On Spot Techs

By Eric Geier (Our Founder & Owner)

Originally published by Cox Media Group on 8/10/20

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As you may know, Microsoft ended all support for the Windows 7 operating system back in January of this year. This means no more updates, even to fix known security holes. Also keep in mind, Microsoft ended the mainstream support (non-security updates, like new or improved features) back in January of 2015. Even the FBI has recently released warnings about continuing to use computers with the expired operating system.

So, if you’re still holding onto Windows 7, here are some reasons why I highly suggest upgrading to Windows 10 or buying a new system as soon as you can:

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More vulnerability to hackers and viruses: Although I don’t think 100% of everyone still on Windows 7 will be hacked, it’s certainly riskier than current operating systems like Windows 10. Before the end of support, there were regular security updates to patch security holes. I’m sure hackers and virus creators have been working even harder in the past months to find more security holes in Windows 7, as now they will go unpatched by Microsoft. So as time goes on, I expect the risk of becoming a victim will keep increasing.

Computer likely old, slow and unreliable: The poor security with Windows 7 is what most see as the issue with continuing to use it. However, don’t forget you have a system that’s likely 5 to 10 years old as well.

So, it’s getting old and maybe slow and unreliable.

That’s also typically the longest time frame I suggest keeping a computer before replacing it. Even if it seems healthy and runs fine for you at the moment, it might not be apparent if the hard drive is starting to fail — something a computer tech can usually detect though.

The last thing you want is it to die and possibility lose all your files and data, or be without a computer until you get a replacement.

Get a faster and more reliable computer: You can either upgrade a Windows 7 computer to Windows 10 or buy a computer, brand new or refurbished, that already has Windows 10 on it. Upgrading depends upon the age of the computer, the specs (processor and memory), and the health of the hard drive. A computer tech can give you feedback on these and provide a good recommendation. If you do invest in upgrading your current system, I highly suggest replacing the hard drive with a newer and much faster drive: a solid state drive (SSD).

When shopping around for a computer you might find them as low as $200, but keep in mind that you tend to get what you pay for. The cheaper the computer, generally means the slower the computer will be. Cheaper computers also usually offer less ports and are less likely to be upgrad able in the future. A cheap computer (even though it’s new) may even be slower than your current computer.

I usually suggest budgeting for at least $500 to $700 for a new computer and about $150 additional if you need a new monitor, keyboard, and mouse. If this is out of your price range, I suggest buying a good refurbished computer from a trusted source for $250 or more.

Stop the annoying alerts: Last year Microsoft started making pop-ups appear on most Windows 7 computers, alerting of the end of support deadline.

And this year there have been other types of support alerts. Microsoft could make them more intrusive, too. Plus, more third-party applications could start dropping Windows 7 support as well.

One way not to have these annoyances is to get rid of Windows 7.

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