Extend Windows Vista support by installing Windows Server 2008 updates

Microsoft ended extended support for Windows Vista back in April 2017 which means that the company won't release security updates anymore for the operating system.
While Microsoft itself loosened that up a little bit by releasing security patches on the June 2017 Patch Day for the unsupported operating systems Windows Vista and Windows XP, it was an exemption to the rule.
Generally speaking, support for Vista ended and that means no security update releases anymore to the public.
Günter Born reports that there is still a way for Vista users to keep their operating system up to date; Windows Server 2008's architecture is similar to Vista's. This means that Server 2008 patches will by and large work on Windows Vista systems as well.
Windows Server 2008 is still supported by Microsoft. Vista users may therefore download and install security patches for Windows Server 2008 to keep their system up to date.
Microsoft plans to support Windows Storage Server 2008 until January 14th, 2020.
This works similarly to the system that Windows XP users may use to get updates for the operating system; Windows XP users may install patches released for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 which is supported by Microsoft until 2019 for the most part.
It is suggested that XP and Vista users who install these patches create backups of their operating systems before they do to avoid issues that may come out of this.
How to install Server 2008 patches on Windows Vista
Since Windows Update won't work anymore on Vista machines, updates need to be downloaded and installed manually. The best way to do that is to use the Microsoft Update Catalog for that.
It requires more work on part of the user or administrator though. The whole process involves the following steps:
- Monitor Microsoft channels to find out about Server 2008 updates (or check out our monthly Microsoft Patch overview as a start).
- Open Microsoft Update Catalog, and search for any KB ID that is referenced in the update.
- Locate the Windows Server 2008 patch version of the update.
- Download it.
- Install the downloaded patch.
Again, make sure you create a backup before you apply any of the patches. The patch installer should ignore any features that are not supported by Windows Vista
The most recent Netmarketshare operating system distribution statistics list Windows Vista at 0.58% of the market. That is still a sizeable number of devices that run the unsupported version of Windows (the more popular XP tops this as it sits at 5.66% currently).
May 2017 updates for Vista
- KB4018271
- KB4019115
- KB4018466
- KB4018556
- KB4018821
- KB4018885
- KB4018927
- KB4019149
- KB4019204
- KB4019206
- KB4015193
June 2017 updates for Vista
- KB4021558
- KB4018106
- KB4021903
- KB4021923
- KB4022008
- KB4022010
- KB4022013
- KB4022883
- KB4022884
- KB4022887
- KB4024402
- KB890830
July 2017 updates for Vista
- KB4025252
- KB4022746
- KB4022748
- KB4022914
- KB4025240
- KB4025397
- KB4025398
- KB4025409
- KB4025497
- KB4025674
- KB4025877
- KB4026059
- KB4026061
- KB4032955
August 2017 updates for Vista
- KB4034733
- KB4022750
- KB4034034
- KB4034741
- KB4034744
- KB4034745
- KB4034775
- KB4035055
- KB4035056
- KB4035679
September 2017 updates for Vista
- KB4041086
- KB4036586
- KB3170455
- KB4032201
- KB4034786
- KB4038874
- KB4039038
- KB4039266
- KB4039384
- KB890830
October 2017 updates for Vista
- KB4040685
- KB4041671
- KB4041944
- KB4041995
- KB4042007
- KB4042050
- KB4042067
- KB4042120
- KB4042121
- KB4042122
- KB4042123
- KB4042723
Verdict
If you are stuck with Windows Vista for whatever reason, you now have an option to install security patches until 2020 to keep the operating system secure.
2020 is the year that Windows 7 support will run out. It will be interesting to see if Windows 7 users may use the same method to install Windows Server 2008 R2 on their system when the time comes.


What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277
I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
Tank you for your help