R.I.P. Windows 7 - What next ?

[Abarbarian]

So what do you do now that W7 no longer has support.

Cross your fingers and pray whilst still running W7.

Take several weeks holiday and try to install and learn to use Windows 10.

Or take a few hours to install and get comfortable with a linux distro.

Here are two pretty decent articles the subject. One article mentions Mint and one article mentions Ubuntu Mate, my personal choice would be for MX-19. However these days there are a good few distros that are stable and polished enough for daily use, the hardest part of changing from Microsft to penguinland is choosing which distro to use.

Your Full Guide to Migrating from Windows to Linux

Windows 7 was released a decade ago in 2009. A lot of people consider it to be the best Windows version Microsoft has ever made. Sadly Microsoft announced that Windows 7 will be disconnected in 14th of January, 2020. Being disconnected means that your OS will no longer receive updates, including security updates, at all. Which puts you in danger and under the pressure of switching to another OS as a lot of other apps will gradually stop working on Windows 7 too.


According to NetMarketShare (which is a very horrible source btw), 26% of desktop users are still using Windows 7, which is really huge considering that the OS will become out of service in few days. So, where to go from here? You could pay $100 to upgrade to Windows 10, which is very much heavier, full of data-collection mechanisms and adware. Or, you know, you could switch into using Linux, which is miles ahead of Windows in terms of almost everything.


This article will take you in detailed tour on why you should switch to Linux from Windows 7 (if you still haven’t), how to do it and everything else you may need to know.

How to Make the Switch From Windows to Linux

By Whitson Gordon 27 Dec 2019, 1 p.m.

Microsoft is finally ending support for Windows 7 in January, meaning you won't get bug fixes or security updates anymore. If you're one of the final Windows 7 holdouts and don't want to get stuck with an unsafe system, you have a choice to make: upgrade to Windows 10 or switch to something else entirely.


If you don't like the direction Microsoft has taken with Windows 10, we understand. It's gotten better (and you can make it feel more like Windows 7 with a few tweaks), but its new approach to Windows as a Service means there will always be more of a focus on embedded advertisements, constant updates, and data collection. If you've been thinking about making the jump to Linux, now is the time.

 

[EvanDavis]

Been running W10 since 2016 and swap between Mint and Zoron on my laptop.

 

[TriplexDread]

Still using 7, will do for the forseeable future. Be vigilent and careful and people wont have any issues.

Opening silly links just out of curiosity for a start. Clicking on a links that says "re'enter your security details here" is quite openly stupid and naive

No plans yet to go to 10 untill I build a new system. At least 6months away as yet!!

 

[Peru Bob]

I'm still running W7 on 5 of my computers and XP on 2 of them. I don't connect to the internet with the XP computers.

 

[longshanks]

I have been running dual boot Win7 and Linux mint on all three of my devices two Laptops and one desktop, for over a year now. My preference is Mint it works well it’s fast ,you don’t need anti virus and it’s FREE.

 

[yuanyasmine]

Dual boot Linux Mint and Windows 7. Use Linux for your everyday web stuff and boot into 7 for your programs that have no replacement in Linux.

If you really want to stay on 7 full-time, keep an eye on exploits like a hawk (one of my favourite sites is Askwoody.com) and keep your browsers up to date religiously. And for the love of all that is holy, use something like uBlock Origin (in medium mode) or NoScript to surf safely. 95% of exploits are going to be delivered via your browser so surfing without one of those is like having unprotected sex. Just don't.