Russ Harvey Consulting - Computer and Internet Services

Windows 7

Support ended January 14, 2020 Legacy

About Windows 7 | Security | Tweaking | Recovery

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I no longer develop this legacy resource.

Windows 7 desktop. This was the last Windows version designed for keyboard and mouse.

Microsoft's support for Windows 7 ended January 14, 2020. Windows 7 is unsafe to use and will become increasingly so.

An unsupported version of Windows will no longer receive software updates from Windows Update. These include security updates that can help protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, which can steal your personal information.

 

Windows Update also installs the latest software updates to improve the reliability of Windows — new drivers for your hardware and more.
— Microsoft

You Need to Find an Alternative NOW

You can't continue to run an unsupported version of Windows with it connected to the Internet. You need to:

The various options are discussed in Replacing Windows: Your options when support ends.

Windows 7 ESUs

Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESUs) were aimed at enterprise customers and required a volume-licensing agreement. These interim measures ended January 31, 2023.

Going Permanently Offline

If you continue to use Windows 7, you'll need to take it permanently offline.

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About Windows 7

New features in Windows 7 include Libraries, Jump Lists, HomeGroup (works only with Windows 7 or newer computers) and Snap.

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.

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:

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).

BitLocker

BitLocker is a full disk encryption feature but unfortunately was only provided in the Ultimate Edition. Windows 7 had the unique capability of encrypting removable drives.

Although there are third-party encryption solutions, few would seek them out.

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.

Windows 7 Editions

There are four primary editions of Windows 7:

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).

“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.

Hardware Support

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:

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.

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.

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.

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Security

Windows 7 security is better than XP's. Its User Account Control is more configurable and less annoying than it was in Vista.

Secure Boot

Windows secure boot was marketed as a way to protect you from malware but 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.

If your Windows 7 computer won't start, you may have to enter the BIOS to check the settings. If you've enabled Secure Boot, Windows 7 cannot boot and you need to change the settings. Look for an option like “Other OS” in your system BIOS.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1

Unlike many earlier versions of Windows, there was only a single service pack for Windows 7. Other patches were included in the various monthly updates.

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Tweaking & Customizing

Tweaking and customizing Windows 7 involves changing the way Windows does certain tasks or displays its content.

Themes and other features are built into Windows 7, but there are other ways to make these changes.

Removing Shortcuts

If you're like me, you find the "shortcut to" in the name of new shortcuts annoying. You can tell it's a shortcut by the little arrow placed on the icon.

Editing the Windows Registry directly is for advanced users.

Use Shortcuts to Resources

Many people have lots of folders with photos, documents, tax information and more on their desktops.

This clutters your desktop. I recommend creating shortcuts to frequently-used content:

  1. Create unique folders in your Documents or Photos folders
  2. Create shortcuts on the desktop for the most used folders
    • drag them to the desktop using the right mouse button; then
    • select “create shortcuts here”.

Sort Downloads

A shortcut to the Downloads folder allows you to drag newly-downloaded files for later retrieval.

I recommend moving photos, videos and documents to the appropriate folders rather than leaving them in Downloads.

Broadband and Networking

Tweaking broadband and network settings is not recommended in Windows 7.

Windows Registry

Editing the Windows Registry directly is for advanced users.

Changing the Look

Windows 7 is much easier to personalize than earlier versions of Windows.

The Aero transparency and multiple background, icon and other settings can make your desktop truly unique.

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Recovering Windows 7

Combined with the built-in enhanced capabilities for a system images and scheduled backups in Windows 7 you should be able to recover your system.

Launching Safe Mode

To see the advanced boot options, restart your computer then press the F8 key repeatedly after the BIOS message disappears (or the initial BIOS beep) but before the Windows logo appears (usually only a few seconds).

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.

One of the quickest ways to recovery from a system error is to use System Restore:

Start ⇒ All Programs ⇒ Accessories ⇒ System Tools ⇒ System Restore.

The settings are in System Properties on the System Protection tab.

If you can't boot into Windows, you'll need to use a system repair disc.

Create a System Repair Disc

Windows 7 has a specific system repair disc available from Microsoft as well as one available from NeoSmart:

You'll need to create a system repair disc for Windows 7 while your system is still working then store it in a safe place.

  1. Open Backup & Restore:
    Control Panel ⇒ System & Maintenance ⇒ Backup & Restore.
  2. In the left pane, click Create a system repair disc, and follow the steps.
  3. Administrator permission may be required.

Using the System Repair Disc

If Windows 7 won't start:

  1. Insert the system repair disc into your CD or DVD drive.
  2. Restart your computer using the computer's power button.
  3. If prompted, press any key to start the computer from the system repair disc.
  4. As the computer reboots, choose the option that allows you to boot using the recovery disk (the method varies by computer: try F12). You might need to change your computer's BIOS settings.
  5. Choose your language settings, and then click Next.
  6. Select a recovery option, and then click Next.

Windows Recovery Environment

Windows 7 also has a Windows Recovery Environment available from the Advanced Boot Options menu.

Select Repair Your Computer from the Windows Error Recovery screen.

The Windows Recovery Environment can also be launched from the Windows 7 DVD.

Select Repair Your Computer when you see the Install Windows screen.

These resources may help you recover your Vista system:

Related Resources

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russharvey.bc.ca/resources/windows7.html
Updated: December 2, 2024

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