Windows 7 RTM Support Ending Soon

jones_supa writes with this news from Ars Technica: "Windows 7 users will have to install Service Pack 1 if they want to continue to receive security fixes and other support beyond April 9th. With the release of a Service Pack, Microsoft's policy is to support the old version for two years. Windows 7 Service Pack 1 was released on 22nd February, 2011, so the phasing out of support is happening more or less on schedule. In spite of a growing number of post-Service Pack 1 fixes and updates, Microsoft has shown no signs of shipping a second Service Pack. Should Service Pack 1 be the sole major update for Windows 7, it will continue to receive mainstream support — which encompasses both security updates, non-security bugfixes, and free phone support — until 13th January 2015. Extended support — security fixes and paid incidents only — will continue until 14th January 2020."

Comments

you are an idiot

[arbiter1]

If you don't have service pack 1 installed you are an idiot anyway to run a non-updated system.

Re:you are an idiot

[kthreadd]

Well just because you're on Windows 7 RTM doen not mean that you're not updated. Windows 7 RTM receives security updates since it is still a supported version of Windows 7, but you should install SP1 in order to keep receiving them after April 9. Windows 7 RTM and Windows 7 SP1 lives side by side in parallel, and the release of SP1 did not mean that RTM stopped receiving updates.

Re:you are an idiot

[kthreadd]

A service pack will often include some new features, and has actually sometimes removed features. For example Windows XP SP2 removed the support for raw sockets. A service pack can introduce braking changes. That's why there is a fairly large overlap between the old and new service release.

looks like

[Anonymous Coward]

2015 - year of the linux desktop

Re:looks like

[crutchy]

lucky for them much of the cloud is powered by linux

Where is goddamned service pack 2

[AbRASiON]

I'm one of those "sympathisers" here who doesn't loathe Microsoft.
Hot damn though, anyone here who does install Win7 SP1 regularly (as I do) there's about 2 to 300mb of patches and at least..70 or so of the bastards, they take forever to install as well (disk thrash)

For goodness sakes, just release SP2 already you bastards.

Just use dism.exe

[benjymouse]

Use dism.exe. It will let you capture freshly installed machine - even with installed applications - back into an install image, i.e. slipstreaming. From the install image it will work exectly like the original image, only it will have all of the installed service packs, updates and patches already installed.