Windows 7 updates after 14 Jan 2020

Hi all

I’m aware that Windows 7 support officially ends 14 Jan, except for business customers (e.g. E5 licences, those willing to virtualize their Win7 estate into Azure, or companies who decide to pay extra to gain new MAK keys until Jan 2023).

But for home users:

After Windows XP support ended, a Registry hack to lie to Windows Update that you were running PoSReady 2009 allowed updates to continue.

And for Vista, it is possible to download the Server 2008 update files manually via the Windows Catalog site, then install them manually (true, not all worked).

Does anyone know for Windows 7 Home users if the patches made available to enterprise customers might leak anywhere, so one could manually install them?

Thanks

Conversation 26 comments

  • paull90

    09 January, 2020 - 3:37 am

    <p>When a company purchases Windows 7 extended support they get a new MAK key, i'm sure at some point some of these will leak.</p>

    • dftf

      09 January, 2020 - 7:58 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#511153">In reply to paull90:</a></em></blockquote><p>Those MAK keys though will only activate a Windows 7 Pro or Enterprise install, not any of the Home ones</p><p><br></p><p>It would be better if the .MSU/.MSP update files actually leaked somewhere…</p>

  • sherlockholmes

    Premium Member
    09 January, 2020 - 4:05 am

    <p>Just update to Windows 10. Using Windows 7 after January 14 will be a pain in the butt, with or without leaked Updates. The problems with leaked Updates is that you dont know what kind of software is in those Updates other then the Update itself. </p><p><br></p><p>If you are really not into Windows 10, go to Windows 8.1 . You will be safe for another 3 years. </p>

    • dftf

      09 January, 2020 - 8:00 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#511166">In reply to SherlockHolmes:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>If a PC/laptop came with an OEM version of Windws 7 originally, can that key be used to activate the same edition of Windows 10 (e.g. Windows 7 Home OEM -&gt; Windows 10 or Windows 7 Pro OEM – Windows 10 Pro) or do you need a specific "OEM" version of Windows 10?</p><p><br></p><p>I know back in the Windows 9x days, 95/98/98SE/ME used to come in specific OEM editions and OEM keys would only work on those. Is that the same now with Windows 10, or do you just choose regular Home or Pro during the install?</p>

      • sherlockholmes

        Premium Member
        09 January, 2020 - 11:49 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#511206">In reply to dftf:</a></em></blockquote><p>In some cases, yes. When it goes wrong, you can always go back to Windows 7 with that key. But there is no garanty that it works. </p><p><br></p><p>Im in Germany and used an OEM key. For me, it worked. </p>

        • wright_is

          Premium Member
          10 January, 2020 - 5:25 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#511261">In reply to SherlockHolmes:</a></em></blockquote><p>Same here.</p><p>Out of interest, have you seen the cheap Windows and Office licenses being resold through supermarkets, like Edeka in Germany? Our local Edeka doesn't have them.</p>

          • sherlockholmes

            Premium Member
            10 January, 2020 - 5:34 am

            <blockquote><em><a href="#511525">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yeah, I did. Its from the company I reported many years ago to Microsoft. It took Microsoft five years to investigate. Nice job, Microsoft Germany. </p>

            • wright_is

              Premium Member
              10 January, 2020 - 7:42 am

              <blockquote><em><a href="#511527">In reply to SherlockHolmes:</a></em></blockquote><p>heise ran a series of articles into it towards the end of last year. Even getting into contact with Microsoft.</p><p>The end result was that they were extra licenses that were being bought up and resold, so they were quasi legal, but in several instances they were MAK licenses, which means that one purchaser could theoretically re-use their key several times and lock others out, as they all get the same MAK-key that allows, say, 99 activations. But the company will offer a new key if yours is blocked.</p><p>Theoretically, they shouldn't be selling MAKs to the general public, they are only supposed to be for corporate customers, but Microsoft didn't officially say they were acting illegally, just that they would look into the matter more closely.</p>

              • sherlockholmes

                Premium Member
                10 January, 2020 - 9:46 am

                <blockquote><em><a href="#511536">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Microsoft was generous to me after I talked to them. They gave me a Windows 8.1 Pro key as a thank you 🙂 </p>

                • wright_is

                  Premium Member
                  10 January, 2020 - 9:50 am

                  <blockquote><em><a href="#511579">In reply to SherlockHolmes:</a></em></blockquote><p>The last time I got anything from Microsoft, it was an MSN T-shirt and a copy of Bill Gates' book Business at the speed of thought…</p>

              • dftf

                10 January, 2020 - 10:13 am

                <blockquote><em><a href="#511536">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Would the MAK keys Microsoft are offering to enterprises to extend Windows 7 Support until 2023 work on Windows 7 Home Premium though?</p><p><br></p><p>As far as I know, MAK keys are still edition-specific, so a MAK key for Visio 2013 Pro, for example, won't activate Visio 2013 Standard.</p><p><br></p><p>So given Microsoft are only doing extended support for Windows 7 Pro or Windows 7 Enterprise, will any of these MAK keys actually work on a Windows 7 Home Premium install?</p>

                • wright_is

                  Premium Member
                  10 January, 2020 - 10:29 am

                  <blockquote><em><a href="#511594">In reply to dftf:</a></em></blockquote><p>They will work on Windows Pro or Windows Enterprise, depending on which key you get.</p>

    • dftf

      09 January, 2020 - 8:01 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#511166">In reply to SherlockHolmes:</a></em></blockquote><p>Just to be clear I'd mean a clean install, so install Windows 10 and then enter the OEM product key during the install, not doing an upgrade to Windows 10 from inside the existing Windows 7 install.</p><p><br></p><p>Will this work with OEM keys?</p>

  • kevin_costa

    09 January, 2020 - 1:59 pm

    <p>If it was Windows 8.1 that is losing support, it would be easy to create an ISO image with all the (enterprise leaked) updates slipstreamed into it, while maintaining a DVD footprint, just because the 8.1 (and 10) DISM tool has a "replace old file with updated file and delete old file and old update installers" capability (dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase).</p><p>Unfortunately Windows 7 DISM tool does not have that "power". If you try to slipstream every Windows update into a WIM file, the ISO will become ginormous, and you will need fill a big thumb drive if you wanna to install 7 on some PC. </p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      10 January, 2020 - 5:28 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#511326">In reply to Kevin_Costa:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yes, my WSUS-Offline updater currently runs to nearly 4GB of patches for Windows 7, that plus the original ISO, you are going to find it hard to squeeze everything onto an 8GB stick, plus the USB 3 drivers…</p>

      • kevin_costa

        10 January, 2020 - 6:00 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#511526">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Sad…</p><p><br></p><p>I heard that NTLite supposedly has the "ResetBase" capability for Windows 7, but just for paying users. I'll check it out at some point.</p>

    • dftf

      14 January, 2020 - 10:42 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#511326">In reply to Kevin_Costa:</a></em></blockquote><p>Microsoft did release something called "<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(60, 64, 67);">Windows 7 SP1 Convenience Rollup" in 2016, which essentially did compile all the security (but not optional) updates into one.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(60, 64, 67);">Pity for the end-of-like they can't release a updated one that has all updates since that last Rollup up-to-and-including the final public Jan 2020 one</span></p>

  • dftf

    10 January, 2020 - 10:16 am

    <p>Does make me wonder why Microsoft doesn't just allow home users to purchase MAK keys for Windows 7 Home Premium officially… they're going to be making updates for Pro and Enterprise anyway, and it's a simple process to go into System in Control Panel and click "Change Product Key" at the bottom.</p><p><br></p><p>Why simply say no to essentially money-for-nothing (bar some minor additional testing on the Home SKU for each update)?</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      10 January, 2020 - 10:32 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#511595">In reply to dftf:</a></em></blockquote><p>Because it is an administrative pain. </p><p>They are doing it for big customers who either a) have at least 1,000 machine or b) promise to move to Azure. Writing one invoice for 1,000 licenses and updating the update system with that license is easy, writing 1,000 invoices and updating the system with 1,000 keys is more work. (Yes, a lot is automated, but it still needs to be put in place, doing it for big customers who are going to spend big makes it worthwhile, and how many Windows 7 Home users are going to spend $100 this year, $200 next year and $400 the year after?</p>

      • dftf

        10 January, 2020 - 1:04 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#511597">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Would it really be an administrative pain? Microsoft already have an online shop on their website, selling consumer items like software, mice and keyboards; how hard would it be to add a Windows 7 Home extension "product" there? The MAK key will be generated via an automated script and e-mailed to you. Barely any human effort required.</p><p><br></p><p>Or how about they offer it only to people who have an Office365 subscription — you purchase it via the O365 website? They already have your payment details saved for the O365 subscription, and you could get the key live on the website itself.</p>

      • dftf

        10 January, 2020 - 1:08 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#511597">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>As for the cost, I heard it was $25/year for year 1, then rising to $50 in year 2 then $100 in year 3, per device… is $100/$200/$400 now the confirmed amounts?</p><p><br></p><p>Regardless, they'd obviously charge Home users less than business rates, as has always been the case with Windows itself, and home editions of Office.</p>

        • anoldamigauser

          Premium Member
          14 January, 2020 - 12:35 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#511698">In reply to dftf:</a></em></blockquote><p>I think the issue is that in general, home users do not want to pay for the OS; it is something that comes with the PC. Why do you think that consumers would be charged less than businesses? In a volume game, I am going to give someone with 1000 seat a better price than a single user. Do you think that home users are going to pay to keep running an OS? I am sure some would, but they are likely to be people like us, who actually care about these things. Normal people do not care.</p><p>Easier to just upgrade to Windows 10. Apparently, the free upgrade is still working.</p>

  • dave0

    14 January, 2020 - 12:01 pm

    <p>Just use Windows 10. Its great. Move on. </p>

    • warren

      14 January, 2020 - 3:41 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#512912">In reply to dave0:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>People are clinging to their Windows 7 like it's Wordperfect 5.1 or something.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

      • Paul Thurrott

        Premium Member
        15 January, 2020 - 8:08 am

        You mean like it’s something that they already paid for that is still useful, familiar, and just works?

        Yeah. They are.

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