Microsoft will kill some Windows 7 and 8.1 support in April (Apr 10 Patch Tuesday)

InfoWorld ^ | Mar 23, 2017 | Woody Leonhard

[LouieFisk]

“It’s probably just a matter of time before an entirely different business model is developed that sells a laptop or for those few dinosaurs like me, a PC, will make it optional which Linux OS the customer wants and even pre-installs the correct drivers for whatever printer, scanner, etc. a person might have. They will be cheaper, faster, and more secure too. Kinda like what Chromebook is right now but I’m not a fan of Chromebook for no particular reason.”
==
If you stay with the most popular Linux distros, such as Mint & the official Ubuntu family, drivers are rarely a problem. Also, many already come with “Wine” installed, so you can run Windows programs (or at least quite a few Win programs). I could like Chromebook if it weren’t so Google-dependent.

“A pay VPN service is now a must IMHO.”
==
For ultimate privacy using Linux, “Tails” would be the way to go. But it’s not great as a Windows or Linux substitute that is meant for all-around usage. Tails runs from a disk or a USB stick only. I suppose it could be installed on a machine, but that would defeat it’s purpose.

https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=tails

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tails_(operating_system)

[dayglored]

> The screen popop is somewhat ambiguous: "your system will miss important security updates." However, it doesn't say "your system will miss all important security updates."

Certainly, there is plenty of ambiguity on this issue. One way or another, the coming months will bring changes and probably some disappointments, and perhaps none of these prognostications, pro or con, will turn out to be exactly on the mark.

We shall see, shan't we?

[AbolishCSEU]

I would think that running a VM would be somewhat immune. There are only a few generic processor types when setting up the VM; but I’m just speculating.

I run WSUS for 1K endpoints. Wondering if anyone will disclose the dastardly KB? I have policy set to download and install all critical and security updates; everything else I glean through. I can see MS classifying the 4/10 rollout as “critical.”

[AbolishCSEU]

except for those of us who run WSUS. Now I get to dread April 10th!

We used Linux Raspian Jesse to run our RPIs for signage and powerpoint/informational stuff broadcast to large flat screen televisions.

[AbolishCSEU]

Ransomware often blows away shadow copies/i.e. system restore points.

[AbolishCSEU]

[\/\/ayne]

That's even more ambiguous!

[Still Thinking]

Yep. I’ve already decided when my Win7 PC’s no longer work for some reason or another; it’s time for Linux. I played with it years ago and it wasn’t bad at all back then but I just liked windoze better; plus I was a PC tech so 99% of what I worked on was windows.

Almost exactly the same experience here. My latest Winblows is 7 (which I really like BTW), but I've seen Microshaft's attitude degenerating, so for several year's I've foreseen a time coming eventually when I'd no longer be willing to buy MS stuff. So, not really being interested in Mac, I've attempted to try out Linux several times, but always found the learning curve like more of a wall I couldn't penetrate. A couple years ago was different. It's interesting how it happened. Mint 17 was Windowsy enough that I could actually navigate it a little bit, which in turn resulted in me learning a little Linux, enough to now be able to find my way around Ubuntu and so on.** Meanwhile, Microsnot continues it's slide into treating the user as the product, so I see the deadline approaching. So while Windows is getting worse, Linux has passed the critical threshold (where it is for me, anyway), so I'm with you. No more Windows after 7. Then it'll be Linux with any Windows stuff under Wine or in VMs.

**This shows the error in Linux-heads who don't like Mint and think it's fake Linux, because it actually left me with a workable knowledge of Linux that I would never have got with the "pure" distros.

[Boomer]

Yeah, I hope I’m still a few years out from switching to Linux (probably Ubuntu) but if it happens sooner, I’m okay with that too.

[nopardons]

It's not "hate"...it's that I don't do change well; my learning curve, re computer stuff, is worse than terrible. And some people, who are far better than I, at all of this, are still having problems with Windows 10.

All I do on my laptop, is read the news ( DRUDGE, FR, BREITBART, many foreign newspapers), post, and send/get email. And there are, what most others consider to be extremely "simple"/"easy" things, that I can NOT manage to do on a computer or laptop at all.

Heck...you mentioned "tiles" and I don't know what that is; let alone know how to use it.

[LouieFisk]

“Ransomware often blows away shadow copies/i.e. system restore points.”
==
Ya get ransomware on your device/PC, fuhgeddaboudit You might be able to find a fix if you’re lucky. But most often, a guy’s up a creek without a paddle. A destroyed restore point won’t matter much when you have to re-format and reinstall Windows or whatever OS you’re using. Unless a guy wants to pony up the 300+ bucks for the unlocking key - and even then, if it’s an unethical crook (heh) they could just take your bitcoin bucks and leave you still scruuwed over.

Along with my other measures I use an anti-ransomeware prog in Windows. LIke I said, Win is high maintentance, security-wise.

The best thing to do is to clone the drive on to another seperate, unconnected drive every now and then so a fella doesn’t have to a reinstall from scratch due to a severe crash or some nasty malware.

In addition to a restore point, I use RegBak and Erunt - both free programs that do a more thorough save-restore than the Win’s restore point.
http://listoffreeware.com/list-of-best-free-registry-backup-software

A program called WinRescue used to a must have, but it doesn’t support Win7 64bit or Win8/Win10. A life-saver in it’s day, tho,

[LouieFisk]

“4 of the Best Linux Distros for Windows Users”
https://www.maketecheasier.com/best-linux-distro-for-windows-users

Of the four on this particular list, I’d go with Zorin OS as most Windows-refugee-friendly. Never tried Robolinux, maybe I’ll give it a whirl this weekend if it can do a live install on a USB stick.

If Microbrain does shaft some FR Win7/8 users and they want to try Linux, maybe we could have a Win Refugee Help Pinglist to assist with questions on installation/usage.

[LouieFisk]

“I don’t do banking on my laptop, pay bills, play games,nor go to weird sites; unless others find this site, Drudge, etc. to be “weird”. I try to be as careful as I can be.”
==
Great - the best security software is in user’s heads. Mostly common sense - don’t click on links in email unless it’s really a trusted sender (and not a fake), don’t open/download anything from emails without virus-checking them first and just be careful in general about what links a person clicks on anywhere online.
Avoiding the obvious problem sites - the XXX sites, unreliable & illegal software (”warez”) sites, illegal music/movies download sites, etc.
And of course, updating anti-malware every day is a must.

[nopardons]

I do ALL of those things and NEVER listen to music, nor stream movies or T.V. shows on my laptop.

Stupid SPAM gets deleted as soon as I see any and I don't open them, nor hit any links.

PORN?????

Oh hell NO; I don't go to such sites and wouldn't even know how to find any. LOL

[LouieFisk]

"PORN?????
Oh hell NO; I don't go to such sites and wouldn't even know how to find any. LOL"
==
One of my bros was looking at some porn when his browser locked up and he got a message like this.



It freaked him out, he shut down his PC cold (the warning covered his screen so he had to unplug the PC) and cleaned out his browser history when he restarted the PC.

When he told me about it, I explained it was just a javascript "trick" that locked the browser. And I noted the FBI has done some unsavory things, but they're not into ransom-ware extortion - the warning was obviously a fake.

Had it been a real ransom-ware attack, it wouldn't be just his browser screen that was locked - it would be every file/program on his computer. What he got was just a simple-script that actually scares and fools a lot of people into sending money.

In the case he ran into, just cleaning out his browser got rid of the "FBI extortion warning". But it could just as easily been a real ransom-ware that encrypted the files on his PC and he'd have had to either pay the ransom or re-format his disk and reinstall Windows. (and of course, lose all the files he did have). I hope it makes him think twice from now on before visiting any untoward websites or clicking on a blind link!

[Tainan]

I finally updated to Win10 (my SD drive went kablooey 3 days before its warranty expired so I just bought a newer larger one.)
It is a long slow process of getting things back to working comfortably.
Win10 is not too bad.

[AbolishCSEU]

i do image back ups to .iso files using parted magic (offshoot of clonezilla)
i also use synology NAS with cloudstation and back that up to idrive
i use webroot for a/v
you are correct to surmise that once hit by ransomware, you are toast

[dayglored]

> Win10 is not too bad.

That's true. I know a lot of people who have pretty much that opinion, or better. I personally prefer Win7, but if Win10 was all I had, I could use it effectively and I'd learn to live with the annoyances.

Which is going to happen sooner or later anyway, just as it did with Win98SE, Win2K, and WinXP in their times. Hopefully by the time I can no longer use Win7, Windows (it won't still be called "Windows 10") will have matured into something I like.

[nopardons]

YIKES...I hope your brother learned his lesson!

[pigsmith]

Bfl