Windows 7 End of Support

[roborobs computer repair]

How do you handle getting your clients to switch to newer operating system? As of January 2020 Microsoft will no longer be putting out security updates for Windows 7. Currently in my day job our company is running almost solely on windows 7 and older devices. Drives me nuts but we have quite a few XP devices floating around including our Sr. Systems Administrator. For security reasons this practice drives me crazy. Any idea as how to approach getting our systems up to a more secure level and convincing him it's worth the investment.

 

[Diggs]

For Win7 machines no investment needed. Insert Win10 iso and run setup (or run the update tool). WinXP machines will need a purchased license. Does anyone know if they will upgrade in place with a purchased Win10 iso? I assume not. (XP? Is he that lazy or is there insurmountable legacy issues?)

 

[nlinecomputers]

Windows 10 is unlikely to run on XP era hardware.

Dude get your resume updated and leave. One Ransomware attack and you’ll be unemployed.

 

[roborobs computer repair]

For Win7 machines no investment needed. Insert Win10 iso and run setup (or run the update tool).

The issue is most of the PCs that are running even Win 7 are older say 5-8 years old and personally I wouldn't want to run Win 10 on most of them for performance.

WinXP machines will need a purchased license. Does anyone know if they will upgrade in place with a purchased Win10 iso? I assume not.

I don't think you could just upgrade from XP Those machines would require a complete reinstall.

(XP? Is he that lazy or is there insurmountable legacy issues?)

Honestly, I think the majority of it is he's more of the opinion if it ain't broke don't fix it. kind of like a server we have running that SMART is saying a hardrive on it is in imminent danger of failure and he doesn't want to replace it until it fails. says "he's had them last up to five years after they say their going to fail." I'm of the opinion you should be proactive and nip a problem in the butt before it happens and becomes a much larger issue. God forbid that drive fails and the other one in that mirrored RAID array fails at the same time that data is gone. Let alone the fact we've been having issues with our backup tape drive hardware. - yes I've suggested using a NAS and cloud backup solution. That one comes down to money although to me loss of data would be MUCH more expensive.

He seems to think by using a tight network aka firewall and wireless 802.1x requirements it will be secure.Honestly I don't think our network is secure by any means.

It seems odd to me that we put Windows 10 on our machines we sale to customers but then use XP and Win 7 to support them. There are some windows 10 devices in our environment including our software and mechanical design departments.

 

[roborobs computer repair]

Windows 10 is unlikely to run on XP era hardware.

Dude get your resume updated and leave. One Ransomware attack and you’ll be unemployed.

Actually just started here 4 months ago.

 

[britechguy]

I'm sorry, but I have to agree, at least in the abstract, with @nlinecomputers. No sane business would still be running any XP machines whatsoever. I even had to update point of sale machines to Windows 7 several years ago because the company that made that software withdrew support for XP.

XP-era hardware is definitely not something you'd want to have running Windows 10 even if it could.

You are in an untenable situation and there are times one must be prepared to walk if rationality does not reign once presented. And given that you say a senior IT person is still using an XP machine that indicates that it doesn't, and hasn't, for some time. That kind of negligence would be a firing offense in most organizations and indicates gross incompetence.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Actually just started here 4 months ago.

Doesn’t change my answer. Run, run like the wind!

 

[Diggs]

Windows 10 is unlikely to run on XP era hardware.

Yep - Wasn't even thinking about that end of it.......

...and a fast Core 2 Duo and a SSD makes a decent workstation for many office machines just running Outlook, Word and Chrome. (Standard load in most offices.)

 

[britechguy]

Doesn’t change my answer. Run, run like the wind!

All signs are that this is not a place one would wish to be employed. I've stumbled into one job like that during my career, and left with no other immediate prospects after 2 weeks. It was absolutely the right thing to do. Dealing with the insanely and willfully stupid, which is what has to be at work here, is soul-sucking. No amount of money is worth it.

 

[roborobs computer repair]

Personally I can see having a couple of Windows XP or 7 devices around for troubleshooting machines in the field that are still running older software but not running them as daily drivers. I'm trying to figure out a way to approach getting these devices upgraded. I don't think My Sr. is stupid by any stretch of the imagination quite a genius to be honest. He simply has some poor IT management policies/ideals. I think He'll listen to reason.

 

[JoeTech]

Actually just started here 4 months ago.

Not that big of a deal. At new job interviews when they ask why you left you can say "The Sr. Systems Administrator thought it was ok to still be using XP". If the new job asks what is wrong with that, then you know you don't want to work there either.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Not that big of a deal. At new job interviews when they asked why you left you can say "The Sr. Systems Administrator thought it was ok to still be using XP". If the new job asks what is wrong with that, then you know you don't want to work there either.

Not necessarily. I as an interviewer would ask that question to see if you can properly articulate WHY it's unwise to be still running XP.

 

[JoeTech]

Not necessarily. I as an interviewer would ask that question to see if you can properly articulate WHY it's unwise to be still running XP.

I can see your point there if they are quizzing you to see if you know why it is bad. I guess you have to figure out if the interviewer is wanting to see if you know that, or if they also have the mentality of "If it's not broke why replace it?"

 

[britechguy]

I would hope that the response, "Because Windows XP has been unsupported for many years now, and was security Swiss cheese even when it was," would be enough.

The fact that it's unsupported by Microsoft is enough to eliminate it from any use in a business environment as a "daily driver" with connection to cyberspace.

 

[roborobs computer repair]

I would hope that the response, "Because Windows XP has been unsupported for many years now, and was security Swiss cheese even when it was," would be enough.

The fact that it's unsupported by Microsoft is enough to eliminate it from any use in a business environment as a "daily driver" with connection to cyberspace.

I fully agree.

 

[britechguy]

I fully agree.

About which I've had no doubt whatsoever since your first post. What I fear is that your management simply will not listen to reason. And I have every logical reason to believe that for any organization that still has any XP machines in use as "daily drivers" and that would have the nerve to use same to connect to others' remotely. It's just plain scary and stupid. My jaw hit the floor with your first post and has gone back there every time I contemplate what was said and what's being done.

 

[roborobs computer repair]

Actually had the opportunity to bring this up today in a form because we had one of our customers wanting to purchase an updated PC for their system. Meaning switching from Windows 7 to 10. His response when I said I understand why they want to upgrade was if they DMZ their network properly it won't matter if 7 is no longer supported. Basically saying if you don't have your Million plus dollar laser system, that's running windows 7, connected to your main network that you have nothing to worry about. I just said but customers do connect them to their network. His thinking is to rely on the firewall. No ingress path to our network. (I don't think this is completely true.) If someone can't get in to the network they can't do any damage. Since none of our employees take their devices home this to a point is true, but firewalls have flaws, as do antivirus systems. At the moment, due to some medical issues going on I can't switch jobs at the moment. I have to figure out some way to get through to him.

 

[britechguy]

Best of luck to you (sincerely).

You are going to have a very tough row to hoe. I cannot imagine how an IT professional (and in this case I'm using the term loosely) can hold such hare-brained ideas that have been proven to be false over many years and many breaches. No one should be using Windows 7 or earlier as of now, period. [And I'm not counting those foolish companies who have adamantly refused to move to 10 and are paying exorbitant fees to Microsoft to do private patching. How this can be justified, in any way, eludes me. Were I a shareholder this would be a big, honkin' issue for debate at an annual shareholder's meeting.]

 

[nlinecomputers]

Actually had the opportunity to bring this up today in a form because we had one of our customers wanting to purchase an updated PC for their system. Meaning switching from Windows 7 to 10. His response when I said I understand why they want to upgrade was if they DMZ their network properly it won't matter if 7 is no longer supported. Basically saying if you don't have your Million plus dollar laser system, that's running windows 7, connected to your main network that you have nothing to worry about. I just said but customers do connect them to their network. His thinking is to rely on the firewall. No ingress path to our network. (I don't think this is completely true.) If someone can't get in to the network they can't do any damage. Since none of our employees take their devices home this to a point is true, but firewalls have flaws, as do antivirus systems. At the moment, due to some medical issues going on I can't switch jobs at the moment. I have to figure out some way to get through to him.

Geez has the fool never heard of a keylogger. Has he never gotten a virus? I think I am a good tech but once in a total blonde moment I clicked on a UPS phishing virus email and got my system hard pwnd. Firewall never saw it. Your boss is an idiot. Do what you can to move on asap.

 

[britechguy]

Your boss is an idiot.

. . . who also appears to have been living under an information blackout under some rock for decades now. The degree of abject stupidity is beyond breathtaking. Were I the company owner (and including if he is) I would be terrified of a liability suit just waiting to happen. Then again, this is a clear case of willful ignorance being bliss. The wake-up call, and there will be one, won't be pretty.