operating systems final update, KB4534310, on January 14th, but it had a rather nasty side effect. As we reported, KB4534310, turned the desktop wallpaper black for some users. In other words, Windows 7 literally went out with a bang. Microsoft is now acknowledging the defect, writing, "After installing KB4534310,...
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For the most part, Microsoft will not be pushing out a critical patch to Windows 7 users to address a security flaw in Internet Explorer. Microsoft confirmed its plans in a statement, saying the only Windows 7 users who will received the security update are those who are paying for extended support, as businesses are welcome to do. Let's not feign surprise at the decision. Windows 7 enjoyed a nice, long run before it was finally retired last week, a decade and a half after it first released to the public. Microsoft provided plenty of warning leading up to last day of support, including nag screens urging hold outs to upgrade their PCs to Windows 10. The bug in question is a zero-day remote code...
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A recent security update appears to be messing with some Windows 7 PCs by replacing the custom background image with an all-black wallpaper. The timing of the mishap comes on the heels of Windows 7 officially entering retirement, leading to speculation that Microsoft is petty towards people who refuse to upgrade their OS to Windows 10. That is not necessarily what is happening, though. Reports of the black wallpaper issue are popping up in various places on the web, including over at Reddit and on Microsoft's own support forum. "My PC just restarted after 7 support ended and my background is black. Even if I set a new background, it’s still black. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it...
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In this episode of HotHardware's Two And A Half Geeks webcast, Marco, Brittany, Chris and Dave discuss the Best of CES 2020, AMD's hot new Ryzen 4000 Mobile processors, Intel's encouraging DG1 graphics demo, Alienware's sweet new Concept UFO gaming handheld PC, Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Fold foldable tablet PC, and what to do about that Windows 7 migration that you need to make the jump for to Windows 10 -- and of course, details of our latest giveaway with Lenovo! Show Notes: 1:47 - HotHardware's 12 Best Of CES 2020 2:33 - Alienware Concept UFO Invades Nintendo Switch-Style Gaming With PC Master Race Assimilation 7:50 - AMD Unveils Ryzen 4000 Mobile With Bold Performance Claims, Insane 64-Core...
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Unless you been living under a rock, then you know that Microsoft ended official extended support for Windows 7 on Tuesday. That means that Microsoft is no longer providing product updates or security patches for the operating system -- that is unless you are a corporate customer that pays a yearly per device fee for Windows 7 Extended Security Updates. For those that have decided to stay put on Windows 7, you may have noticed a new annoyance courtesy of Microsoft. As the company promised last month, it is now relaying full-screen nag warnings in Windows 7 to prompt folks to upgrade to Windows 10. You can see the nag screen in the header image above, and the text reads: Your Windows...
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While Microsoft has closed one door (Windows 7), it has opened another one with respect to web browsers (Microsoft Edge). As promised, Microsoft has made available the public/stable release of its Chromium-based Edge web browser. Microsoft first made its intentions known that it would switch to Chromium back in December 2018, thus leaving behind the EdgeHTML engine. That move drew swift backlash from Mozilla -- the makers of Firefox -- but Microsoft continued development over the past year. After a steady stream of developer and public betas, the all-new Edge browser is ready for action. Due to the fact that Edge is based on Chromium -- the same engine that powers the world's most...
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With today being the last day of extended support for Windows 7, many people are poised to make the jump to Windows 10. As we've reported in previous how-to articles, as long as you're running a genuine copy of Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1, you can make the upgrade to Windows 10 for free and Microsoft is encouraging this migration as soon as possible. However, given that you've probably been running Windows 7 for years, we've got a few helpful tips to make your transition to Windows 10 as easy and glitch-free as possible. 1 - Make sure your PC meets the minimum system requirements for Windows 10 Windows 10 isn't exactly a demanding operating system, and chances are...
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This week is a big one for Microsoft, as the company is pulling the plug on its Windows 7 operating system. The "death" of the operating system means that product updates and security patch deployments will be cut off. The company will, however, still provide Microsoft Security Essentials definition updates for until further notice. Last week, we learned that Google will still support Chrome on Windows 7 for quite some time. In fact, the company says that it won't end support for the operating system until at least July 15th, 2021. Today, Microsoft made its intentions clear for the Chromium-based Edge browser on Windows 7. According to Microsoft representatives that...
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Windows 7 extended support ends tomorrow, as we're detailed on numerous occasions. For most people, the most obvious "fix" would be to upgrade to Windows 10, which just about anyone can do for free as long as you're running an authorized, genuine copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.x. However, the folks over at Microsoft have another, more expensive proposition for those that are running an older Windows 7 PC. The company is encouraging businesses to just buy one of its Surface-branded computers. Going out and purchasing a brand new, fully functioning PC when a free upgrade to Windows 10 would suffice for most businesses seems like overkill, but Microsoft is trying to move hardware here,...
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In the words of Willie Nelson, "Turn out the lights, the party's over, they say that all good things must end." Well, the party's almost over, anyway—after more than a decade of dutiful service to the PC faithful, Microsoft is officially ending support for Windows 7 on Tuesday, January 14. For the most part, that means no more security updates and no more support. There will be exceptions, of course. If a major malware threat emerges, Microsoft may opt to dish out an emergency patch, just as it did with Windows XP when WannaCry was making the rounds. And for businesses that just are not ready to quite the legacy, there is the option of paying for extended support to keep the party going...
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Time is winding down on Microsoft's extended support for Windows 7. Windows 7 emerged on the scene in 2009 with a bang, replacing the unloved and problematic Windows Vista operating system. Seen by many as the "true" successor to Windows XP, customers and businesses upgraded to Windows 7 in droves, and stuck with it even after Windows 8.x and Windows 10 arrived on the scene years later. But this week, January 14th to be exact, Microsoft will end extended support leaving customers on their own. There will be no more product updates or security patches for the operating system, which is to be expected considering that is over a decade old. For businesses that are sticking with Windows...
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Microsoft is nearly ready to pull the plug on Windows 7; at least for general consumers. Starting next week, January 14thto be exact, Microsoft will end extended support for the operating system after more than a decade on the market. As you might expect, instead of diverting resources to keep Windows 7 operational, Microsoft would rather you upgrade to its newer Windows 10 operating system. With that being said, some software developers won't be so quick to part ways with Windows 7 compatibility, and one of those companies is none other than Google. Google Chrome is the most popular web browser around the globe, and a great number of Windows 7 users have it installed on their systems. While...
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It's been a long run, but it's coming time for Microsoft to end extended support for the Windows 7 operating system. Microsoft first released Windows 7 to the public over 10 years ago, and it was an instant hit with long-time Windows users. Given the disaster that was Windows Vista, Windows 7 built on the strong underlying foundation of Vista. However, it added a lot of polish and robust device support which enticed customers that had been spoiled by the long-in-the-tooth Windows XP operating system. Windows 7 Support Ends In January Microsoft has set a January 14th, 2020 termination date for Windows 7 extended support. Microsoft issued the following warning earlier this year: January 14th, 2020...
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As you might already be aware, Microsoft is getting ready to lower the curtain on Windows 7, with the end of support date scheduled for January 14, 2020. After that, most users still clinging to Windows 7 will need to upgrade in order to stay protected from the latest threats. Well, sort of. While Microsoft will no longer push out monthly updates to Windows 7, it will continue to offer signature updates for Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). Microsoft confirmed plans to keep MSE updated when a user specifically asked about it on the company's community forums during an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session. The confusion stemmed from a related FAQ, in which Microsoft said in no uncertain terms, "No,...
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Microsoft really wants its customers to abandon the Windows 7 operating system, and for good reason. For starters, Windows 7 was released over a decade ago, and has by this point been superseded by Windows 8.x and Windows 10. In addition, with respect to performance, security, and functionality, Windows 10 is by far the superior choice in most cases. More importantly, supporting Windows 7 for this long consumes company resources that could be otherwise spent on more important things -- like maintaining Windows 10 and its successors. With this in mind, Microsoft has set a January 14th, 2020 end date for Windows 7 extended support. At that point, the only enterprise customers that pay for Windows...
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