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For a quick minute, it looked as though a strain of ransomware that was seemingly stolen from the United States National Security Agency (NSA) was going to be a major problem for PCs around the world, and in particular Windows XP systems. Microsoft even made the unusual move of releasing an emergency patch for Windows XP even though it stopped supporting the legacy OS a long time ago. But now a week after the initial WannaCry outbreak it's been discovered that Windows 7 PCs were the hardest hit. A researcher for Kaspersky Lab posted a message on Twitter saying "the...

Mark your calendar: Microsoft's promise to cut off Win7 and 8.1 support for the latest PCs will cause howls of pain next month Events of the past week have drawn into sharp focus the likely result of next month's patching cycle. If you have a Windows 7 or 8.1 PC that you bought, built, or upgraded in the past year or so, it would behoove you to understand exactly what Microsoft plans. Many people -- I'll raise my hand here -- thought that Skylake-based computers would continue to receive Windows 7 and 8.1 patches until the respective end-of-life. We are...

Technology giant Microsoft is blocking Windows 7 and 8.1 updates on Intel's seventh generation Core i3, i5 and i7 AMD's seventh generation processor (Bristol Ridge) and Qualcomm's 8996 processors. While trying to scan and download updates through Windows Update, error messages appear saying, "Windows could not search for new updates" and "code 80240037 Windows Update encountered an unknown error." As explained in Microsoft Knowledge based article the errors occur as the new processor generations require the latest Windows version. For those on Windows 7 and 8.1, Microsoft recommends updating the devices to Windows 10. In response to the matter a...

Have you upgraded to Intel’s Kaby Lake or AMD’s Ryzen, but still refuse to give up on Windows 7? Going forward, that’s going to become a bit of a problem, as Microsoft has said that it’s cutting off Windows Update support for such a configuration – one that also includes Windows 8.1. In effect, this means that if you are running one of the newest CPUs and either Windows 7 or 8.1, Windows Update will refuse to update. You should still be able to upgrade straight to Windows 10, but as for those minor updates that get pushed through on...

The fate of Windows 10 lies in the hands of users that are still deeply in love with Windows 7. This year's CES saw plenty of shiny new Windows 10 devices on display, from the acrobat Lenovo Yoga through to HP's all-in-one Sprout Pro. Hardware like this will certainly boost the fortunes of Windows 10. Sleek new designs and form factors, and the rise of two-in-one devices like the Surface Pro that can function both as a PC and a tablet, are giving consumers and businesses a reason to invest in Microsoft's latest operating system. And Windows 10 has made...

They'll go in mid-2018. Does that support the 'too insecure for business' message? In the same week that Microsoft's German tentacle declared Windows 7 a security horror that no business in its right mind would continue to use, the company's also announced it will axe some certification exams for the operating system. Microsoft's educators have announced that certs for Windows 7 configuration, plus the the Enterprise Desktop Support Technician and Enterprise Desktop Administrator qualifications, won't be needed after July 31st 2018. That Redmond is keeping the exams going suggests it has customers a-plenty that will need certified staff. And seeing...

It’s no huge secret that we don’t hold Microsoft’s methods of selling products in high regard. Updategate was a complete shower, and with that over, we appear to have moved into the scaremongering phase of the operation based on comments from the company’s German operation. In a blog post on Technet, we’re warned that Windows 7 “only” has three years of updates left, and even then it can’t hold a candle to Windows 10 in terms of enterprise features and security. Tell that to the 40+ percent of enterprises still using it. […] Although it would be a foolhardy business...

Anyone able to recommend a good address book, simple database-type program for Windows 7? Interested in free or reasonable cost (not $150 lol).

Microsoft today quietly put an end to sales of Windows 7 licenses to computer makers, marking a major milestone for the seven-year-old OS. According to Microsoft's rules, the Redmond, Wash. company stopped selling Windows 7 Professional or any version of Windows 8.1 to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) as of Oct. 31. The end of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 left only Windows 10 as a long-term choice for OEMs that pre-load Windows on their wares. The original end-of-sales deadline for Windows 7 Professional was to be Oct. 31, 2014 -- two years after the launch of Windows 8 -- but...

If you want a new PC running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you'll have fewer options beginning on Nov. 1. Here's what the end-of-sales deadline means.

Microsoft is slamming the door on PC builders and upgraders who might have hoped to use the new Intel Kaby Lake or AMD Zen chips for Windows 7 or Windows 8 PCs. Sorry: Both chips are officially supported only by Microsoft’s Windows 10. Microsoft's mandate is discreet rather than secret. In January, the company tried to shorten its support lifecycle for Intel Skylake PCs running Windows 7 and 8, a policy the company subsequently abandoned after much outcry. But Microsoft’s statements have also consistently included a critical caveat: The latest generations of silicon—specifically Intel’s Kaby Lake chip, Qualcomm’s 8996, and...

I live by myself and had been away from home for 12 hours. I often leave my home computer turned on even when I am gone. Last night, I noticed my computer screen was on and my computer was downloading Windows 10. I tried to stop it and, when I couldn't, I simply shut the computer off. After turning it back on, it said "restoring to your previous version" and I'm now back to Windows 7. I noticed that somehow my update settings had all been changed to allow Microsoft maximum access and Windows 10 upgrade was now categorized as...

Microsoft has made a change to an update for Windows 7 that can prevent certain systems from booting. While you might expect me to say, "good news, the software giant has fixed the problem", in fact what Microsoft has done is switch the update from "optional", to "recommended". So, on some systems, it will now install, and break Windows 7 automatically. There is good news though, and that’s you can solve the problem and get your computer working again by (can you guess?) upgrading to Windows 10. Hooray! The update in question is KB3133977 and what this does is fix...

Windows 7 will start but when it goes to Google Chrome, it will freeze up within 5 on any and everything. On Internet Explorer, it doesn't freeze but graphics don't work properly. Example, go to any site with a moving weather radar and it won't load. Or any site where you have a box to search within the site, you can't type or click in the box. Also, say on yahoo.com homepage, the ads and other junk on the left and right sides don't show up but the headlines do and you can click them and to the sites.

My Sony Vaio laptop came with Windows 7 preloaded and no physical disks. I read that there was supposed to be a recovery partition on the hard drive and figured that would be all I needed. To this point, I never had to use it. I do regular backups of my data (documents, music,etc) to an external HD. Yesterday, I was looking at Task Manager and saw a bunch of processes running. I looked at the descriptions of what they were supposed to do and stopped a bunch I thought I did not need. Computer continued to run fine. Long...

Running Windows 7. Plugged in my iphone to download some work photos, and an update from Apple popped up to update itunes and video software. I started the download and my AVG business antivirus detected the win32/herz virus and deleted it. Checking on the name and it appears to be a particularly nasty virus. If any Apple fans on here know how to notify Apple, I'll be glad to send the URL link. It starts with swcdn.apple.com/... and seems to be a legitimate link.

As Microsoft auto-upgrades more PCs to Windows 10, some users are complaining that they weren’t adequately notified. Reports of unwanted Windows 10 upgrades have been circulating for the past few days on Reddit and Twitter, after the last Patch Tuesday. These users say they never approved or initiated the upgrade, and were dragged away from their Windows 7 (or perhaps Windows 8) installs anyway. This is all part of Microsoft’s plan, of course. Last October, the company announced that it would reclassify Windows 10 as a “Recommended” update from older versions starting in early 2016, at which point many more...

A number of Windows 7 users were taken by surprise this weekend when their operating systems started to automatically upgrade to Windows 10, causing hardware and software issues for some. Problems reported by users included hardware drivers no longer working after the upgrade, software incompatibilites, and users getting large bills for using several gigabytes of cellular data. Microsoft copped flak last September for quietly downloading Windows 10 components onto users' computers in preparation for a later upgrade, taking up storage space and eating into data caps. The company has since published instructions for users who want to opt out of...

Windows 10 is already seeing early signs of success in the enterprise field, as more and more companies are looking at the new operating system and evaluating a possible upgrade in the coming months.That’s what research firm Gartner explains when looking at adoption figures in the enterprise field for both Windows 10 and Windows 7, saying that the new OS easily outclasses its predecessors.Gartner analyst Steve Kleynhans has told CW in an interview that the enterprise market has changed the way it prepares for upgrades now that Windows 10 is available, asking questions that are more related to the...

On Thursday, February 4, Satya Nadella will celebrate his second anniversary as the CEO of Microsoft. It's been an eventful couple of years. Microsoft has grown its crucial cloud business, released Windows 10 to a much better reception than its loathed predecessor, launched a bunch of great apps for iPhone and Android, and generally made people like it a lot more. But the real victory of Satya Nadella — the truly monumental shift — has been within the company. Under Nadella, Microsoft is pointed in one direction for first time in modern memory.