Why are you even using windows 7 anymore?
I dont see a need to put 10 on my laptop, its a 7 year old i5 with 4 gigs of ram, windows 7 serves its purpose on it
i still have a working pentium 3 with xp on it 
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that must be fun for legacy gaming 
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Thats the main reason why i still keep it going and that 440bx motherboard is a legend
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You don’t see a need for security updates on an operating system you use?
he probably doesn’t have it hooked up with open access to internet
Sure, but plugging any storage device into that machine is playing Russian roulette.
this is just going to spark a debate but
over 70% of ATMS still uses windows 7 embedded, Point of sale systems, im pretty sure plenty of airlines also still use.
34.5 of pc’s still connected to the internet that people use daily are still on windows 7.
lets talk security then, what are the chances of my laptop being hacked that is only occasionally connected to the internet ?
or how about all the people running imacs that cant upgrade to Mojave, there’s millions are they not at risk.
or the inherent flaws in intel cpu’s that allows people to hack into your pc’s (what about the millions of pc’s with intel cpu’s that has the spectre and zombieload vulnerabilities.)
any pc is at risk of being hacked regardless of what os you are running.
Millions of people, i stand corrected Billions of People use android phones and iphones that cant upgrade to the latest versions, arent they also playing russian roulette ?
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Everyone off the grid… NOW!
(I so would if I could…)
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This is a very interesting discussion.
To stick with the russian roulette analogy — yes, I guess it could be seen as everyone playing russian roulette, except there are thousands (maybe millions?) of barrels instead of six.
One problem with the analogy is that while your chances of being individually targeted is low, your real problem is what happens when a mass exploit is developed using one of these unpatched vulnerabilities and you get hit with nasty malware, like we had WannaCry.
What happens if the attackers choose not to deploy malware, but spyware?
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But the argument with the ATM’s is that they have special locked down versions with long term support.
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I’m also going to point out that Windows 7 Embedded is NOT Windows 7;
When dealing with ATMs (because I can actually talk about these) you have systems with no administrative access, not connected to the internet and extremely tight controls over how software lands on them. Did I also mention that Embedded editions of Windows is not quite Windows as you expect.
I’ll turn this around, how are you installing software on your Windows 7 system if it’s not connected to the internet and if you never have any external media connecting to it?
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Install a piece of software from an untrusted source on your Android/iOS device without having to break the security first.
I’ll wait…
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what i have noticed that even if an OS is not supported officially anymore, if a massive global attack happens then MS will still release priority emergency patches for it, most likely due to the large userbase still using that OS
Now the reason why my laptop is still on windows 7 is simple
its a 2nd gen i5 with 4 gigs of Ram
Windows 10 will run slower as its a more bloated OS (And it runs like crap with only 4 gigs of ram)
i dont do any banking on the laptop (i use my phones for banking, online purchases via apps etc)
I have software and diagnostics cables for my audi that only works on windows 7
the fingerprint scanner on my laptop does not have windows 10 drivers.
there are plenty of other small reasons why its still on 7 and not 10.
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The core of windows 7 embedded is the same core of windows 7 (CE embedded is different) because it provides the full win 32 api (you can probably google that) which means that whatever exploits your home windows 7 can get, the embedded ones are also susceptible to. ATMS are connected to the internet, have u ever stood infront of a crashed atm terminal ? even pick n pay’ smart shopper kiosks run windows 7 embedded (not ce embedded) and that is also connected to the internet.
the same way the core of the Xbox one OS is the same core as windows 10, the Xbone used the windows 8 core for its initial OS.
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Yes it is
but dont take my word for it
Windows Embedded Standard 7 (WES7) is built on the same framework as Windows 7 Ultimate, which means that any software that’s compatible with a standard Windows 7 distribution will also run properly on WES7. Windows Embedded Standard 7 allows users to identify the specific components of the Windows OS that their system or device requires and include only those features in the final image. In essence, Windows Embedded allows you to pick and choose the features you need in your OS and forgo those that aren’t suitable for your unique installation or dedicated appliance.
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Yeah, I really do like the Enhanced Write Filter feature of Windows 7 Ultimate, Embedded Lockdown Manager is also a great Windows 7 Ultimate Feature…Same framework != same; The fact that you can run the same and similar software of the operating system doesn’t make it the same. With the old Embedded and now IoT editions of Windows you have certain customizations you can employ to further lock down and secure the OS.
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those are features that can be turned off from within the OS, and Embedded Lockdown Manager is a certificate that can be installed and uninstalled from windows 7 ultimate (hell even windows 7 basic probably) as its just a management console snapin
https://www.microsoft.com/en-za/download/details.aspx?id=37020
Fact is it is the same operating system (which you intially denied and still trying to deny)
if i really wanted to and also had the energy and time i can create a windows 7 ultimate slip streamed iso with all of those features 
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and on the topic of security, standard bank’s business online system still uses java 6 from 2006 because it has compatibility issues with later versions, im guessing they are also playing russian roulette with all their client accounts
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