Windows 7 support dropped for CPUs without SSE2
Microsoft supports Windows 7 officially until January 2020; while the company won't end support for the operating system that it launched in 2009 early, it appears that Microsoft is trying to get users to upgrade to newer versions of Windows by limiting support and ignoring certain issues that were introduced in recent updates.
Microsoft revealed this month that its support agents won't support users anymore in the Windows 7 or Windows 8 forums on the company's Microsoft Answers support site despite the fact that Windows 7 and 8 are still supported by the company.
Woody Leonhard spotted another incident of Microsoft dropping support for some systems running Windows 7; Windows 7 users and admins who followed this year's Patch Tuesdays, you may remember that the KB article for the March 2018 update for Windows 7 mentioned a known issue affecting devices with processors that did not support SSE2.
A Stop error occurs on computers that don't support Streaming Single Instructions Multiple Data (SIMD) Extensions 2 (SSE2).
The known issue appeared in the list of issues on the April, May and June 2018 patch KB articles as well. Up until very recently, Microsoft stated that it was working on a resolution to fix the issue.
Microsoft is working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.
The June KB article for Windows 7 was changed by Microsoft last week; the company removed the known issue from the page but did not provide any information why it did so. Was the issue fixed?
You need to open the previous KB articles, for instance the one for May KB4103718 to find out what happened. There you find the Stop error issue still listed but instead of stating that a fix is in the works Microsoft simply states that devices without support for SSE2 need to be upgraded with a new processor or that virtualization needs to be used.
Upgrade your machines with a processor that supports SSE2 or virtualize those machines.
In other words: Microsoft quietly dropped support for any processor that does not support SSE2. The company won't fix the issue and even removed the information from the most recent patch KB article leaving affected users and admins in the dark.
SSE2 is a requirement for installing Windows 8 and newer versions of Windows, but it was never a requirement for installing Windows 7. Microsoft's system requirements page for Windows 7 makes no mention of the limitation.
The change affects devices with Pentium III processors. The total number of devices affected by this is unknown but users are in a predicament because of it. While Windows 7 runs fine if recent patches are not installed, it means that the system won't be protected by the latest security patches anymore that Microsoft released for the operating system.
Upgrades to newer versions of Windows are out of the question as SSE2 is required for that. The only three options that affected users have is to continue using an unpatched system, upgrade the process of the system or get a new PC altogether, or switch to Linux.
Closing Words
The Pentium III was not a new processor by any stretch when Windows 7 was released and Microsoft probably did a cost analysis to determine whether it is reasonable to patch the issue that affects only SSE2-less processors or simply drop support for those and live with the negative feedback instead.
The handling by Microsoft is anything but open or straightforward. Instead of communicating the change clearly to users, the least the company should do, it simply removed the Known Issue from the most recent KB article which looks like an attempt to obfuscate the issue to me.
People paid for the operating system and guaranteed support until 2020, and Microsoft should honor that in my opinion.
Now You: What is your take on this?
The solution was easy for me. I turn off my internet connection before installing Windows 7. I disable Windows updater. Install my drivers, C++s, Net Framework 4.0, and software that I need/want. Then, I take ownership of Windows Defender, I.E in programs, and the Windows update files and dlls in system32 and remove them. Followed by running tweak registry cleaner, wise disk cleaner and Autoruns from system internals to clean everything up. Sneaky updates cannot be covertly installed by Microsoft anymore. My operating system is a totality a locked down system. Security is not an issue for I run both Hitman Pro and Malwarebytes among some other steps to ensure security.
The question is why not limit W7 upgrades on computers without SSE2 and further. I’m not totally agree about new requirements for SSE2 processors for Windows 7. This system still runs quite well on Pentium III mobile with many security updates before SSE2 requirements have been a must. Windows should have forbidden allow to install SSE2 relatives upgrades just pointing which are such upgrade to consumers.
Now, just many tries of installing the whole system upgrade from SP1 can reveal which upgrade must be installed or not. If you fail on an inconvenient upgrade, you must restart again ALL Windows 7 installation again, in my experience, because a blank screen appears once you restart. Install any upgrade far from 2016 is a risk of crash to my old computer since then.
I’m agree about SSE2 upgrade requeriments grows, but not everybody needs to run live videos on old computers, Windows 7 could be still safe and stable system only identifying SSE2 relative upgrades.
I think Youtube and others video streamers have a big power to decide about mÃnimum requirements of streaming, eclipsing another basic and free streamers which must be ignored in such circumstances for old computer’s owners to make usable at a minimum level. They decided where to find the minimum requirements in a nonsense logical decision, but in a logical commercial one.
My old computer can still stream free IPTV channels, not Youtube or any other streaming plattform before some of further upgrades from SP1 Windows 7. I don’t understand why final upgrades makes crash the whole system installation, if I want not to try download youtube files and beyond.
Windows should give a previous advice not to install incompatible SSE2 relative upgrades, that’s all.
please update the article to include Athlon XP systems! when intel came up with SSE2 on their pentium 4’s, AMD did not use SSE2 until their 64bit processors.
please stop the misinformation that this only effects ancient PIII users.
well Martin, though I’m kinda late on this but I think you should read the reactions of MS dropping Win7 support for non-SSE2 CPUs from other sites:
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-unexpectedly-drops-windows-7-support-for-some-ancient-cpus/
https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-7-ending-support-old-pcs-old-pentium-iii-processors
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-leaves-systems-lacking-sse2-support-high-and-dry-for-ongoing-windows-updates
I stopped using any kind of Intel Pentium 3s forever back in mid-2014.
I don’t think a P3 is actually the biggest number of affected systems here.
Remember all those Athlon XP systems that were being sold like hot buns because they were cheap to manufacture, easy to put together, and would run just fine for basic tasks? There are many more of those machines out there running Windows 7 than you’d see P3s (those are usually stuck on XP).
I’m really surprised nobody says anything about those.
@Jody Thornton said on June 24, 2018 at 10:17 pm
Sorry, can’t stoop to that level to respond to insults. Instead, I’ll share something more rewarding:
“There are many things which make me deeply uncomfortable about this film Jacob’s Ladder. First and foremost I would say that during my mercifully brief period of what might either be termed Kundalini enlightenment, Luciferian consciousness, or psychosis, I was seeking to understand what was happening to me and why reality itself has suddenly become very very weird indeed and the only references I seemed able to find to explain what was happening to me were Vanilla Sky and Jacobs’ Ladder.
I seemed to be suffering from hallucinations, the people I lived with seemed to be acting very strangely and were unaccountable harsh, just like Jake’s and David Aames’ girlfriend from both films, and it seemed that there were messages everywhere around me and somehow there was a deeper hidden meaning to everything I saw. The experience was genuine and was something like a cross between true wisdom and real madness. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference, especially as most of our planet are still stuck in Plato’s cave. The final message of the films was that you are either dead, or that this ‘reality’ is false and that the hallucinations you may be experiencing are the result of a false reality breaking down around you.”
@Beaver:
I’ve searched the thread to se where I’ve type:
” …. Sorry, can’t stoop to that level to respond to insults. Instead, I’ll share something more rewarding:…. ”
So where was it? Was it in another topic?
@Kevin said on June 21, 2018 at 9:25 pm
“Normally I criticize Microsoft a lot, but this time, they did people a favor.”
Prove it. The only favor coming from One Microsoft Way, IMO, is when they file for bankruptcy.
You want a favor from M$? Really? Well then, especially in the light of the GitHub acquisition, maybe you could convince them to release W10 and future updates and developments to FOSS. Perhaps you could tell them to release DirectX as open source, cross platform.
Many a geek only keeps Windows around in a VM or dual boot because of games. How much hush money has gone to people to destroy OpenGL adoption? Convince M$, developers, and consumers to refuse to use DirectX for gaming and the real game is almost won. IMO M$ has held back innovation in computing for a long enough time. People are waking up, however, and discovering how beautiful Open Source Software really is.
Freedom from tyrants. And it feels so good.
Feast your eyes on true wisdom:
http://www.groklaw.net/
http://techrights.org
There is a war going on in computing since the 1970’s. The war for free and open software and hardware.
The battle for YOUR freedom.
@Jody Thornton said on June 22, 2018 at 11:09 am
“These things need to work, because Facebook and YouTube are too entrenched in our society now.”
Let’s face it, FB+YT really haven’t been around all that long. In the future I am confident both sites and
services will cease to remain relevant and other sites/services will become the latest and greatest of
offerings.
“To many people now, these are not considered optional”
Only for a short time. It wasn’t that long ago that “AOL Keywords” were the shit.
“and yes I know in actuality they are”
So you agree. Thank you for validating my point.
“but get real.”
Yeah, mon. Get real wontcha.
“Everyone worth counting wants these sites to work”
Back handed remarks only serve as stand ins for a lack of better points and are useless.
“And as for using fringe, even non-GUI methods to watch YouTube vids, again no.”
No for you? Maybe.
“Users want to easily click on an embedded video on Facebook or Twitter.”
And so many flock to sites like Reddit looking for browser addons, things like “youtube-dl” which
I mentioned and even GUIs that work with youtube-dl. You should look into cross platform FOSS
like mpv(and/or smplayer)+youtube-dl. Easy.
“Please quit trying to re-engineer the Internet”
LOL! Careful, your age is showing. Obviously you haven’t been around since the beginning when text was
the norm.
“just because you think it’s gone too far on way.”
It doesn’t matter what I think. I’ve observed the trends and seen companies swallow up each other
and many times defecate chaff. Users come and users go. Sites emerge and return to ashes.
“It seems you want to fight the fact that Facebook and Google are here to stay, and they’re dominant.”
Hahah. You should really up your psych knowledge if you want to push this “It seems YOU” “want to fight” type
of nonsense. That line of attack does not help your argument.
“I don’t like Google all that much either.”
I like M$ even less. They have root on any Windows device. They effectively OWN user’s systems and most software
and updates are proprietary, meaning they are black boxes of mystery which are capable of doing anything.
“But users want to easily and intuitively click on things and have it “just work—
You’re really going to tell me how things should work? Are you going to teach me to use a spoon next?
“And that’s why I said Windows “needs†to work in a certain fashion”
IMO Windows is approaching it’s EOL. Linux is taking over in all areas of tech. It’s only a matter of time
before the desktop is next. There’s many a reason WHY they had forced upgrades to W10.
“I didn’t say users “need†Facebook and YouTube”
Well, IMO, by your language, yes you did.
“but – try telling them that”
One day it’s FB/YT and the next it is some other company/site/software. Meanwhile, users ARE looking for
easy ways to obtain/use media from sites like FB/YT. I suggested a couple of powerful cross platform,
FOSS options. To expect Windows to offer everything, IMO, is insane. There is a reason why millions of people
who use Windows flock to free download sites like sourceforge, github, majorgeeks, freeware files, and so
many more. Because Windows does not offer all of those programs and features and it never will. Ever wonder
why GitHub was acquired?
You want simple? Linux distributions provide this. Instead of risking the use of proprietary software they
can install from signed repositories of FOSS often from one GUI or at the command line if they please. It is
easier for the users to locate software in such a way than it is for the typical moron to cruise “freeware”
sites for Windows with binaries often containing malware. Then they’re off to the races to Windows forums
asking people if their system has been compromised.
In all reality, though, arguments like this are often started by people who are being paid to defend
proprietary software. The last gasp of proprietary, black box software is coming. Free and open hardware
will take a little longer to mature and overcome the bleak, spyware infected hardware of the past and
present.
Many a grandparent has been given a Linux box and the majority of the time they are happy and
never have any complaints. Compare that to the myriad of Windows systems out there where tech
support for all of the problems is the bread and butter for thousands, if not millions.
We can continue this discussion for eternity if you’d like, but I believe this post seals it.
@homerj:
Oh I get it; you were posting under Simpsons character names and responding to everyone whose posts you disliked. You came off quite bullyish and asinine, by dissecting everyone’s post, but you don’t seem brave enough to comeback to my response. Hmmmmm.
I’m hoping you’re not The Poster Formerly Known as Appster, because you and I actually spoke on other boards and forums, yet we got along very well. So then you attacked my posts with a bully-like tone on here (all the while knowing who I was). If that’s the case, you are every bit the troll that everyone accused you of being. That would be sad, and I hope I am definitely wrong.
@homerj
No the only thing that your post “seats” is that what you’re “sitting” on AND what you are is one and the same. You argue your opinion as it were law (perhaps no differently than me), but you challenge me basically to a fight with the tone of your language. First off, I wasn’t talking to you, and secondly you just seem to want to butt in and dissect every point to excess, when basically I’m saying, “most people want an intuitive way to compute”. If that weren’t true, explain smart phones. Please Homer J Simpson, I’m waiting.
So let’s dissect your tripe (notice I’m talking to you in a fashion that you deserve, since you wish to throw your weight around – and let’s face it, only dumbass jerks and bullies do that). But anyway, here we go….
@HomerJ Says: ” ……Let’s face it, FB+YT really haven’t been around all that long. In the future I am confident both sites and services will cease to remain relevant and other sites/services will become the latest and greatest of offerings. …. It wasn’t that long ago that “AOL Keywords†were the shit.”
True AOL was the shit, and so was CompuServe, but YouTube and Facebook are much much bigger and have dominated for much longer. I think these services will morph into something else rather than being replaced. But before that happens, both will be dominant for quite awhile. …. OK next point.
@HomerJ Says: ” …. (to my saying not to try re-engineering the Internet) LOL! Careful, your age is showing. Obviously you haven’t been around since the beginning when text was the norm. …”
Uh, yes I was you twit. I’ve used SCO, AIX, Linux (all from WYSE terminals – set ’em up too). And I’ve used DOS, OS/2 and Windows NT all from command prompts. Guess what? I adapted. To end users (and that’s who we’re talking about here), they not only prefer graphical tools, but they’ve even surpassed the desktop and use mobile operating systems. The text screen is not coming back. Pull the wrinkly skin back from your ears and I’ll repeat that if you didn’t hear me. I said, …. oh never mind.
@Homer J says: ” …. Hahah. You should really up your psych knowledge if you want to push this “It seems YOU†“want to fight†type of nonsense. That line of attack does not help your argument. ….”
Uh, I don’t see how it weakens my argument. It really appears you want to take a “vintage computing point of view” and dismiss social media platforms. What else do you want me to say?
@HomerJ Says: ” …. You’re really going to tell me how things should work? Are you going to teach me to use a spoon next?”
Maybe! I mean you sound like enough of a brute dumbass who might need such help. So let’s find that spoon, shall we?”
@HomerJ Says: ” ….. We can continue this discussion for eternity if you’d like, but I believe this post seals it.”
Well the clouds in the sky will definitely be there for eternity, so please go yell at them. They’re waiting.
I will not sit by and listen to bullies like you push their tone and be forceful with someone stating an opinion. Besides it wasn’t even you I was talking to, so why are taking an issue with me? So as you pointed out so awkwardly “Yeah, mon. Get real wontcha”. (gosh it sounds even worse now)
Seems to me MS must have been having a rather busy day when they originally said they would be working on a fix for this. Probably the developers took one look and thought ‘What the hell? People are actually trying to run this on a P3?’.
Athlon XPs didn’t support SSE2 either and are a bit more recent. With one of those I suppose you can even play video in HD.
Keep in mind that Mainstream Support for Windows 7 ended in January 2015. Ending reliability updates and online forum support is in keeping with Microsoft’s stated policy for systems in Extended Support.
Normally I criticize Microsoft a lot, but this time, they did people a favor. Dump that P3, head to a local thrift shop, and get something better for $20. The faster hardware will save you so much time that it’s not even funny. Or if you are sentimental about keeping old hardware around, accept that the P3’s time has come and it can no longer cope with running modern software (what was it like running a modern web browser on a Pentium 3 anyway?).
I think the maximum memory supported on a Pentium 3 is half a gig. And modern browsers consume that much just to display a blank page.
To keep it short and sweet ” A ferry bad decision from probably the shareholders who are given more food thought to the new name already used in popular speech brand name: Microdollar (M$)”
@Plast0000 said on June 21, 2018 at 3:02 pm
“but is it “usable†(can run most everyday apps, do basic web browsing…etc) on a Pentium III system with 256MBs of ram?”
Of course. You must not be very involved with FOSS if you have to ask.
Just one out of many examples:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contiki#Hardware
That is an extreme case. Most will probably be running a minimal Linux setup with CLI programs and/or programs with minimal GUIs.
@Jody Thornton said on June 21, 2018 at 5:34 pm
“How is YouTube video running for you, or Facebook vids even? Those are reasonable expectations that NEED to work in 2018.”
There are several options available for fetching YT/FB videos, some of which do not require a GUI and/or a modern web browser. But, FWIW those are not examples of MUST HAVE (NEED) services. YT/FB are optional.
IMO M$ products are not MUST HAVE (NEED) products either. People have been lulled into a trance which programs them to believe they need a proprietary OS with proprietary formats. Many of them have been using proprietary software for so long they can’t imagine switching to FOSS. People are slow to change.
Now that M$ has GH, they should release their entire OS and applications as FOSS. And the first good natured release should be DirectX, so people on Linux, BSD, etc. wouldn’t have to dual boot, VM, and/or WINE to game.
No, instead people will continue to flood Windows help forums asking if their system has been compromised and usually being told to scan their proprietary OS with proprietary tools. They willing give these black box programs permission to scan their private files. Some of these tools collect data and report back massive amounts of information about your system to the mothership. Go ahead and read the EULA for these programs before accepting them. Even M$ has root on your machine. If you have a conscience at all, you won’t accept these agreements and you will instead look for an OS which is FOSS.
There are dozens of programs which users continue to use and share which claim to block telemetry and/or fill privacy holes. Some will use a proprietary firewall application which has access to every URL you push through it. Some AV software clearly state in their EULA they are collecting a lot of information, some collect ALL OF YOUR BROWSING HISTORY.
Stallman (RMS) was right.
@Bart:
You quoted me and said ….. “@Jody Thornton said on June 21, 2018 at 5:34 pm
“How is YouTube video running for you, or Facebook vids even? Those are reasonable expectations that NEED to work in 2018.â€
There are several options available for fetching YT/FB videos, some of which do not require a GUI and/or a modern web browser. But, FWIW those are not examples of MUST HAVE (NEED) services. YT/FB are optional.
IMO M$ products are not MUST HAVE (NEED) products either. People have been lulled into a trance which programs them to believe they need a proprietary OS with proprietary formats. Many of them have been using proprietary software for so long they can’t imagine switching to FOSS. People are slow to change. ….. ”
First off, I was saying that the OS “needs” for this to work in an easy intuitive way, for it to win with audiences.. It does. Nevermind criticizing the whole “flock like sheep” mentality. These things need to work, because Facebook and YouTube are too entrenched in our society now. To many people now, these are not considered optional (and yes I know in actuality they are – but get real. Everyone worth counting wants these sites to work)
And as for using fringe, even non-GUI methods to watch YouTube vids, again no. Users want to easily click on an embedded video on Facebook or Twitter. Please quit trying to re-engineer the Internet, just because you think it’s gone too far on way. It seems you want to fight the fact that Facebook and Google are here to stay, and they’re dominant. I don’t like Google all that much either. But users want to easily and intuitively click on things and have it “just work” And that’s why I said Windows “needs” to work in a certain fashion (I didn’t say users “need” Facebook and YouTube, but – try telling them that.
“SSE2 was introduced into Intel chips with the Pentium 4 in 2001 and AMD processors in 2003. Most computers produced in the last several years are equipped with SSE2. If you are unsure about your particular computer, you can determine SSE2 support by:
Windows: A free download, CPU-Z, is available from CPUID that will indicate if SSE2 is present on your system or not.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html
”
Portable version available.
Another “fear” article; one would have to have an antique chip to lose sleep on this one; as far as “support” for Windows 7 from MS, who, honestly, has ever relied on MS for support. If MS is providing so much support for Windows 7, why then all of the miscellaneous utilities to “fix” what users think need fixing.
I agree with the update / upgrade fiasco. I use Acronis personally and for clients, and use many VM’s! If anything bad happens there are two sources to restore from (never rely on a single source) and a corrupted VM is only a snapshot away to normal. Along with careful practices and fairly decent pathogen protection there’s simply no need to get something new just because M$ doesn’t support it. As was also mentioned, it helps to have an I.T. guy. People who adopted Windows 10 have accepted that M$ has a backdoor and can push any upgrade without approval. Then there’s the privacy issue. Google’s been doing it for years so M$ had to catch up. They only want two things; your information and your money. It’s astonishing that M$ sells only subscription-based office software – “On Prem” as it’s called in the corporate environment – yet the functionality of the product had changed little and been degraded in some areas.
Piriform’s Speccy tells me my 5 year old PC supports SSE2, at least that’s what I understand when I read : ‘Instructions MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, Intel 64, NX, VMX’ — Can anyone confirm SSE2 listed in ‘Instructions’ means my CPU handles effectively SSE2? Hardware knowledge here is even worse than that of software …
Anyway, SSE2 compliant or not won’t change anything as far as Windows Updates are concerned given I’ve stopped updating Win7 since October 2016 when updates starting being weird and were perceived as the start of a problematic Windows Updates era.
@Aton; @lushkava, thanks for the information. So my CPU does handle SSE2; yet I keep in mind that according to Aton the fact Piriform’s Speccy application includes SSE2 among the listed instructions available for my CPU would not mean as such that the CPU does effectively handles SSE2 … even if in the facts it soes considering that “SSE2 was introduced by the Pentium 4, going on 18 years ago. Further, every x86-64 processor supports SSE2, without exception.”
Sorry for enforcing my answer but clarity is essential for learning- Thanks to both of you.
@Tom In a nutshell, there is no reason for a utility such as Speccy to report that the SSE2 extensions are supported where they are not. Were that the case, it would be a significant bug. For peace of mind, you might also test with the well-respected CPU-Z utility.
Yet another way would be to boot a live Linux CD/USB – any will do – then run “grep -o sse2 /proc/cpuinfo”. If doing so prints “sse2”, as opposed to nothing, then it is supported.
Finally, given the exact CPU model, you may be able to find a datasheet at ark.intel.com. Otherwise, the information can usually be found at Wikipedia.
Tom, yes it does. Keep in mind that SSE2 was introduced by the Pentium 4, going on 18 years ago. Further, every x86-64 processor supports SSE2, without exception.
Can anyone confirm SSE2 listed in ‘Instructions’ means my CPU handles effectively SSE2?
Answer
It does not effectively as listed instructions do not necessarily mean mean handles
Also running Linux mint in a standby computer; will be ready to switch in 2020 when Win 7 has been abandoned by Microsoft.
I don’t allow updates to my Win7 system(s) because, for a long while now, I haven’t trusted Microsoft to fix problems their “updates” cause. Guess I was right. If they want me to move to a newer Windows version, they will have to offer an OS that appeals to me.
I hate it that there is no way (for me) to go forward with Microsoft. I’ll keep my old XP and my two Win7 machines running for as long as I possibly can – not concerned about Microsoft’s so-called support – then I’ll have to switch to a Mac or Ubuntu. Sad.
Solved all my Windows problems a while back by changing to Ubuntu 16.04. Microsoft is returning to the old arrogance for which it was known in the 90s.
but is it “usable” (can run most everyday apps, do basic web browsing…etc) on a Pentium III system with 256MBs of ram?
Not in my experience, but there are other Linux distros/DE’s that run fine on that type of hardware.
Many of us remember the days computers were slow, and RAM was limited, so computers did have to be upgraded every 2-3 years
These days there is no need to be upgrading your computer, if your current computer does what you need
Most of the public, who are not from the tech industry, use computers for the same things.
This includes document editing and creating (including word processing, spreadsheets), consuming and editing media (including photos, videos, audio), streaming video, internet browsing, and using social media
The secret the tech industry dont want you to know, is that computers from 10 years ago could perform these tasks
Summary: do not accept Windows 7 upgrades, unless you can afford to have your computer stop working
Its that simple
Adopt safe computer practices, which includes not clicking on phishing email attachments, and checking any suspicious file before you use it (eg VirusTotal)
Use a recent version of Firefox or Chrome, and preferably a portable version, so you can upgrade by simply using a newer portable version
And be careful. Microsoft does not have your interests at heart, it puts its own interests first
Note that most of the Feature Updates pushed by Windows 10, actually do no do much to improve your productivity. Most of the Updates seek to further entrap you within the Microsoft world, including linking more and more of your data to the Microsoft servers (aka ‘cloud)
The oldest PC I have is a lappy with a C2D, which runs perfectly even Server 2016. Not too shabby for a 9 year old machine. If I’m not mistaken it’s the same case with Win 8.1, although that one was released in this state. Still, it’s a bit annoying in my opinion, taking away fucntionality because you introduced a bug at some point but don’t have developers competent enough to fix it.
Cause if you’re rocking a pentium II you’re gonna be interested in getting a modern computer. If thats the computer you have its doing the job you want, and has been for a really long time. For that user they should disable all updates in the first place because they only run the risk at this point of messing up that which is apparently working well enough for you not to buy another computer for the last 10+ years.
But Windows 7 won’t run on P3 anyway, it will be way too slow and useless on P3.
Runs just fine, maybe you should try it before you comment?
@P:
Are you running it on Windows Basic and not Aero? Maybe before YOU comment, you should define what is “Fine” Because to me, if you can’t run Windows 7 with Aero in 2018, that is below minimum “reasonable” requirement. Being forced to run Windows Basic or Classic themes means that you are not getting all you can out of Windows 7 (including the improved video rendering that Aero provides).
And with the SSE2 shortcomings, that means there are apps you can’t run. How is YouTube video running for you, or Facebook vids even? Those are reasonable expectations that NEED to work in 2018.
I actually prefer basic on many systems but you can run an add in agp gpu which costs about 10$ these days for DX10. Also you can use mpc-be to watch censortube with gpu acceleration without the ads. I have some clients that are too cheap to buy new computers, so I have to find ways to make things work. One guy has an old computer running a cnc machine, new software costs a fortune so I stuck it in a vm and cut it off from the web. I can still make everything work in xp, grabbed some hotfixes from embedded branch, but the browsers are trailing off, still there’s always deepfreeze. As far as egobook goes, just not interested.
m$ continues to make stupid decisions, alienate their customers, remove functionality from their os and make life more difficult for the people who work in IT. Its sad m$ has to resort to extortion, bribery and strong arm tactics to get people to adopt windows 10. How the mighty have fallen.
At first I thought, those dicks, then I thought Who the hell is running a pentium 3 and why? Yes really old embedded systems but they should be upgraded in my mind.
Why? There are plenty of older PC’s out there that still run (better than newer ones in some cases) still out there doing exactly what the user needs them to do. I for one am sick to death of the mentality that you have to replace tech every time something new comes out. What a waste of $$$ but then we have been taught that we live in a throwaway society now. If it’s old it’s obsolete… I call BULLSHIT they just want your $$$$.
@manicmac, I agree. But there can also be a laziness to upgrade when we are used to the comfort of our references. I’m pointing no one but I do have myself in mind when I happen to refuse the intellectual effort of managing latest technology. I do update software but when it comes to hardware I’ll admit that I happen to fear having to reconsider the computing context and that may even include software if we consider an OS as software : happened with Windows 10 when launched …. when later on I thanked my laziness when I realized that otherwise I might have installed/upgraded Win7 to Win10. The moral in this case was that bad laziness prevented me from installing what remains IMO a questionable OS; I have in mind the analogy with this guy on the Titanic who survived from hours in ice-cold water because he was filled with alcohol : excessive drinking is bad but it may happen to save a life (even if destroys many more). lol.