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General discussion

Poll: Do you care that MS has ended free Windows 7 support?

Jan 14, 2015 3:49AM PST

Microsoft has ended Windows 7 mainstream support (free help and support) and will no longer release any new features for it. Read article here and see Windows Lifecycle fact sheet here

Do you care that Microsoft has ended free Windows 7 support?

-- Yes, because I rely on the free support.
-- Yes, because I can't afford the paid support.
-- No, because I never use it.
-- No, because I don't use Windows 7.
-- No, because I don't use Windows.
-- Other. (Tell us what it is in discussion below.)

Place your poll votes here and discuss the topic below.

Discussion is locked

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All about control...
Jan 14, 2015 4:33AM PST

If Microsoft wants to change things, they stop support for the old version and force the new version on you. It don't matter if most the people like the old version and don't like the new one... They run the show...

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They should stop free Windows 8 support instead
Jan 14, 2015 4:56AM PST

Window 8 sucks.

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What Free Support?
Jan 14, 2015 4:39AM PST

I have used Windows for years, and I have almost never received free support. When I did get free support (installation of Win 7, for example), it was because I applied for it within some minimal period of time from when I purchased it (90 days?).

My most recent excursion into the support arena was two months ago when I was trying to deal with some issue in Win 8.1. The technician decided that it might be malware related and told me the only support I could get would be paid support (around $100). Because I was, I acquiesced. After some diddling around in the registry, the product was resolved, but I was never convinced that it was malware-related, and I do a lot of work on other people's computers cleaning out malware, as well as helping them prevent it.

My own suggestion is that if you buy your computer from a source like HP or Dell, buy the cover-everything support for two or three years. It's not expensive considering the headaches you will save yourself. After them, most your problems will be either hardware or user-caused, neither of which will MS cover for free.

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So true
Jan 14, 2015 6:56AM PST

Yes, thank you. I'm not crazy. In the main article I posted the same thing, "WHAT free support?" My experiences mirrored yours. If you need actual technical support for anything more than the most basic installation problems, You have to pay and pay dearly for it.

I will also say that for companies like HP and Dell, I have generally had no problems at all getting detailed technical support on very old systems for free, as long as no hardware needs to be replaced. I've had especially good high-level support for my older HP Elitebook.

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How many companies offer free support for 5 years?
Jan 14, 2015 4:43AM PST

To answer my question, there are very few. I know my recliner has a "lifetime warranty" on the mechanism. But when you read the fine print, "lifetime" is defined as 7 years. Even so there are very few products that provide more than 5 years of free support like MS does. And they still provide free maintenance even for Vista which obviously is older than Windows 7. Given the huge number of folks running Windows 7 these days, it's not hard to find support for it if you really need it. However Windows 7 is and has been very much bug free for a long time now. If people do backups and don't do foolish things, they shouldn't have need for free support.

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I don't believe that is the point!
Jan 18, 2015 12:54AM PST

MS' record with OS' is very rocky to say the least. DOS, Windows XP, and Windows 7 were the only ones on the positive side up to now. What would it cost to continue until Windows 10 is up and running and is the solutions to all Windows OS problems? Why alienate those customers who are happy with Win 7? If MS had spent more time developing their OS rather than a hundred other programs e.g. MS OFFICE and all its updates which were never capable to running prior versions! Obvious in today's world one must continue to develop for the future but why is it necessary too inhumanly force persons to move into situations which they prefer not to move into. I loved Windows XP and used it to the very end . . . at least until I was sure that Windows 7 was safe. I never installed Vista . . . Luckily I have a bit of computer and program savvy but there are many who don't and would like to stay with something they feel safe using . . . . Are we about only making money and developing program that most people will not use or want to use? or Are we about wanting to help people be more productive and able to do their job well and even better. Not everything that is new (and many times more complicated) is the solution to present situations. The history of MS development of an good solid OS is a case in point. That said lets hope that Windows 10 solves all our problems or at least does not create new ones! In my opinion MS could have put off this announcements for a few years, at least 3-4 years after it is recognized that Window 10 is the solutions all our PC problems. Why the rush?! After all, let's remember most of us are human beings, not robots!

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I don't care.
Jan 14, 2015 4:44AM PST

I'm still using XP. I was planning to upgrade in a couple of years to Windows 23. That's my lucky number. : )

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Free Windows support ends
Jan 14, 2015 4:48AM PST

I used Windows for years starting with Windows 95. However, the subsequent changes from Windows 95 to 8 kept getting worse and worse to navigate. My computers failed and necessitated taking them to the computer repair store to get them fixed.

Finally, I quit Microsoft and switched to Apple. I will never go back. At least half a dozen of my friends also switched forever. Microsoft needs to get their act together regarding their operating system.

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We got sick of the changing OS too.
Jan 14, 2015 5:38AM PST

My husband was mad about XP being discontinued and it won't be long and Win7 will be too. He bought us both the new iMac. Now we're not held hostage to constant changes. I'm (slightly) resisting the change and having to learn a new way of everything. I have a good book but no time to learn!

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Apple Does It Too
Jan 15, 2015 1:47AM PST

Apple also makes obsolete older versions of their OS and ends support. Just like Windows, older software stops working on newer versions of the OS at some point. Been there, done that.

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No, it doesn't bother me but
Jan 14, 2015 4:56AM PST

now that I'm thinking about it I'm gonna make a new set of restore media since it's so simple and my laptops up to date with MS updates.

Digger

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Security and former updates will not end..
Jan 15, 2015 4:43AM PST

Only in 2020 or so will Win 7 become like XP, and I still see old updates available for XP machines on the MS site.

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nope, run linux mostly
Jan 14, 2015 4:59AM PST

the only computer I have windows on has win10 and 8.1. win7 is still among the best and as long as there are forums, users should not have to worry about support.

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I sort of care!
Jan 14, 2015 5:01AM PST

Since I don't have money to throw around on support, I am disappointed that Windows 7 support will no longer be free. However, on the flip side, Microsoft has never solved any issues that I have had with their product. My recent fiasco, which was caused by the automatic downloading of updates, as opposed to the "Show me, but let me select which ones I want" option, resulted in me having to do a complete system restore.

Did I find out through Microsoft that the fiasco was due to their updates fighting each other for space on my computer at the same time? No, I found this and the solution through my computer manufacturer and my own online research on non-Microsoft sites.

In addition, I couldn't find out, nor could Windows 7 free help tell me why my image was appearing upside down on my webcam software. At first I blamed other software on my computer, then I uninstalled and reinstalled my webcam drivers, nothing helped, except by trial and error and eventually using Windows Movie Maker software to display my image correctly.

When I had to to the system reinstall and set up my laptop all over again, I found out that the culprit was a Windows Update, although I was not able to isolate it to one specific update. (I installed a few of the 150+ updates at a time, rechecking my web cam after each install. All went well, until about the third or fourth set of installs -- at at which time my image once again appeared upside down.

I know I went a bit off the subject, but I thought I would share my experience with others just in case it would help!

Have a nice day!

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Do you care that MS has ended free Windows 7 support?
Jan 14, 2015 5:12AM PST

It doesn't affect me. I purchased my first PC in 1989 and have been a regular updater of equipment and software ever since. But when Windows 8 came out I hesitated. All I heard were troublesome stories of difficulties and frustrations with the learning curve. I decided that if there had to be a learning curve I would make the big switch to Apple's MacBook Pro and at least I would have multiple sources of support and answers to the questions that pop up - always hard to find the answers I needed from Microsoft. I have never looked back.

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Don't Blame You
Jan 17, 2015 12:31PM PST

There always seems to be some problems for which there is no (insert expletive here) answer from MS or anywhere on the (expletive) internet. With W7, I still can't see why I can no longer put anything on a DVD (or CD). I even asked in the CNET forums with no luck.

I'm just waiting for W-10. Obviously it will solve everything.

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windows7 support
Jan 14, 2015 5:15AM PST

I HAVE AN OLDER PC THAT WILL NOT RUN WINDOWS 8 OR 8.1 AND WILL ONLY RUN W7 32 BIT.
SO I NEED ATLEAST UPDATES AS THERE ARE STILL PLENTY OF APPS OUT HERE THAT ILL RUN ON W7/32BIT.

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Don't use it
Jan 14, 2015 5:19AM PST

except when trying to fix computers for friends. I switched to OSX and LINUX 7 years ago and have not looked back.

I installed a SSD for a buddy this weekend and it was a horror show because of Microsoft, the backup I made would not install and trying to install a fresh copy of Win 7 failed because it could not read the disk. I used diskpart to create a partition and then tried to restore but it refused to recognize the disk. At that point I was able to install a fresh copy of Win 7 and left him to install all of his applications. I had a similar thing the week before on the same model laptop using Linux Mint and it recognized the disk and set everything up in 15 minutes flat.

It amazes me that Linux is light years ahead of Microsoft in almost all areas. The less I deal with Microsoft the happier I am.

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I use Windows 7 every day, but I never contact MS Support
Jan 14, 2015 5:31AM PST

So long as they keep publishing patches and security fixes and keep publishing Knowledgebase articles, I'm happy. All I ever got from "support" was the typical dumb-dumb stuff asking if my system was plugged in and such anyway.

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Free support?
Jan 14, 2015 6:38AM PST

I never knew we had free support!!

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I don't care...I happily switched to Mac decades ago.
Jan 14, 2015 7:18AM PST

I was fed-up with the complications of having to configure Windows XP, so I switched to Macs (I'm on Yosemite OS right now). My Macs run for YEARS with no reconfigs or reboots required. When my graphics chip blew up, after using my Mac for 5 years, Apple gave me a new computer!

Apple's OS is a variant of UNIX, developed by DARPA and AT&T to keep Russia from hacking us in a nuclear war. Macs get 1 or 2 viruses a year. Windows gets about 300 a WEEK. It's much harder to hack a Mac.

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Watch what MicroSoft does next...
Jan 14, 2015 7:28AM PST

I predict that MicroSoft will switch their OS renewal scheme to an Adobe-style "creative cloud" renewal...you'll HAVE to pay a monthly fee, for the rest of your life, to use their OS. Meanwhile, Apple keeps creating newer, better versions of their OS, and gives the OS away for free...

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Apple
Jan 14, 2015 9:21AM PST

SO does Oracle. Switch to Linux. I really like Mint 17.1 Rebecca. Try it. Break your chains to MS.

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I wish I could afford a Mac!
Jan 14, 2015 9:54AM PST

That's my dream computer, laptop, tablet, etc.! By the way, I forgot to mention in my earlier post: Since I've set up my Windows alerts to tell me about the alerts, but let me decide, I haven't gotten any e-mails from Microsoft regarding updates and online safety like I normally did. Does anyone know anything about this? As a result, CNET is the first alert I've received regarding the end of Windows 7 "free service." Thanks CNET!

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no alerts
Jan 14, 2015 7:35PM PST

I always upgrade and I get very few if any problems with Windows - and no alerts. (What alerts?) But then why would I since I use the latest OS (as a pensioner) and suffer no problems?

And if I have questions, I CALL Microsoft - again no problem - and they are exceedingly helpful.

As for Mac, you're welcome, I used to use them and gave up.
No problems with Macs? It's a well advertised myth.

Be careful what you wish for.

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Win 7
Jan 14, 2015 9:16AM PST

Anyone that still uses Microsoft when Linux Mint 17.1 or Ubuntu is a clearly superior OS WITH all free applications and much less hacked spam is nuts. It takes a little time to adapt, but it is well worth it. No need to load drivers, auto update of software etc. etc. etc. Open Source. A concept completely foreign to multi multi multi billionaires like Gates.

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gee MS that was quick!
Jan 14, 2015 9:28AM PST

I really don't care because I'm still using XP! HA! Take that MS!

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Switch Time
Jan 14, 2015 9:33AM PST

1st they take away XP now Win 7. I am a tech have no real issue per say, but it is not doing most folks who do have any choice. I will from this day forward recommend Apple. To bad, I like My Win7 HP. Being my 7th HP tablet, Laptop & Computer I have enjoy the ride. See how far Bill Gates & company does with Microsoft now. I am sure I am not the only one, as I recommend what Computer system to buy or use for my clients an I feel I am not alone.

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It's Okay
Jan 14, 2015 9:50AM PST

I didn't know they provided free support. But it's okay, Apple still provides 90 days of free Apple Care with a $10,000 computer purchase.

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wINDOWS 7 dropped free support

I can sum up my feelings by this, "greedosoft" where there never is enough.