MSPNetworks Blog

Windows 7 might not be supported by Microsoft any longer, but millions of people are still using PCs that run the antiquated operating system. Since Microsoft has put an end to extended support for Windows 7 OS, a couple bugs have been found. Let’s take a look at what exactly is behind these issues and discuss your options.

What is the Problem?

Just recently--after Microsoft has ended support for the OS--reports started to come in that there were noticeable bugs in the software. The first one was in the “Stretch” wallpaper option. The bug was delivered in Microsoft’s final update for Windows 7 OSs. Microsoft, while initially only willing to fix the problem for organizations that are on extended support, changed course and released a fix on February 7, 2020, weeks after the OS’ end-of-life event. With so many business’ livelihoods tied to legacy software, it stands to reason that Microsoft will be judicious about what they support and what they don’t. 

Of course, for organizations that aren’t under contract for extended security updates, it is going to get worse. As time goes on, Windows 7 PCs, even ones used for core business uses, will not have the protection they need to keep threats out if they don’t have extended support available for a cost per PC. This reality started with the (already patched) “black wallpaper bug”, and is now seen in the newest bug that doesn’t allow users to shut down their Windows 7 PCs.

That’s right. Some Windows 7 users are receiving a pop up message that reads: “You don’t have permission to shut down this computer” every time users go to shut down the machine. Since this bug seems to be more significant than the “black wallpaper bug”, it will be interesting to see if Windows 7 relents and ships another patch for this issue. 

There Are Solutions

Users on the social forum site, Reddit, have come up with workarounds, but these are not official fixes to the problem. In fact, one solution requires third-party software. Without a word from Microsoft, however, we still contend that the best solution to the problem is to move off of the Windows 7 operating system for good, if possible. If that simply isn’t possible, paying for extended security support is the only reliable option to keep your Windows 7 legacy systems running in the manner you need. Only time will tell if Microsoft will actively patch this issue, or if it's just the first sign of the software degridating. 

At MSPNetworks, we can help you find solutions to any of your IT support problems. Call our expert technicians today at (516) 403-9001 to see how we can help your company get the hardware and software systems you need to run an efficient and productive business.

Windows 7 is only days away from being officially retired by Microsoft. The software company has done all it can to try to educate users about the end of the OS, which has its last support update on January 14, 2020, but won’t be getting any more. As of this writing there are still nearly 25 percent of computers running Windows 7. Let’s take a look at why it is imperative that you upgrade or find a solution to get out from under the Windows 7 OS. 

The first thing you should know is that when the end of life date passes, the software will still be completely functional. It’s not as if it will fail to load on your computer, but what will happen, however, is that it will not get another software patch or update. Over time, this could cause a whole slew of negative situations. Among them, networks that the Windows 7 computer is connected to will not be secure. That could cause some very real problems. 

Of course, you could take your Windows 7 systems offline, or quarantine them behind another firewall, but there is nothing you can do that will be safe over a prolonged amount of time. You will be breached, and any new vulnerabilities will become large holes in your computing infrastructure. You may not think you can afford to upgrade away from Windows 7, but you sure cannot afford to be left without support from Microsoft. 

So, What Are the Options?

Currently, you have several options, even now, that can keep your business out of the line of fire, so to speak. These include:

Upgrade systems to Windows 10 

This is the obvious one. By upgrading to Windows 10, you are sure to get the security patches and other updates needed to keep your business out of harm's way. Since the minimum specifications that it takes to run Windows 10 aren’t much more than it takes to run Windows 7, it seems like a solid plan to upgrade if you can. Here are the specs your computer will need:

• Processor - 1 GHZ or faster
• RAM - 1 GB for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
• Hard disk space - 16 GB for 32-bit or 20 GB for 64-bit
• Graphics card - DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
• Display - 800 x 600 resolution

All told, most computers that were running Windows 7 can run Windows 10. Above are the minimum specifications, so if you have a computer with this hardware profile, you shouldn’t expect the Windows 10 OS to run fast.  If you are going to go this route, we recommend that every Windows 10 workstation have some type of 2 GHz dual-core processor, 4-to-8 GB of RAM, and at least a 160 GB hard drive.

Replace Hardware Systems

If you have some money burning a hole in your pocket, or if you can get some good terms on a lease, this may be the easiest way to move past Windows 7. You would have all new hardware which would come with Windows 10 installed. It may take some time to configure your new hardware with your line-of-business software, but at least you would get regular Windows 10 updates. 

Virtualize and Use a Thin Client

You can repurpose your old hardware to act as thin clients. This may take some capital to do since you would have to virtualize your data and applications, but it might just be an option for your organization. Since you have a severely limited timeline, it may be impossible to ensure that your data is protected before the deadline. 

Microsoft is offering a service called Microsoft 365 that could make this transition a little easier. For a flat rate billed per user, you can get Windows 10, Office 365 with a terabyte of OneDrive cloud storage, and dynamic security software that can be accessed through any Internet browser. If you have teams of workers that only need access to productivity software, you could do much worse than this cloud-based option. 

No matter how you go about doing it, you have to get out from under Windows 7 now. Call our IT experts today at (516) 403-9001 if you would like help going through your options. 

Windows 7 is only days away from being officially retired by Microsoft. The software company has done all it can to try to educate users about the end of the OS, which has its last support update on January 14, 2020, but won’t be getting any more. As of this writing there are still nearly 25 percent of computers running Windows 7. Let’s take a look at why it is imperative that you upgrade or find a solution to get out from under the Windows 7 OS. 

The first thing you should know is that when the end of life date passes, the software will still be completely functional. It’s not as if it will fail to load on your computer, but what will happen, however, is that it will not get another software patch or update. Over time, this could cause a whole slew of negative situations. Among them, networks that the Windows 7 computer is connected to will not be secure. That could cause some very real problems. 

Of course, you could take your Windows 7 systems offline, or quarantine them behind another firewall, but there is nothing you can do that will be safe over a prolonged amount of time. You will be breached, and any new vulnerabilities will become large holes in your computing infrastructure. You may not think you can afford to upgrade away from Windows 7, but you sure cannot afford to be left without support from Microsoft. 

So, What Are the Options?

Currently, you have several options, even now, that can keep your business out of the line of fire, so to speak. These include:

Upgrade systems to Windows 10 

This is the obvious one. By upgrading to Windows 10, you are sure to get the security patches and other updates needed to keep your business out of harm's way. Since the minimum specifications that it takes to run Windows 10 aren’t much more than it takes to run Windows 7, it seems like a solid plan to upgrade if you can. Here are the specs your computer will need:

• Processor - 1 GHZ or faster
• RAM - 1 GB for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
• Hard disk space - 16 GB for 32-bit or 20 GB for 64-bit
• Graphics card - DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
• Display - 800 x 600 resolution

All told, most computers that were running Windows 7 can run Windows 10. Above are the minimum specifications, so if you have a computer with this hardware profile, you shouldn’t expect the Windows 10 OS to run fast.  If you are going to go this route, we recommend that every Windows 10 workstation have some type of 2 GHz dual-core processor, 4-to-8 GB of RAM, and at least a 160 GB hard drive.

Replace Hardware Systems

If you have some money burning a hole in your pocket, or if you can get some good terms on a lease, this may be the easiest way to move past Windows 7. You would have all new hardware which would come with Windows 10 installed. It may take some time to configure your new hardware with your line-of-business software, but at least you would get regular Windows 10 updates. 

Virtualize and Use a Thin Client

You can repurpose your old hardware to act as thin clients. This may take some capital to do since you would have to virtualize your data and applications, but it might just be an option for your organization. Since you have a severely limited timeline, it may be impossible to ensure that your data is protected before the deadline. 

Microsoft is offering a service called Microsoft 365 that could make this transition a little easier. For a flat rate billed per user, you can get Windows 10, Office 365 with a terabyte of OneDrive cloud storage, and dynamic security software that can be accessed through any Internet browser. If you have teams of workers that only need access to productivity software, you could do much worse than this cloud-based option. 

No matter how you go about doing it, you have to get out from under Windows 7 now. Call our IT experts today at (516) 403-9001 if you would like help going through your options. 

Microsoft is coming to the end of its support for the wildly popular Windows 7 operating system, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t make a contingency plan for those organizations that haven’t yet made the jump to new systems. It just won’t be cheap. We’ll break down the upcoming Windows 7 end of life event, and how Microsoft is offering an olive branch of sorts to organizations that simply haven’t upgraded away from this OS.

Background

Windows 7 was the most popular operating system the company known for its operating systems has ever had. More PCs ran Windows 7 than any other OS in history. To tell you just how popular it was, Windows 10 (Microsoft’s current OS) was launched in July of 2015, and was immediately offered to users running Windows 7 and 8.1 for free. That deal came and went, and despite all Microsoft’s efforts to get more people upgraded to Windows 10, it took until December of 2018 for Windows 10 to pass Windows 7 in number of users. Windows 10 is now running on over 700 million devices.

This push was a long time in the making; and, still, Windows 7 is running on over 600 million devices as of this writing. With end of support coming in January of 2020, Windows 7 still is run by over 30 percent of the devices in the world. As a result, there are people and organizations that simply will not be able to upgrade away from Windows 7. Regularly, this would be a moment of major trepidation for companies, especially. Unsupported software of any kind is a major problem, but with an operating system doing a lot of the heavy lifting, it is integral that an OS is running the most up-to-date security software.

Windows 7 Extended Security

For those organizations that, for whatever reason, can’t stop using Windows 7, Microsoft has your back. Noting the immense amount of PCs still running the OS under a year from its EOL date, Microsoft has made available Windows 7 Extended Security Updates. This program will add support through January 2023, giving these organizations a lot more time to figure out their next move.

The kicker is, that it is expensive. The add-on support will be sold per-device in one-year increments, with costs expected to double each year. To cover a single Windows 7 PC for three years would run about $175 if the company is already a Windows 10 Enterprise or Microsoft 365 Enterprise customer. If it isn’t (and doesn’t plan on becoming one), it will cost $350 per Windows 7 system. There are also additional fees for organizations that need to jump into coverage in years two or three.

Your Options

Your options are pretty simple. Either ante up and upgrade to Windows 10, or ante up on extended support. Microsoft offers Windows 10 options for all types of organizations. Today Microsoft makes this easier than ever. The professional consultants at MSPNetworks can help you acquire and maintain any software solution you need for your business. We can deliver the on-premise or cloud-hosted solutions needed to get your business’ IT assets protected and routinely upgraded. Call us today at (516) 403-9001 for more information.