..today i went on STEAM to play some of my games, so i noticed red letters, saying that Steam will stop working on win7 in 228 days.
Since im win7 user, im a bit angry as i do not see any solution provided for OS that im using, where solution could be simply to download my games on to HDD, so i can still use those games as i do with Steam client right now(if such solution exists, i do not know about it, so feel free to educate me). I do understand that eventually, upgrade is needed, however, win7 machines i use, does everything that i need and software that i use for work, doesn't function properly on other versions of windows, so i have to use it for some time. Now ill not be able to use games i payed for and games that runs perfectly on W7 and does not require W10 or 11 to run them.
How much i appreciate CD-ROM stuff now...
I feel bad for you dude but this situation is going to happen more and more. Windows 7 is 14 years old. At the same time every major and minor software house and software based digital store have been warning people that windows 7 support is eventually going to be phased out.
I appreciate that everything you own software wise works perfectly on Windows 7 but you're going to have to accept that windows 7 is old and the entire operating system world has moved on in a big way. The money needed to keep software compatible with windows 7 doesn't justify supporting it and let's not forget the programming involved in needing to maintain software that is built for current operating system to work with operating systems that are nearly a decade and a half old.
There might be a way to get the best of both worlds. Install Windows 11 and install windows 7 via a vm. There's nothing wrong with it working and it works just the same as having a dedicated install.
...my rant is basically, about fact that, all games i have are beautifully W7 compatible and plays great, but i cant have them because Steam client will be dead in 200+ days, and no alternative has been given(standalone or whatever version, i can run without client).. W7 i cant replace as some compilers and tools that i have, cant be purchased as companies developed it are long gone, and i have to keep such tools in order to serve my customer base (some industrial machines and stuff like that)..I did try virtual machine but it fails because dongle which is required, cant be accessed for some reason..works fine on raw W7..
Sounds like you may need to separate your work computer from your game computer. ie: 2 computers or dual boot..
You should still be able to play most of your games. You just probably wont be able to install new games or connect to the network. All your games should still work in "offline" mode.
Yeah I'm in this same boat, I made a huge rant about it on steam forums that ended up getting 800 or more posts. I stopped following because of the absurd level of trolls and people outright attacking me for wanting the play games supported on Windows 7 on Windows 7.... There were some sensible people understanding my plight but it's hard to argue against idiots with circular logic.
I can use 10 but I really would prefer not too. Now what happens when 10 is dropped? Windows 11 and 12 are not even an option for me because of how locked down those are going to be among the many other ethical issues and concerns I have about it...
At this point I decided to stop buying my games off of Steam since you don't actually own them and they can for at any reason decide to not support or honor your purchases. Why on earth would I want to use Windows 10 (a bad OS in my opinion) to play games that run fine on Windows 7? I would not have purchased said games otherwise...
QuoteWhy on earth would I want to use Windows 10 (a bad OS in my opinion) to play games that run fine on Windows 7? I would not have purchased said games otherwise...
..exactly..Win7(Pro, 64Bit) that im using, is powered by nVidia 1080Ti, which is capable for far superior games than im actually playing (Unreal demos runs just fine on it), yet, ill not be able to play L4D2 (which is, what, Dx9??) because game non related steam client dont want to work on W7...story about 'progress' and 'next best' thing is really funny..what is it, that W7 64 bit cant do that W10 or 11 does?? Apart from deliberate act of not supporting W7, what it is?
Maybe get a steam deck for specific steam games? Those things are cheap. I lost access to a great java editor when my windows 7 laptop died. But nowadays Windows is a whole lot better.
if this can reassure you, i use Windows 11 since september 2022 without any major issues...
however i would not store sensible datas on a recent OS.
i prefer to use an old OS which has been tested / used during several years for that.
Quote from: RemiD on May 28, 2023, 10:19:51if this can reassure you, i use Windows 11 since september 2022 without any major issues...
however i would not store sensible datas on a recent OS.
i prefer to use an old OS which has been tested / used during several years for that.
..i guess you are correct..just purchased W10 on disc, so ill try it over weekend on one of my W7 machines and see how it goes there..eventually, ill keep away W7 machines as toolbox, and use new PC for whatever online is required..
Quote from: Naughty Alien on May 29, 2023, 08:26:41Quote from: RemiD on May 28, 2023, 10:19:51if this can reassure you, i use Windows 11 since september 2022 without any major issues...
however i would not store sensible datas on a recent OS.
i prefer to use an old OS which has been tested / used during several years for that.
..i guess you are correct..just purchased W10 on disc, so ill try it over weekend on one of my W7 machines and see how it goes there..eventually, ill keep away W7 machines as toolbox, and use new PC for whatever online is required..
Be careful with Windows 10 as it has a few tricks up its sleeve which automatically upgrade you to windows 11.
This is why I stopped using GOG.
I purchased my favorite 90s game Fragile Allegiance just to find out that I would not receive the original ISO, but some bundled version that only works on newer versions of Windows. I contacted to company and they refused to help provide an iso saying my needs are "out of scope."
This new version was just bundled with DOSBOX, but has the ISO built in with no easy way to extract it. The result is a game from Windows 95 now needs Windows 10 and several gigs of storage and ram. The original was on CD ROM. I will never buy from there again.
I could not get a game from the 90s to run on 95 or XP. My system is "too old?" Everyone always told me that my needs are out of scope.
Now I guess Windows 7 users get to feel the pain. Here's to everyone who said "Oh I will just keep using 7." Good luck.
And now Microsoft wants to move Windows into the cloud and eliminate NT entirely in the next few years. I am typing from XP and will continue to do so until every x86 processor burns out.
A simple solution is for people to use the computer they want and not have something shoved down their throats whenever Microsoft wants (especially now that it's a felony in the US to try circumventing automatic updates). The only thing in our way is these greedy distributors that refuse to provide CD ROM ISO files as an alternative to running a DOS game embedded in a Windows 10+ emulator.
Was your home built in the 70s? Is your car from the 90s? So what? Forcing an update on my computer is like Ford sneaking into my garage without permission and swapping out the parts in my car while wrapping it with ads. Oh wait they are trying to force electric cars down our throats as well. So much or that analogy.
Quoteespecially now that it's a felony in the US to try circumventing automatic updates
That's news to me. Where do you see this? A Google search didn't turn up anything about that.
You aren't going to find such information in any one source or search.
Here's what I am aware of.
1. The only known and recommended way to avoid automatic updates for Windows 10 is to unplug the internet.
2. The EULA doesn't forbid disabling of updates, but the software provides no method to do so.
3. The EULA does forbid modifying Windows internally. Hacking the software to stop updates would be a modification of the software and therefore illegal in the US.
Using a modified version of Windows invalidates its license. Doing so may be punishable with fines, imprisonment, and a felony record.
I cannot speak as to how enforceable this is, but I can say that the violation is incriminating.
QuoteBe careful with Windows 10 as it has a few tricks up its sleeve which automatically upgrade you to windows 11.
..do you mind to provide some links with information regarding this ? .. I have no interest to upgrade, w10 experiment is only to see, what will happen with dongle keys attached directly to w10..
QuoteAnd now Microsoft wants to move Windows into the cloud and eliminate NT entirely in the next few years. I am typing from XP and will continue to do so until every x86 processor burns out.
..all machines that i have, some 5 actively used and 7 more in storage, are W7 64-bit Pro..i do not have any intent to change them as they function as needed for my line of work, and new incarnations of windows simply doesnt cut in when we talk about all licensed software/dongle keys i use..I am probably going to have w10 machine for sake of STEAM or any other time waste needs, as for work, W7 it is..i see often ATM machines running on windows XP, yet here we are, W7 is not good enough for Dx9 level games, while running nicely latest Unreal demos..but hey..its time to 'upgrade'...to what?
Quote from: lucidapogee on May 31, 2023, 15:45:17You aren't going to find such information in any one source or search.
Here's what I am aware of.
1. The only known and recommended way to avoid automatic updates for Windows 10 is to unplug the internet.
2. The EULA doesn't forbid disabling of updates, but the software provides no method to do so.
3. The EULA does forbid modifying Windows internally. Hacking the software to stop updates would be a modification of the software and therefore illegal in the US.
Using a modified version of Windows invalidates its license. Doing so may be punishable with fines, imprisonment, and a felony record.
I cannot speak as to how enforceable this is, but I can say that the violation is incriminating.
If it is a felony, then there will be a law that explicitly says so. No law, no felony. As for your points:
1. Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise allows you to turn off updates. They have to provide that function as many businesses run proprietary software that may rely on a specific version of Windows.
2. Only Home version does not let you turn off updates.
3. Disabling updates does not require modifying Windows. You just need to run services and shut off updates manually instead of through the settings. Even if you do need to modify Windows, that would only be a violation if EULA, not any criminal law. Contractual violations are civil matters and the worse that might happen is you will get sued by Microsoft (unlikely, but possible). You will not go to prison, you will not have a criminal record.
Now I'm not a lawyer and don't know every law that exists in the USA. I also know that large corporations, such as Microsoft, will often use their wealth to manipulate the government into passing stupid laws that only benefit them. So it is possible that such a law exists, but until I see it, I'll assume it doesn't exist.
You can use an older version of the GOG galaxy software if you want to download older versions of your games and still stay on Windows 7. I only used Galaxy for that reason.
I am preparing a separate hardware with an official version of Ghost Spectrum 10 lite edition for any stubborn software that tries and defy my efforts. With Windows 12's inclusion of AI integrated into the OS I think now is a better time than ever to resist the future launch of Skynet by staying on a older operating system and hardware.
It's actually quite scary, with one click they can copy everything about you, know everyone you know and have every single password for your accounts. I suppose once they build a large enough profile on you than can effectively guess your thoughts. As much as I love AI and the progress it can bring, the potential for abuse is too great and I know this companies are going to fully exploit it to there benefit.
Steam at this point will never earn a penny from me again.
As far as I know the EU has stricter laws in how they handle companies like Microsoft and users rights for software. If you want an official version of windows that behaves better or gives you more options, getting an EU edition might be the way to go. I however would rather put my trust behind the minds of those who created Ghost Spectre editions of Windows for the reasons stated above.
Quote from: lucidapogee on May 31, 2023, 15:45:17You aren't going to find such information in any one source or search.
Here's what I am aware of.
1. The only known and recommended way to avoid automatic updates for Windows 10 is to unplug the internet.
2. The EULA doesn't forbid disabling of updates, but the software provides no method to do so.
3. The EULA does forbid modifying Windows internally. Hacking the software to stop updates would be a modification of the software and therefore illegal in the US.
Using a modified version of Windows invalidates its license. Doing so may be punishable with fines, imprisonment, and a felony record.
I cannot speak as to how enforceable this is, but I can say that the violation is incriminating.
A 3rd party firewall program works wonders. Even something as simple as TINYWALL should be able to handle that task of blocking windows updates now and forever.
I only read OP, so will confine answer to that, dual boot your win7 with a free Linux distro, some of your games may have linix builds on steam, its not great but some may work, plus you will have a new linux toy to play with
No problems here....see attached. Give it another 24 hours I suppose.
Quote from: Matty on January 01, 2024, 03:33:33No problems here....see attached. Give it another 24 hours I suppose.
Might want to do this before your steam is affected with the update that's going to cripple it. Modify your shortcut and only use this from now on.
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe" -noverifyfiles -nobootstrapupdate -skipinitialbootstrap -norepairfiles -overridepackageurl
..out of curiosity, how is everything going on for Win7 users here ? Anyone got whacked from Steam ?? As far as i can tell, all still works, thanks to suggestion made by MagosDomina..