Windows 7
Win7 Editions | Hardware | Security & Patches | Customizing & Tweaking
Mainstream Support Has Ended
Mainstream support for Windows 7 has ended.
There will be no further free updates to the operating system; only essential fixes and security updates. Extended support expires January 14, 2020.
Windows 7 Documentation Disappearing
Microsoft's support documentation for Windows 7 is now placed within the context of “Windows 10: Previous Versions.” Some material may no longer be available.
- Windows 7 Home for official information and downloads.
- Windows 7 help & how-to.
- 10 Windows 7 tips to get the most out of your machine.
- Windows 7 TechNet resources are aimed at technical support staff.
- Ten things IT professionals should know about Windows 7.
New Privacy Concerns
Optional updates to Windows 7 have included some that are controversial as they add “customer experience and diagnostic telemetry” data collecting elements to Windows 7.
Besides the privacy concerns, these optional updates add to the load on the Windows 7 computer and may slow down older hardware. It also adds to your bandwidth usage which affects those with data caps or mobile plans.
You might want to avoid any optional updates that aren't clearly hardware fixes or updates that describe problems you're having with your computer.
- The truth about Windows 7 and 8.1 'spy patches' KB 3068708, 3022345, 3075249, 3080149.
- Microsoft vs. privacy: Windows 10's controversial tracking tools hitting Windows 7, 8.
- Windows 10 privacy issues extend to Windows 8.1, 7: How to stop Microsoft from collecting more of your data.
Spybot Anti-Beacon
Spybot Anti-Beacon allows you to make significant choices about your privacy settings including many that are hidden or not easily altered. It immunizes your computer so you can check then reset your privacy settings after rebooting your computer (particularly after a Windows Update).
Windows 7 Editions
There are four primary editions of Windows 7:
- Starter (aimed at NetBooks — small notebook PCs)
- Home Premium (recommended for most home users)
- Professional (aimed at the needs of small businesses and advanced home users including the ability to log into a domain and run productivity programs in Windows XP mode*)
- Ultimate (combines the features in Professional with bit-locker encryption and 35 languages)
*XP mode is no longer supported.
“Starter” Has Limitations
Most hardware with Starter edition installed are incapable of upgrade so you'll want to be sure that your requirements are very limited and that you'll have no need to upgrade in the future.
Windows 7 Starter edition can only run 3 processes at a time and forces you to search for many of the customizations that are quickly available in other editions.
“Anytime” Upgrade
Microsoft offers an anytime upgrade but ensure you purchase the version you need to begin with because upgrade costs are steep.
Downgrade Rights
Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate versions originally could be downgraded to Windows Vista or Windows XP but that was up to the vendor if and how they want to implement that option. That is unlikely to be an option now that support for Windows XP has expired and Vista's is about to.
Determining which version of Microsoft software you have a right to run, known as your downgrade rights, depends on the channel through which the software was purchased; Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Retail (FPP), or Volume Licensing (VL) and also when it was purchased. — TechNet
See Understanding Downgrade Rights for details.
Windows 7 Hardware
Installing Windows 7
How to reinstall Windows like a pro.
Secure Boot
Windows secure boot was marketed as a way to protect you from malware. It has the potential to prevent you from installing any other operating system except Windows 8 or 10 on your computer. Windows 7 is not supported. Look for an option like “Other OS” in your system BIOS.
Issues with Windows Update
I've found that sometimes the update to Windows update itself following the installation of Service Pack 1 does something that causes Windows Update to run forever without resolving any updates. This problem is not unusual and is frustrating, particularly when the Microsoft recommended fixes don't work.
If you're having issues with installing Windows 7 try the following:
- Windows 7 stuck on “Checking For Updates” has an excellent process for resolving this issue. Some of the resources are included below, but Kris' instructions are excellent.
- Windows Update Client for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2: March 2016 got me unstuck in more than one instance. Note: it took a long time for the process to run through an provide the fix.
- July 2016 update rollup for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.
- You can't install updates in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2.
Can You Run Windows 7?
I don't usually recommend an upgrade of your current hardware to Windows 7 unless you are running a compatible Vista machine or a relatively powerful XP computer. I upgraded two XP machines (including a Lenovo T61 laptop), but not before ensuring the necessary Windows 7 drivers and software upgrades were available.
System Requirements
You'd best look at new hardware if you want to optimize your experience with Windows 7. See the general notes about Windows hardware requirements.
Microsoft lists the following system requirements:
- 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
- 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
- DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
- Some games and programs might require a graphics card compatible with DirectX 10 or higher for optimal performance.
Windows 7 was designed to work with today's multi-core processors. All 32-bit versions of Windows 7 can support up to 32 processor cores, while 64-bit versions can support up to 256 processor cores.
History
Released October 22, 2009, Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate sales terminated in October 31, 2014 (October 31, 2016 for Windows 7 Professional).
Upgrade Advisor
Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will tell you if your computer is capable of running Windows 7 or what upgrades may be needed.
Learning More
You can visit these sites for more information about Windows 7:
32- or 64-bit?
Windows 7 comes with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Always install the 64-bit version on 64-bit hardware. Learn more about the advantages and disadvantages.
Other Installation Issues
There are also some documented issues with installation, particularly with upgrade versions (it appears they were not intended to be used for a clean install — something that will haunt you in future years. Microsoft's documentation is gone.
No Built-in Email Client
Windows 7 has no built-in email client. Vista came with Windows Mail and Windows XP came with Outlook Express (no longer supported and dangerous to use). Windows 10 has an email app.
I'd strongly recommend moving to Mozilla Thunderbird or one of my other recommended email options.
What's New in Windows 7?
New features in Windows 7 include Libraries, Jump Lists, HomeGroup (works only with Windows 7 or newer computers) and Snap.
Libraries
Libraries provide for the way we operate computers today — allowing you to pull similar content together from multiple sources.
Libraries are a Windows 7 feature that gives you a consolidated view of related files in one place. A Library doesn't contain files. Rather, a Library provides a single aggregated view of multiple folders and their contents. — Microsoft TechNet
You add files to a Library by linking to them. New Libraries can be added by right-clicking in the Libraries bar and selecting New then Library.
Learn more about Libraries by visiting these resources:
- Introducing Windows 7 Libraries — MSDN Magazine.
- Organizing with Windows 7 Libraries.
- Windows 7 Libraries walkthrough.
- Windows 7 Libraries FAQs.
Jump Lists
Jump lists give you quick access to your favorite content — on your computer and elsewhere.
If you use a program like CCleaner to remove temporary files, you may need to change the settings if you wish to retain jump lists. Otherwise, your jump lists will be removed each time you run CCleaner.
ReadyBoost
Some of the limitations of ReadyBoost (introduced with Vista) were removed in Windows 7. The benefits of ReadyBoost are minimal for most Windows 7 users and you need to ensure you're using a device that works with ReadyBoost. Those seeking performance would be better served by a SSD boot drive large enough to install Windows 7 on it (you can still use a regular drive for storage).
Windows 7 Security
Windows 7 security is better than XP's and not as annoying as Vista's.
Windows 7 has bitlocker drive encryption (Ultimate Edition only, although third-party versions are available), encrypting file system and shadow copy. User Account Control is more configurable in Windows 7.
Windows Backup & Restore
Windows 7 has included an effective built-in backup and restore system to protect your data and to allow you to recover from a disaster quickly — provided you've taken advantage of these tools before the incident.
There are third-party commercial software including Acronis True Image.
Windows 7 Service Pack 1
Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) offers new improvements to features and services in Windows 7, such as improved reliability when connecting to HDMI audio devices, printing using the XPS Viewer, and restoring previous folders in Windows Explorer after restarting.
Some folks had problems installing the service pack from a separate download, so your mileage may vary. I recommend letting Windows Update perform the task automatically.