Windows 7 support ending Jan. 14, 2020

[GeneV]

Geeze...a lot of this is just not true...A basic firewall can monitor all available ports...with a leak proof firewall nothing can leave a system through any port the user does not want it to...

The biggest risk of using no longer supported versions of Windows is not being able use the most secure versions of browser software...the issue being encryption depths for financial transactions etc...the only risk is to the users personal data when it gets sent via older browsers...

The only thing the average user does that "makes it easy for hackers" is use weak credential passwords etc...

Are there workarounds in terms of usability and security, if one elects to keep win 7? Probably yes. Is the average computer user adept at finding/using these workarounds? Probably no.

 

[/pine]

Do you have any idea how many computers both business and personal are still running XP or Win2K or even older software??

There are still of lot of mechanical systems that run on 386 boxes and DOS...

 

[Fossil Farm]

I've been a UNIX sys admin for 25 years you are clueless...!

Ah, UNIX, now that is a great OS. Used to use AT&T 3B2 and NCR 3333 units before building our own UNIX system. Could run DOS software inside of UNIX if needed for some users
back in the day. Used dumb terminals so nobody could mess with the OS settings.

 

[/pine]

Ah, UNIX, now that is a great OS. Used to use AT&T 3B2 and NCR 3333 units before building our own UNIX system. Could run DOS software inside of UNIX if needed for some users
back in the day. Used dumb terminals so nobody could mess with the OS settings.

It's very elegant...
I call it marvelous because even today it's still a marvel to use...!

 

[wheelbuilder]

Do you have any idea how many computers both business and personal are still running XP or Win2K or even older software??

There are still of lot of mechanical systems that run on 386 boxes and DOS...

Last time I was being nosey, Target's cash register was. Might have been a year ago now ...
Lots of HVAC web controls are still using Java. That scares me a bit more than most computer things.

 

[MossRoad]

I've been a UNIX sys admin for 25 years you are clueless...!

As a sys admin for 25 years, you should know that 99% of PC users don't have a clue what a firewall is, still run their factory default passwords on all of their equipment, have no idea how to secure their own systems, and leave their systems vulnerable to a lot of crap. Heck, just look at all the home cameras that are getting hacked in the news this week. Leaving you systems with outdated and unsupported operating systems and programs does leave most people vulnerable to hacks, and that does affect the rest of us.

Promoting not upgrading to average users is akin to being an anti-vaxer.

 

[MossRoad]

It's very elegant...
I call it marvelous because even today it's still a marvel to use...!

Elegant is and excellent choice of words for UNIX. It is an elegant operating system. The only reason Windows works is because we have these massive CPUs that can cope with all the clunky crap that windows is built on.

I was a UNIX admin back in the late 80's to mid-late 2000's when we were forced by corporate to ditch it for Windows. What crap. :laughing:

 

[drssg]

On a sort of related note, I helped my FIL get switched over to a new computer a while back, and it was the first time I used a computer with a solid state hard drive. The difference in speed was amazing. The boot up process was less than 15 seconds, and the overall experience was quite favorable.

If you're still using an old computer running Windows 7 or earlier, you are probably spending a fair amount of time watching it chug away. That may be OK, but I'm just saying...

 

[/pine]

Any firewall is better than no firewall and the one M$FT uses may not be 100% leak-proof but it can be configured...great to let a user know if "something" is trying to connect to the Internet...

Except for the few major exploits (see IE)...most security upgrades and patches and O/S upgrades are not really going to give the "average user" any additional protection...any "average user" data vulnerability is not desirable to the average or organized cyber criminal types...

The same people are going to be vulnerable regardless of how up to date their O/S or firmware is...(for the reasons Moss describes)

Sure there are still some script kiddies that use original OEM creds to hack wireless routers, IP cameras of all types etc. because the users are either ignorant or apathetic about security issues...

IMO there is a bigger threat with state of the art hardware and software and social media vulnerabilities than there is with legacy equipment etc...
Learn the "average facebook users" creds and you can likely access many other of their accounts etc...

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On NIX/NUX systems...FWIW...there are lots of sites that offer user shell accounts for really reasonable costs...

 

[GeneV]

Do you have any idea how many computers both business and personal are still running XP or Win2K or even older software??

There are still of lot of mechanical systems that run on 386 boxes and DOS...

Yes, a great number...also a great number of those computers, both biz or personal, get hacked.