Developer Publishes Patch To Enable Windows 7 and 8.1 Updates On New Hardware (zdnet.com) 50
Earlier this month, Microsoft locked Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs running on select Intel and AMD processors from receiving future security updates. Now, a developer has found a workaround. From a report on ZDNet: The new patch, from a developer using the name 'Zeffy' on GitHub, may help people caught by Microsoft's update policy for PCs running older versions of Windows on hardware with Intel's seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors and AMD's recently released Bristol Ridge Ryzen chips. [...] Zeffy's patch promises to get around this situation, which stems from non-security updates released in March that added a function to detect the hardware's CPU generation. The developer notes that Microsoft's March 16 rollup updates for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 contained one particularly offensive changelog entry. As reported by Ghacks at the time, the two preview updates stated: "Enabled detection of processor generation and hardware support when PC tries to scan or download updates through Windows Update."
Dupe? (Score:5, Insightful)
Now, if only they had hardware capable of detecting dupes on /.
Re: (Score:2)
Oh fuck off.
Re: (Score:2)
Or if someone had invented "editors" and /. had decided to hire some.
Re: (Score:2)
Oh, editors... (Score:3)
Looking forward to Microsoft's response (Score:2)
There's two paths they can go down:
1. Accept that there is a sizable chunk of the user base (most probably application developers) that will continue to use Windows 7 (maybe 8.1) and remove the update blocks on these OSes. They'll get some bitching from people who felt they should have done that right from the start, but it will be short lived and life will go on with the reluctant acknowledgement that Microsoft actually listened to their customers and developer community.
2. Get into a legal and software
Re:Looking forward to Microsoft's response (Score:5, Insightful)
or 3. Ignore him because all Microsoft really wants is to minimize the amount of Win7 support they have to deal with, and only a small percentage of people are going to patch their OS with some random Github code in the first place, and the few who do probably know what they're doing anyway and even if they do still complain to Microsoft, they've modded their OS binaries with a third-party patch and can safely be told to pound sand.
Re: (Score:1)
I've typed it before, but the loudest Slashdolts are too busy obsessing about how Micro$oft destroyed Netscape by providing a free and pre-installed web browser with their operating system.
Microsoft pushed Win10 so hard because of the maintenance cost of supporting 6 versions of an operating system.
Vista, 7, 8 and the server variants of each one. If Microsoft can get 90% of the userbase to either move to 10 or violate their EULA (like this patch does), that greatly reduces the scope for security and mainte
Re: (Score:1, Informative)
Re: (Score:1)
It's quite difficult to install Win7 on Kaby Lake or Ryzen. Those guys already had to jump through a number of hoops, so one more hoop to jump through isn't going to stop them at this stage.
Re: (Score:2)
I really don't understand that reasoning. Microsoft has a fairly consistent support schedule [microsoft.com]. Mainstream support for a bit more than 5 years (feature and security upgrades). Extended support for 5 more years (security updates only). From a support standpoint, it makes no difference to them how many people are still using Windows 7. They've already committed to supporting it til 2020.
The more likely explanatio
Re: (Score:2)
Microsoft doesn't waste resources auditing its own software for its own sake. The fewer users, the fewer complaints, and that means not having to do as much support. Of course it matters how many people use it.
As for the rest, sure, I'll put that in the same general bucket as support, and good for them (apart from the advertising part, that's just stupid). They almost got their ass kicked by a goddam hobby OS under the old model.
Re: (Score:2)
Competition for a more relevant name? (Score:2)
MicroS-Evil?
Re: (Score:2)
why would MS care? Most likely they are going to stop testing compilation of patches for older CPU's. If you get around their block to download their patches and run into problems who are you going to complain to? it's your fault
Surprise, surprise (Score:2, Interesting)
Wow so it's true that Win7 can't support these new CPU's.... but only because M$ simply told Win7 "stop that". Who cares that it supported the chip last month.
Re: (Score:2)
Yep. Welcome to planned/forced obsolescence and the endless upgrade treadmill that it sets you on. :/
Re: (Score:2)
So step off. It's actually really easy. Stand up for software Freedom. If you stay, you get what you deserve.
Is the a patch for Slashdot... (Score:3)
that will stop it from installing duplicate stories [slashdot.org]?
Re:This is very important news. (Score:4, Interesting)
I'd like to think that most businesses and IT professionals aren't going to install a Windows patch written by "Zeffy" on their customers computers, when doing so basically insures that what little support that they were still getting from Microsoft for Windows 7 installations disappears once they find that installed.
Besides, the existence of this patch isn't going to fix the lack of new or updated drivers for Windows 7 on newer hardware.
Personally, I find it kind of kind of scary that people are still trying to install an 8 year old OS on shiny new hardware, especially when knowing that you're not going to be able to get security patches for it about 2 1/2 years from now. Didn't people learn this lesson the hard way when they tried to cling onto Windows XP long after it left mainstream support? Once again, many people are going to eventually end up with is a bunch of unpatched systems still running out in the field, just waiting become a botnet the second someone installs malware or misconfigures the firewall at the site.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I find it more scary that the Windows series OS is finally crashing and burning. Windows 10 is not even a real OS anymore. It's just malware. There's nothing to upgrade to from Win 7/8. At least not yet.
Sane intelligent people have no choice but to stick with Windows 7. Unless you can run every app you need on Linux you need Windows and for the moment at least Windows = Windows 7 or maybe to a lesser extent 8. Maybe MS will change direction for Windows 11 or 12. Maybe not. But for now the Redmond Retards ha
Re: (Score:2)
Actually, us Windows 7'ers and hanging on to the previous OS for as long as humanly possible in the hope that Microsoft will pull their head out of their ass before Win7 support ends completely.
The fact is is that Windows 10 is a a godawful pile of horse shit. They took a technically beautiful OS that rightfully should have taken the world by storm, and did everything they could possible do to sour people on it, and the list of complains just gets longer as times passes. Between privacy issues, forced upd
It may not last... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You're only stating half the grand Microsoft plan - "the whole idea is to push people to 'upgrade' to Windows 10" and then start charging for subscriptions.
Meh kernel 2.6 support NOW! (Score:2)
Linus won't port 2.6 to my Ryzen and Kabylake systems. This is so unfair.
It should be a fundamental right for all the latest features on an old kernel as change for the sake of change is scary. Is there a patch?
Re: (Score:1)
Apples and oranges, Master Bates.
Re: (Score:1)
Is there a patch?
Maybe not, but Linus won't try to stop anybody from making one.
Re: (Score:2)
Pathetic (Score:2)
People who choose to use proprietary operating systems need to accept whatever their corporate overlords spoon-feed to them. I hope this "developer" (normally referred to as a cracker) goes to jail for violating some kind of DMCA or license agreement or something.
The last dupe you'll ever need... (Score:2)
Avoid useless windows posts here:
http://pcbsd.org/ [pcbsd.org]
If you're running Win 7 or 8, you'll probably be OK for driver support.
DUPED! (Score:2)
While this is a dupe, I didn't get the chance to ask the question on my mind last time around.
What about virtual machines? Since in a VM, virtually all CPU feature detection still works, would this mean that a VM running Windows 7 is also fucked for updates without a hack? This isn't just about desktop users. Plenty of us have a simple and light weight Windows 7 install running on VMWare or other hypervisor for the expressed purpose of simple RDP access for admin tasks. Are these VMs running on newer hardwa