Developer Publishes Patch To Enable Windows 7 and 8.1 Updates On New Hardware (zdnet.com)

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Developer Publishes Patch To Enable Windows 7 and 8.1 Updates On New Hardware (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on Wednesday April 12, 2017 @12:10AM from the there's-always-a-way dept.

Earlier this month, Microsoft locked Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs running on select Intel and AMD processors from receiving future security updates. Now, a developer has found a workaround. From a report on ZDNet: The new patch, from a developer using the name 'Zeffy' on GitHub, may help people caught by Microsoft's update policy for PCs running older versions of Windows on hardware with Intel's seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors and AMD's recently released Bristol Ridge Ryzen chips. [...] Zeffy's patch promises to get around this situation, which stems from non-security updates released in March that added a function to detect the hardware's CPU generation. The developer notes that Microsoft's March 16 rollup updates for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 contained one particularly offensive changelog entry. As reported by Ghacks at the time, the two preview updates stated: "Enabled detection of processor generation and hardware support when PC tries to scan or download updates through Windows Update."

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Dupe? by Mister+Transistor · 2017-04-21 06:17 · Score: 4, Insightful

Now, if only they had hardware capable of detecting dupes on /.

--
-- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
1. Re:Dupe? by apoc.famine · 2017-04-21 06:32 · Score: 1
  
  Or if someone had invented "editors" and /. had decided to hire some.
  
  --
  Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
2. Re:Dupe? by 140Mandak262Jamuna · 2017-04-21 07:13 · Score: 1
  
  If only the editors read at least the head lines of stories and had enough RAM in their brain to remember if for 24 hours ....
  
  --
  sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
3. Re:Dupe? by thegarbz · 2017-04-21 08:14 · Score: 1
  
  Oh fuck off.
Oh, editors... by __aaclcg7560 · 2017-04-21 06:19 · Score: 2

Wasn't it earlier this week that we had an article on this patch? Must be a slow news day.
Looking forward to Microsoft's response by mykepredko · 2017-04-21 06:23 · Score: 1

There's two paths they can go down:
1. Accept that there is a sizable chunk of the user base (most probably application developers) that will continue to use Windows 7 (maybe 8.1) and remove the update blocks on these OSes. They'll get some bitching from people who felt they should have done that right from the start, but it will be short lived and life will go on with the reluctant acknowledgement that Microsoft actually listened to their customers and developer community.
2. Get into a legal and software battle with Zeffy, trying to sue him into oblivion for violating the license agreement as well as putting in "patches" to nullify the stop-update blocks. The development community will endlessly complain that builds, on older hardware because they want to do development on OSes that spy on them and provide a window into their product development, will take longer with libraries that are not fully reflective of the latest (graphic) hardware which means they'll start looking for other platforms to develop for. The bitching will be continuous with may development houses looking towards greener pastures for development programs and Microsoft's share in the marketplace will continue to decline.
I'm betting the Microsoft will take option 2.

--
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
1. Re:Looking forward to Microsoft's response by retchdog · 2017-04-21 06:31 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  or 3. Ignore him because all Microsoft really wants is to minimize the amount of Win7 support they have to deal with, and only a small percentage of people are going to patch their OS with some random Github code in the first place, and the few who do probably know what they're doing anyway and even if they do still complain to Microsoft, they've modded their OS binaries with a third-party patch and can safely be told to pound sand.
  
  --
  "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
2. Re:Looking forward to Microsoft's response by Rick+Schumann · 2017-04-21 06:36 · Score: 1
  
  Horse has already left the barn. If he's released the patch into the wild, then there's no stamping it out now, and Miscreant-o-soft is phenomenally dumb if they don't realize that. Sueing the guy at this point would be nigh-unto frivolous. The most they might do is release an update to Windows Update that defeats the patch -- in which case you'd probably just have to re-apply the patch, assuming that is that the update doesn't brick you computer.
3. Re:Looking forward to Microsoft's response by known_coward_69 · 2017-04-21 06:49 · Score: 1
  
  why would MS care? Most likely they are going to stop testing compilation of patches for older CPU's. If you get around their block to download their patches and run into problems who are you going to complain to? it's your fault
4. Re:Looking forward to Microsoft's response by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 07:06 · Score: 1
  
  I've typed it before, but the loudest Slashdolts are too busy obsessing about how Micro$oft destroyed Netscape by providing a free and pre-installed web browser with their operating system.
  Microsoft pushed Win10 so hard because of the maintenance cost of supporting 6 versions of an operating system.
  Vista, 7, 8 and the server variants of each one. If Microsoft can get 90% of the userbase to either move to 10 or violate their EULA (like this patch does), that greatly reduces the scope for security and maintenance concerns. Concentrating 4 support teams into 1 means they can have more devs to respond to security concerns and shift some of the newfound excess into development and feature expansion roles. (yes, I know everyone hates any feature that wasn't in a program when you learned how to use it, except for the ones you were sure should've been there from day 1).
5. Re:Looking forward to Microsoft's response by Gr8Apes · 2017-04-21 07:51 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  I doubt people are using this for Vista, 8 or 8.1.... However, Win7 was considered the last usable windows system, and a rather largish group of folks don't want Win10. Personally, I voted with my feet a long long time ago, and run pretty much anything that's not MS.
  
  --
  The cesspool just got a check and balance.
6. Re:Looking forward to Microsoft's response by edxwelch · 2017-04-21 08:23 · Score: 1
  
  It's quite difficult to install Win7 on Kaby Lake or Ryzen. Those guys already had to jump through a number of hoops, so one more hoop to jump through isn't going to stop them at this stage.
7. Re:Looking forward to Microsoft's response by Solandri · 2017-04-21 09:12 · Score: 1
  
  all Microsoft really wants is to minimize the amount of Win7 support they have to deal with
  I really don't understand that reasoning. Microsoft has a fairly consistent support schedule. Mainstream support for a bit more than 5 years (feature and security upgrades). Extended support for 5 more years (security updates only). From a support standpoint, it makes no difference to them how many people are still using Windows 7. They've already committed to supporting it til 2020.
  
  The more likely explanation is that the processor restriction is just a way to coerce users who've already paid for a Windows 7/8 license to pony up again for a Windows 10 license. And for the kickbacks they receive from advertisers who pay for data harvested from Win 10 users. It also trains users to accept subscribing to software instead of buying it outright, since if they could "subscribe" to Windows they wouldn't have to pay for a new copy of Windows 10.
8. Re:Looking forward to Microsoft's response by retchdog · 2017-04-25 09:25 · Score: 1
  
  Microsoft doesn't waste resources auditing its own software for its own sake. The fewer users, the fewer complaints, and that means not having to do as much support. Of course it matters how many people use it.
  As for the rest, sure, I'll put that in the same general bucket as support, and good for them (apart from the advertising part, that's just stupid). They almost got their ass kicked by a goddam hobby OS under the old model.
  
  --
  "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
Surprise, surprise by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 06:23 · Score: 2, Interesting

Wow so it's true that Win7 can't support these new CPU's.... but only because M$ simply told Win7 "stop that". Who cares that it supported the chip last month.
1. Re:Surprise, surprise by Mister+Transistor · 2017-04-21 06:31 · Score: 1
  
  Yep. Welcome to planned/forced obsolescence and the endless upgrade treadmill that it sets you on. :/
  
  --
  -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
2. Re:Surprise, surprise by hackel · 2017-04-21 07:29 · Score: 1
  
  So step off. It's actually really easy. Stand up for software Freedom. If you stay, you get what you deserve.
3. Re:Surprise, surprise by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 07:31 · Score: 0
  
  Haha it's such bullshit... as if keeping my gaming rig's hardware up-to-date isn't expensive enough... now the m'fking OS wants a piece of that pie.
  As someone who was born during a time when privacy was a valued right... I've become increasingly more uncomfortable as people voluntarily 'plug-in' and throw their data to the wolves for a smidgen of public attention.
Is the a patch for Slashdot... by SeaFox · 2017-04-21 06:34 · Score: 2

that will stop it from installing duplicate stories?
This is very important news. by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 06:40 · Score: 0

Many businesses and professionals are holding off buying newer hardware because of this. If due to this patch they can get new hardware, it will help immensely. My current laptop was bought just before my computer vendor had run out of Skylake systems and even with it being "officially" supported it was hard to get drivers for Windows 7. There needs to be a mass movement of backwards compatibility starting with patches like this. Cobol programmers are in high demand, so are Windows 7 and earlier systems without the forced updates and telemetry of Windows 10.
1. Re:This is very important news. by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 06:57 · Score: 0
  
  I'd feel safer if Intel formally complained, saying "we made Kaby Lake 100% backwards-compatible with Skylake, Microsoft blocking it in Windows 7 and 8.1 is discrimination". Imagine if a bus driver refused entry to people wearing shoes that are newer than the bus, claiming that the shoes haven't been tested with the bus, aren't supported, so to be on the safe side you can't get in. That's pretty much what Microsoft is doing.
2. Re:This is very important news. by supremebob · 2017-04-21 06:57 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I'd like to think that most businesses and IT professionals aren't going to install a Windows patch written by "Zeffy" on their customers computers, when doing so basically insures that what little support that they were still getting from Microsoft for Windows 7 installations disappears once they find that installed.
  Besides, the existence of this patch isn't going to fix the lack of new or updated drivers for Windows 7 on newer hardware.
  Personally, I find it kind of kind of scary that people are still trying to install an 8 year old OS on shiny new hardware, especially when knowing that you're not going to be able to get security patches for it about 2 1/2 years from now. Didn't people learn this lesson the hard way when they tried to cling onto Windows XP long after it left mainstream support? Once again, many people are going to eventually end up with is a bunch of unpatched systems still running out in the field, just waiting become a botnet the second someone installs malware or misconfigures the firewall at the site.
3. Re:This is very important news. by 0111+1110 · 2017-04-21 07:16 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  I find it more scary that the Windows series OS is finally crashing and burning. Windows 10 is not even a real OS anymore. It's just malware. There's nothing to upgrade to from Win 7/8. At least not yet.
  Sane intelligent people have no choice but to stick with Windows 7. Unless you can run every app you need on Linux you need Windows and for the moment at least Windows = Windows 7 or maybe to a lesser extent 8. Maybe MS will change direction for Windows 11 or 12. Maybe not. But for now the Redmond Retards have left the rest of us with no choice.
  
  --
  Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.
4. Re:This is very important news. by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 07:34 · Score: 0
  
  Unfortunately those redmond retards are only following the 2017 Tech Conglomerate Playbook which states: if you're not monetizing your customers data... you're faltering big time.
  I imagine there are PLENTY of other ways to make money... but the personal information of damn near everyone is just too valuable when you can predict and sometimes even coax people into buying things based on past/predicted future behavior.
  Brave (read: strange) new world.
5. Re:This is very important news. by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 08:02 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, why would a business ever migrate a 2012R2 VM from a E3v5/E5v4 to a E3v6/E5v5 host...
6. Re:This is very important news. by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 08:31 · Score: 0
  
  Personally, I find it kind of kind of scary that people are still trying to install an 8 year old OS on shiny new hardware, especially when knowing that you're not going to be able to get security patches for it about 2 1/2 years from now.
  Depending on how you look at it. 2 1/2 years from now that shiny new hardware will be due for a refresh, so replacing the OS and the hardware at that time makes sense. If it is a corporate IT department, they may not have approved Windows 10 for install yet (I know ours hasn't), but may have to refresh the hardware now. There's lots of different scenarios where running an 8 year old OS on modern hardware actually makes sense.
7. Re:This is very important news. by ilsaloving · 2017-04-21 08:39 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, us Windows 7'ers and hanging on to the previous OS for as long as humanly possible in the hope that Microsoft will pull their head out of their ass before Win7 support ends completely.
  The fact is is that Windows 10 is a a godawful pile of horse shit. They took a technically beautiful OS that rightfully should have taken the world by storm, and did everything they could possible do to sour people on it, and the list of complains just gets longer as times passes. Between privacy issues, forced updates routinely hose your machine, and forced advertisements, there is absolutely no way I would use Windows 10 unless I had no other choice.
  The choices are simple:
  -Give back control of *my* computer
  -Tell me who I can start sending invoices to every time I need to clean up their fuckups.
  Until either of those things happen, I won't be installing Windows 10 on any machine I am responsible for.
8. Re:This is very important news. by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 10:28 · Score: 0
  
  Actually I might . There are features in Win 7ultimate not supported by win10 most notably NFS filesystem support.
  I HATE being told that something won't run just because some jerk decided to put in a patch that forces it so, even when there is no hardware reason to do so. This is pure greed and stupidity talking here folks.
  MS has said it won't put out patches, so be it. but don't try to force me to 'upgrade'. I hate the way they have tried by hook or crook to force Win10 down everybody's throat.
  What is hacked in, can be hacked out just as easy.
It may not last... by evolutionary · 2017-04-21 06:41 · Score: 1

I suspect Microsoft will launch counter measures as the whole idea is to push people to "upgrade" to Windows 10. This could become like youtube-dl and google: one side makes it possible to download data, the other side tries to block it.

--
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
1. Re:It may not last... by Blue+Stone · 2017-04-21 08:21 · Score: 1
  
  You're only stating half the grand Microsoft plan - "the whole idea is to push people to 'upgrade' to Windows 10" and then start charging for subscriptions.
  
  --
  Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
I have an even better workaround... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 06:42 · Score: 0

.. install Linux...
My house has been 100% Microsoft-Free since the forced Windows 10 updates. Our local school district is also considering making the switch. I hope they do it.
1. Re:I have an even better workaround... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 08:40 · Score: 0
  
  Even better....install *BSD. Free from Microsoft and Poettering shit.
Microsoft by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 07:00 · Score: 0

Microsoft will spend hundreds of developer hours figuring out how to block this bypass - and zero hours just making their software work on existing hardware.
Meh kernel 2.6 support NOW! by Billly+Gates · 2017-04-21 07:11 · Score: 1

Linus won't port 2.6 to my Ryzen and Kabylake systems. This is so unfair.
It should be a fundamental right for all the latest features on an old kernel as change for the sake of change is scary. Is there a patch?

--
http://saveie6.com/
1. Re:Meh kernel 2.6 support NOW! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 07:23 · Score: 1
  
  Apples and oranges, Master Bates.
2. Re:Meh kernel 2.6 support NOW! by fustakrakich · 2017-04-21 08:34 · Score: 1
  
  Is there a patch?
  Maybe not, but Linus won't try to stop anybody from making one.
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
3. Re:Meh kernel 2.6 support NOW! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 08:48 · Score: 0
  
  Nobody added a patch to Linux kernel 2.6 to make it not work with modern CPUs, so it should work just fine. You really went out of your way to bitch about something that isn't even true.
4. Re:Meh kernel 2.6 support NOW! by holostarr · 2017-04-21 09:12 · Score: 1
  
  Microsoft isn't stopping anyone either as demonstrated by the developer of this patch...
5. Re:Meh kernel 2.6 support NOW! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 13:11 · Score: 0
  
  Nope. Its the same damn thing.
6. Re:Meh kernel 2.6 support NOW! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 19:09 · Score: 0
  
  What about RHEL 6.9 and CentOS 6.9? Most recent version with a heavily patched 2.6.32.
  I looked it up a bit and it turns out on kernel 2.6.32-696 yes Kaby Lake pretty much does work.
  https://www.centos.org/forums/...
  https://www.centos.org/forums/...
What's the point? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 07:15 · Score: 0

MS don't want this. They will block it tomorrow. It's just a waste of time and resources.
Pathetic by hackel · 2017-04-21 07:27 · Score: 1

People who choose to use proprietary operating systems need to accept whatever their corporate overlords spoon-feed to them. I hope this "developer" (normally referred to as a cracker) goes to jail for violating some kind of DMCA or license agreement or something.
The last dupe you'll ever need... by Bearhouse · 2017-04-21 07:32 · Score: 1

Avoid useless windows posts here:
http://pcbsd.org/
If you're running Win 7 or 8, you'll probably be OK for driver support.
DUPED! by darkain · 2017-04-21 08:09 · Score: 1

While this is a dupe, I didn't get the chance to ask the question on my mind last time around.
What about virtual machines? Since in a VM, virtually all CPU feature detection still works, would this mean that a VM running Windows 7 is also fucked for updates without a hack? This isn't just about desktop users. Plenty of us have a simple and light weight Windows 7 install running on VMWare or other hypervisor for the expressed purpose of simple RDP access for admin tasks. Are these VMs running on newer hardware totally fucked for updates now?
1. Re:DUPED! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-21 08:33 · Score: 0
  
  At least in VM Ware, you can override the CPUID provided to the guest. By default my assumption would be that you would have problems.
Competition for a more relevant name? by Futurepower(R) · 2017-04-21 08:21 · Score: 1

Miscreant-o-soft
MicroS-Evil?