Microsoft Revises Windows 7, 8 On Skylake Cut-Off Date To 2018 (zdnet.com)

An anonymous reader writes from a ZDNet story: Microsoft is softening its stance on how long and how completely it will continue to support Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users running Skylake-based devices. Instead of cutting off full, extended support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 on Skylake on July 17, 2017, Microsoft will now guarantee full extended support to July 17, 2018. Microsoft also tightened up the wording as to what kinds of security updates Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users will get once that date comes. "After July 2018, all critical Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 security updates will be addressed for Skylake systems until extended support ends for Windows 7, January 14, 2020 and Windows 8.1 on January 10, 2023," it said. Many users weren't pleased with Microsoft's initial decision. And it appears OEMs weren't thrilled about it, either. Adrienne Mueller, Product Manager at Lenovo said earlier this month, "The thought here is that Microsoft is really just pushing customers to move to Windows 10. A lot of reactions from our customers...is can we influence Microsoft and tell them they're not ready to transition and try to get them to prolong support on that? We've tried, and Microsoft's not really willing to do that."

Comments

Re:Crafting a Virtual Service Pack?

[Ol Olsoc]

Download VMware or whatever. Make a VM. Install Windows onto the VM.

At the first setup screen, before you create a username, hit CTRL+SHIFT+F3 to enter System Audit Mode. Get it updated, install your borwsers, dickbutt.exe, and whatever else you use. Shut it down using the Sysprep dialog box that is in your face. Choose "Enter System Audit Mode" with an action of "Shut Down". Do NOT check the "generalize" checkbox.

Boot it and patch it every Patch Tuesday.

If you ever need to install Windows, take a snapshot of the VM. Boot the VM. Using the Sysprep dialog box, tell it to enter OOBE and check the "generalize" checkbox. Tell it to shutdown.

You can now use a ton of different tools to take that Windows install and capture it as a deployable image on any hardware. System Center / Windows Deployment Services / etc. have Windows PE tools that will do this. Other tools exist, though I have not used them. I believe booting to an Acronis disc or similar will let you do the same deal.

After you capture the image using whatever method is easiest according to Google at the time you need to do it, revert the snapshot on the VM to undo the "generalize" step (which decrements your activation rearm count). There are other hacks to reset this count after you run out of rearms, but they're not clean and can break Windows Update.

For your 8007000E error, simply hit "check for updates" until you get the error, then reboot, then do it again. Last I checked, a machine will encounter this error 3 times before Windows Update works.

That's how I taught Grandma to do it.