Windows 10: It appears that the Windows 7 ESU Bypass is indeed working

Support for Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system ended on January 14, 2020 officially. Home users cannot extend support for the operating system while business and Enterprise customers may extend support by up to three years; this is done by joining the ESU program which is available per machine (business) or per user (Enterprise).

A bypass to use ESU-only patches on Home machines -- basically any machine that has not joined the program officially -- was discovered and published in December 2019. The bypass worked with the test ESU patch that Microsoft released but it was not clear back then if it would also work with "real" patches.

Now that the first post-Windows 7 support patch has been released, confirmations are coming in that the bypass is indeed working.



Note: we suggest that backups are created of important data, better the entire system, before the bypass or any of the updates that Microsoft released for Windows 7 are installed. If something goes wrong, it is then possible to go back to the previous version without losing any data.

The process of using the bypass with the Windows 7 patches released in February would look like this (note that you should not install the latest SSU KB4537829 as the bypass does not seem to work anymore if it is installed).

1. Install the bypass. You can grab the latest version from the MDL forum (account needed), or download it from Gitlab. The password is 2020.
2. Download and install the ESU Test update KB4528069. It should install fine.
3. Restart the System.
4. Install the following updates: KB4538483, KB4537820, KB4537767, and KB4537813.
5. Restart the system.

Our colleagues over at Deskmodder found another option that supports the installation of the latest SSU:

1. Install the bypass.
2. Install the ESU Test update.
3. Remove the bypass.
4. Install the SSU KB4537829.
5. Install the KB4537820 update.

Closing Words


It remains to be seen if the bypass will continue to work in the coming months or years.For now, it may be an option in some situations provided that backups are created.

Now You: Are you still running Windows 7? Have you tried the bypass?

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post It appears that the Windows 7 ESU Bypass is indeed working appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

read more...

 

Unclear about Windows 7 Professional available for ESU

I have two machines running Windows 7 Professional. They are connected to scientific equipment that will not have compliant software available until 2021. The machines are connected to a network/internet. Is the ESU plan available for Windows 7 Professional
machines as listed in the ESU documents? If so, how can I purchase it? We are a small business and do not have volume pricing or enterprise planning.

 

Should "ESU for Microsoft Windows 7 SP1" be installed on Windows 10?


Some pretty good info about it here,

ESU for Microsoft Windows 7 by Hewlett-Packard - Should I Remove It?

 

Unclear about Windows 7 Professional available for ESU

A lot of businesses have multiple computers.

That does not mean you can get ESU.

It clearly states it is for Volume Licensing, which apparently you do not have.

We don't work for Microsoft.

Follow the advice in the link of who to contact if in doubt.

Helping customers shift to a modern desktop - Microsoft 365 Blog

Windows 7 Extended Security Updates

As previously announced, Windows 7 extended support is ending January 14, 2020. While many of you are already well on your way in deploying Windows 10, we understand that everyone is at a different point in the upgrade process.

With that in mind, today we are announcing that we will offer paid Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU) through January 2023. The Windows 7 ESU will be sold on a per-device basis and the price will increase each year. Windows 7 ESUs will be available
to all Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise customers in
Volume Licensing, with a discount to customers with Windows software assurance, Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 10 Education subscriptions. In addition,
Office 365 ProPlus will be supported on devices with active Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU) through January 2023. This means that customers who purchase the Windows 7 ESU will be able to continue to run
Office 365 ProPlus.

Please reach out to your partner or Microsoft account team for further details.

Microsoft to offer paid Windows 7 Extended Security Updates | ZDNet

This time around, the ESU program is being run out of Microsoft's Volume Licensing Unit and Core Windows Engineering "is producing these updates like a product," Spataro explained.