-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerJune 21, 2020 at 10:54 am in reply to: Yes,. you read that correctly: Win7 machines don’t get free security patches, but they do get a free copy of Chredge #2274016In addition if you want to be certain not to get updates, or have Microsoft change your preferences, you can disable the Windows Update Service in Computer Management like I have.
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerMarch 16, 2020 at 2:20 pm in reply to: MS widely expected to announce “Microsoft 365 Life” on March 30 #2199891“I have altered the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further.”
“This deal’s getting worse all the time… ”
I think this quote is from some movie ;-), but every week I’m thankful that I’m still on Windows 7 x 64, albeit with new hardware.
3 users thanked author for this post.
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerMarch 4, 2020 at 3:41 pm in reply to: Microsoft PowerShell 7 upgrade now available for Windows 7 #2176468This looks really useful, assuming it isn’t crammed full of Windows 10 style telemetry, or other poison pills. Thanks.
1 user thanked author for this post.
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerThe Atlantic has a really good article on this by Dr. James Hamblin, staff writer and lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/02/covid-vaccine/607000/
1 user thanked author for this post.
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerFebruary 12, 2020 at 6:08 pm in reply to: More problems reported with the manual-install Win7/Server 2008 “Stretch” black wallpaper fix, KB 4539602 #2139599Turbo Tax this year still runs on Windows 7 (I just started my returns).
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerJanuary 23, 2020 at 3:08 pm in reply to: Will Microsoft forcibly change the Chrome default search engine to Bing? #2089186According to this Arstechnica article, MS will use IP data to determine where the user lives before changing the default search engine.
“This new policy only takes places in specific geographic areas, as determined by a user’s IP address. If you aren’t in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, the UK, or the United States, you should be safe—for now, at least, and assuming you don’t take your laptop on holiday or work-related travel to one of those countries during a time an Office update rolls out. Microsoft says it may add new locations over time but will notify administrators through the Microsoft 365 admin center if and when it does.”
Sorry, I see steeviebops already reported this.
-
This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by
ryegrass. Reason: Information already reported
-
This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerJanuary 22, 2020 at 1:17 pm in reply to: Will Microsoft forcibly change the Chrome default search engine to Bing? #2088641Does anyone even use Bing? (Other than Grandmas who don’t know how to change it).
Even at work they change it to Google by default.
I’ve actually found Bing to be quite useful when searching for Microsoft related content (drivers, hotfixes, Windows syntax, etc.) and have it as a drop down search engine in my Bookmarks Toolbar.
1 user thanked author for this post.
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerSelf Destructing Cookies still works on Basilisk (a Firefox ESR clone) and automatically deletes website cookies once the tab is closed, the browser is closed, or not at all depending on your settings. (WebEx)
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/self-destructing-cookies-webex/
1 user thanked author for this post.
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerJanuary 17, 2020 at 10:53 pm in reply to: Is your system susceptible to a ChainOfFools/CurveBall CVE-2020-0601 attack? #2086504Basilisk 2020.01.12 (64-bit) not vulnerable.
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerJanuary 14, 2020 at 9:24 pm in reply to: January 2020 Patch Tuesday running commentary, from the skeptic’s corner #2085032I’ve had NET Framework 4.8 KB4503575 installed since 9-28-2019 without problems (with updates KB4495627, KB4506956). Is there a problem with KB4503548 or something more general with installing Net 4.8 on Windows 7 x 64?
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerThis was the answer on the TurboTax site:
“While our minimum system requirements are Windows 8 and above, you’ll still be able to install and use TurboTax 2019 for Windows with Windows 7 or newer. We strongly recommend using TurboTax 2019 with Windows 8 and above. TurboTax 2016, 2017 and 2018 will also run on Windows 7 as well as the newest Windows releases. However, you won’t be able to use TurboTax 2020 with Windows 7. If you want to keep using Windows 7 after 2019, consider TurboTax Online for your tax preparation needs.” [for tax year 2019, filed in 2020]
4 users thanked author for this post.
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerThings may have changed with Plex, but when I tried it last it didn’t handle OTA recordings well with my tuner card nor did any of the other 3rd party Windows/Linux solutions which is why I still prefer Media Center. In addition I have yet to find any other media players (suggestions are welcome) which actually fast forward/rewind video as opposed to small user settable time skips.
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerYou could be right. Mark Twain said “Education is the path from c**** ignorance to miserable uncertainty”, however I have off-line images of all of my drives, all remote file sharing, printer sharing, desktop, registry etc. disabled, as well as robust antivirus/ anti-malware solutions. In addition when the security vulnerabilities can be ameliorated in a different way such as disabling SMBv1 via the registry, I have done so. Since my computers are for private use only and the information on them is of no use to anyone else, I feel the risk is low and one I’m willing to take.
5 users thanked author for this post.
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerI plan on using Windows Media Center for the foreseeable future. I’ve been using EPG123 and Schedules Direct for the past several years now for guide information so there shouldn’t be any interruption in service when Windows 7 support ends. In fact (others may disagree), I feel that the whole end of Windows 7 support is grossly over blown as is the new hardware argument since I’ve been running Windows 7 x64 on my main Ryzen 3900x MSI X570 machine without any problems for the past 4 months.
2 users thanked author for this post.
-
ryegrass
AskWoody LoungerDecember 13, 2019 at 11:10 am in reply to: Buying Win7 Extended Security won’t get you MS Security Essentials updates. Or will it? #2019064I’ve been happy with Kaspersky Anti-Virus over the past several years. It doesn’t need to be connected to the internet to scan, only to update the database definitions.
![]() |
Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don't do it. |
SIGN IN | Not a member? | REGISTER | PLUS MEMBERSHIP |

Plus Membership
Donations from Plus members keep this site going. You can identify the people who support AskWoody by the Plus badge on their avatars.
AskWoody Plus members not only get access to all of the contents of this site -- including Susan Bradley's frequently updated Patch Watch listing -- they also receive weekly AskWoody Plus Newsletters (formerly Windows Secrets Newsletter) and AskWoody Plus Alerts, emails when there are important breaking developments.
Get Plus!
Welcome to our unique respite from the madness.
It's easy to post questions about Windows 11, Windows 10, Win8.1, Win7, Surface, Office, or browse through our Forums. Post anonymously or register for greater privileges. Keep it civil, please: Decorous Lounge rules strictly enforced. Questions? Contact Customer Support.
Search Newsletters
Search Forums
View the Forum
Search for Topics
Recent Topics
-
Latest Firefox requires Password on start up
by
Gordski
46 minutes ago -
Resolved : AutoCAD 2022 might not open after updating to 24H2
by
Alex5723
4 hours ago -
Missing api-ms-win-core-libraryloader-11-2-1.dll
by
IreneLinda
1 hour, 44 minutes ago -
How Much Daylight have YOU Saved?
by
Nibbled To Death By Ducks
34 minutes ago -
A brief history of Windows Settings
by
Simon Bisson
2 hours, 28 minutes ago -
Thunderbolt is not just for monitors
by
Ben Myers
39 minutes ago -
Password Generators — Your first line of defense
by
Deanna McElveen
12 minutes ago -
AskWoody at the computer museum
by
Will Fastie
12 minutes ago -
Planning for the unexpected
by
Susan Bradley
1 hour, 10 minutes ago -
Which printer type is the better one to buy?
by
Bob99
5 hours, 45 minutes ago -
Upgrading the web server
by
Susan Bradley
4 hours, 10 minutes ago -
New Windows 11 24H2 Setup – Initial Win Update prevention settings?
by
Tex265
23 hours, 14 minutes ago -
Creating a Google account
by
DavidofIN
22 hours ago -
Undocumented “backdoor” found in Bluetooth chip used by a billion devices
by
Alex5723
1 day, 4 hours ago -
Microsoft Considering AI Models to Replace OpenAI’s in Copilot
by
Alex5723
1 day, 15 hours ago -
AI *emergent misalignment*
by
Alex5723
1 day, 16 hours ago -
Windows 11 Disk Encryption/ Bitlocker/ Recovery Key
by
Tex265
41 minutes ago -
Trouble signing out and restarting
by
Tech Hiker
17 hours, 18 minutes ago -
Windows 7 MSE Manual Updating
by
Microfix
2 days, 1 hour ago -
Problem running LMC 22 flash drive
by
Charlie
23 hours, 53 minutes ago -
Outlook Email Problem
by
Lil88reb
23 hours, 59 minutes ago -
“Microsoft 365 Office All-in-One For Dummies, 3rd Edition FREE
by
Alex5723
1 day, 7 hours ago -
Cant use Office 2013 – Getting error message about Office 2013
by
SAAR
2 days ago -
Nearly 1 million Windows devices targeted in advanced “malvertising” spree
by
bbearren
2 days ago -
Windows 11 Insider Preview build 27808 released to Canary
by
joep517
3 days, 1 hour ago -
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.5025 (23H2) released to BETA
by
joep517
3 days, 1 hour ago -
Sysprep issue
by
Evit
3 days ago -
Android Security Bulletin—March 2025
by
Alex5723
3 days, 3 hours ago -
23h2: PIN TO START randomly available on right-click
by
dataman1701
3 days, 3 hours ago -
Microsoft Defender
by
agoldhammer
3 days, 9 hours ago
Recent blog posts
Key Links
Want to Advertise in the free newsletter? How about a gift subscription in honor of a birthday? Send an email to sb@askwoody.com to ask how.
Mastodon profile for DefConPatch
Mastodon profile for AskWoody
Home • About • FAQ • Posts & Privacy • Forums • My Account
Register • Free Newsletter • Plus Membership • Gift Certificates • MS-DEFCON Alerts
Copyright ©2004-2025 by AskWoody Tech LLC. All Rights Reserved.