Is your Windows so old?
As a vigorous discussion of the latest articles on Habré on Windows systems shows , a large number of advanced and not-so-user users prefer their “outdated” Windows 7 and are not in a hurry to switch to Windows 10. The reasons are very different - from dissatisfaction with the privacy policy and large telemetry to commonplace habits and unwillingness to be led by Microsoft marketers.
In this article I want to consider the case when Windows 7, and even earlier versions, are required by the developer for the qualitative solution of their work responsibilities. It's no secret that in the corporate sector, the share of Windows 7 is still very large, and since Microsoft has extended its extended support until 2023, in the near future something is unlikely to change dramatically. And this is not to mention the fact that there are also quite ancient systems with Server 2003 and 2008, on which some old, but extremely necessary software works, which no one takes to port on the basis of the principle “work - do not touch”. However, upgrading your “outdated” operating system is much faster and easier than it seems.
At the moment when it is required to test new developments or add functionality to existing ones, there is an urgent need to install test operating systems to test the functionality, which is not a good idea to run on real work systems. And then it turns out that even with a working image or installation disk, Windows 7 SP 1 of the 2011 sample is not the same as Windows 7 on the working machines of users who received hundreds of security and stability updates over the past decade.
In the case when you are trying to install updates using standard tools on any Windows Server 2008 or Windows 7 SP1, you find out that the update system does not work and performs an endless search for updates. Many people know that this is happening, including, due to the outdated OS service stack.
Consider the method as simple as possible and in the shortest possible time to fully update Windows 7 to the current state, including, optionally, without connecting the virtual machine to the Internet, all actions are similar for Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Datacenter and Enterprise. We will need a clean installation of Windows 7 SP1 of the corresponding bitness, made from an MSDN image or an installation DVD on your favorite virtualization system or a real machine. Key input and activation at this stage can be skipped and executed later.
After the successful installation of the OS itself, we will need to download from the microsoft.com website only three updates for the OS of the corresponding capacity. First we need KB3177467 Servicing stack update for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 - update of the service stack for October 2018. After installing SSU, you need to install the cumulative update package KB3125574 and reboot. In case of unsuccessful installation, you may need to pre-install KB3020369.
The final stage is the installation of a monthly cumulative package, the current version of which KB4462923 is available at the link. In the future, the latest version of the cumulative update is located in the search engine using the query monthly rollup update windows 7 november, where november is the month of the release of the update package. The new package is available in Europe since the second Wednesday of each month, the installation of previous packages, in principle, is not required.
Thus, after installing these three updates, Windows 7 is completely updated with all the fixes for stability and security at the moment. All actions, except for pre-downloading update packages, can be done without an internet connection. Moreover, updating the service stack will allow you to receive new updates via Windows Update quickly and without problems. Please note that updates for other Microsoft software, such as Office and Dot NET Framework, are made separately.
Thanks for attention.
In this article I want to consider the case when Windows 7, and even earlier versions, are required by the developer for the qualitative solution of their work responsibilities. It's no secret that in the corporate sector, the share of Windows 7 is still very large, and since Microsoft has extended its extended support until 2023, in the near future something is unlikely to change dramatically. And this is not to mention the fact that there are also quite ancient systems with Server 2003 and 2008, on which some old, but extremely necessary software works, which no one takes to port on the basis of the principle “work - do not touch”. However, upgrading your “outdated” operating system is much faster and easier than it seems.
At the moment when it is required to test new developments or add functionality to existing ones, there is an urgent need to install test operating systems to test the functionality, which is not a good idea to run on real work systems. And then it turns out that even with a working image or installation disk, Windows 7 SP 1 of the 2011 sample is not the same as Windows 7 on the working machines of users who received hundreds of security and stability updates over the past decade.
In the case when you are trying to install updates using standard tools on any Windows Server 2008 or Windows 7 SP1, you find out that the update system does not work and performs an endless search for updates. Many people know that this is happening, including, due to the outdated OS service stack.
Consider the method as simple as possible and in the shortest possible time to fully update Windows 7 to the current state, including, optionally, without connecting the virtual machine to the Internet, all actions are similar for Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Datacenter and Enterprise. We will need a clean installation of Windows 7 SP1 of the corresponding bitness, made from an MSDN image or an installation DVD on your favorite virtualization system or a real machine. Key input and activation at this stage can be skipped and executed later.
For those who do not have an official image in their backups and use file sharing services to download them, do not forget to check the checksum of the file available for this image on the Microsoft website, this can be done using the trial version of Total Commander, for example.
After the successful installation of the OS itself, we will need to download from the microsoft.com website only three updates for the OS of the corresponding capacity. First we need KB3177467 Servicing stack update for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 - update of the service stack for October 2018. After installing SSU, you need to install the cumulative update package KB3125574 and reboot. In case of unsuccessful installation, you may need to pre-install KB3020369.
The final stage is the installation of a monthly cumulative package, the current version of which KB4462923 is available at the link. In the future, the latest version of the cumulative update is located in the search engine using the query monthly rollup update windows 7 november, where november is the month of the release of the update package. The new package is available in Europe since the second Wednesday of each month, the installation of previous packages, in principle, is not required.
Thus, after installing these three updates, Windows 7 is completely updated with all the fixes for stability and security at the moment. All actions, except for pre-downloading update packages, can be done without an internet connection. Moreover, updating the service stack will allow you to receive new updates via Windows Update quickly and without problems. Please note that updates for other Microsoft software, such as Office and Dot NET Framework, are made separately.
As a small share of paranoia. If you find the Windows Software Quality Improvement Program in the search box, I prefer to disable this item, since Microsoft does not plan to further develop Windows 7. Probably, therefore, it is worth removing the diagtrack service.
Thanks for attention.