How to Renew Windows 7 Security Updates for the Last January
Are people still using Windows 7? Absolutely. And if they stick with it until January 14 this coming year, they’ll have to pay Microsoft a fee to keep getting security updates. Most people will not (and cannot) do this, as Microsoft’s paid security updates are for business only , but a clever little hack allows ordinary people to take advantage of the service – for free.
I don’t have Windows 7 so I can’t verify this personally, but this is how a hack usually works. First, you need to install three required updates for your Windows 7 system: KB4490628 , KB4474419, and KB4523206 . Reboot your system if necessary.
From there, head over to the My Digital Life forums , sign up for a free account, and download the BypassESU tool. Install it and then you can install this test extended security update ( KB4528069 ). The BypassESU tool should allow you to bypass Microsoft’s scan for extended security updates. After successfully installing this update, you will even be able to uninstall the BypassESU tool as you will now be authenticated for future security updates.
Of course, Microsoft could revoke this little workaround and / or change the authentication method for Windows 7 Advanced Security Updates. As the readme.txt file for the BypassESU tool notes:
“However, you can think of this as a prototype based on benchmarks with update KB4528069, this may change in February 2020.”
In other words, look for new workarounds if this goes away. This suggests that Microsoft has a huge incentive to address this problem, which should affect a relatively small subset of people: home users clinging to Windows 7 who want to find a way to keep their systems up to date. I can’t imagine the audience is very large and Microsoft might not even bother to plug this hole.
If that’s the case, and you won’t find another way to get security updates for your end-of-life operating system, it might be time to upgrade to the free version of Windows 10 – as long as your system supports it. Otherwise, you can have a little fun with a brand new, easy to use and open source operating system . Heck, try a Linux distro before you take the plunge to see if it works better for you than Windows.
Ignore that and stick with Windows 7 and you will only be to blame for any crazy zero-day hacks that wreck your system on January 14 (or later). But don’t take my word for it. Here’s a great description of why this is important from Reddit user ntx61 :
“Continuing to use outdated, unsupported operating systems such as Windows 7 (or any other software) beyond the end of their support period (in the case of Windows 7, January 14, 2020) exposes users to a greater security risk because vendors (such as Microsoft ) stop releasing security updates for legacy platforms, making them no more secure than a completely unpatched system. This leaves users vulnerable to malware, hacker attacks and other attacks that could potentially cost them more than moving to today’s actively supported platforms. ”