Anyone still running Windows 7?

Nicholas Nguyen said:These updates rolled in today, so I'm trying to figure out which specific KB is the culprit. Which one should I strip out? ☕

Security update for Microsoft Windows

KB3112343
KB3112148
KB3109103
KB3109094
KB3108670
KB3108669
KB3108381
KB3108371
KB3104002
KB3102429
KB3099862

So, I tried uninstalling all these updates one by one today. It didn't work. The "Windows 7 Build 7601 This copy of Windows not Genuine" error is still staring back at me.
Yesterday, aside from these, the machine pulled down another 38 updates for Microsoft Office.
Is it possible the "culprit" is buried in one of those add-ons? Could this little glitch be an Office issue rather than a core part of the Windows OS?

At this point, I'm throwing in the towel. It's not worth the headache. The laptop is 5.5 years old anyway. If the message stays, it stays. If this thing survives another year or eighteen months, I'll call it a win.

But realistically, will this cause actual problems? Will I still have access to Windows update, and will the hardware perform as well as it did before?

When it comes to updates, the window actually tells you exactly what they’re fixing, and I distinctly remember one specifically mentioning it was patching out those cracks used by people running pirated software, so you can be pretty sure about what you're installing

It’s mostly just vague filler, claiming an update like KBxxxxxxxx addresses potential security vulnerabilities on your PC. They suggest you might need to reboot after installation, but they don't offer any actual substance regarding what the specific update actually does.

Nicholas Nguyen said:So, my laptop decided to run a slightly beefier Windows update today—about 100MB—and after the whole reboot process, I’m greeted by this lovely little message in the bottom right corner: "Windows 7 Build 7601 This copy of Windows not genuine." Just my luck.

And I wouldn't be so lazy either; I'll just hop on Google and look that up myself. Just toss the term into a search engine. Let's see how this message actually moves through the system. I usually end up wading through a massive mountain of information—stuff like those YouTube videos where people suggest deleting specific files, for example... Hey.It seems like you were cut off mid-sentence there, but if you were looking for some advice on how to handle things, I'm all ears. Just let me know what's on your mind. Just type the command into the CMD. If you find yourself needing to run SLMGR -REARM, just a heads-up that you aren't exactly breaking the system, but you are essentially hitting the reset button on your activation grace period. It’s one of those little commands that works when you're stuck in a loop, though I wouldn't suggest making it a lifestyle choice. Well, here we go again with this mess. I tried running the command, but the system is basically telling me that SLMGR isn't recognized as an internal or external command. It’s just sitting there staring at me blankly. So, it looks like I'm back to the same old advice: just go ahead and uninstall the Windows update and hope for the best. I've been looking into the details surrounding Windows update KB71033 lately, and honestly, it’s one of those things that feels like it should be more straightforward than it actually is. It’s easy to get lost in the weeds when you're trying to figure out exactly how it interacts with your current setup, especially if you're running anything other than a standard installation. I'm still digging through the documentation to see if there are any weird edge cases I should be worried about, but so far, it seems relatively quiet. If anyone else has run into specific hiccups or noticed anything unusual after installing it, I'd certainly appreciate the heads-up—it helps to know if I'm just overthinking the whole thing.Alright, I've been hunting for that specific update everywhere, but it’s nowhere to be found. I've tried running a search through the system, but absolutely nothing is turning up.

And I'm still sitting here staring at that same message stuck in the bottom right corner of my screen.
What am I supposed to do here?

And yeah, just to be clear, my Windows isn't actually genuine. About three years ago when my hard drive finally gave up the ghost, I ended up getting a non-original version of Windows installed on the replacement drive. Not that it really matters—before that, I was using a laptop I bought straight from a retail store with legitimate Windows pre-installed. I never actually received an official installation CD with the machine, but after doing some digging online, it seems like plenty of people running legal software run into this exact same headache.

It looks like you aren't running a genuine version of Windows.

Well, bravo!
The guy didn't even claim he was running legal Windows—he just asked how to get rid of the error message.

Sent from my D6603 via Tapatalk

Chris Mitchell4 said:Way to go!
The guy didn't even mention if his Windows is legit; he just asked how to get rid of the notification.

Look, this is a forum. And giving advice on how to crack Windows is strictly against the rules here.🙂

Nicholas Nguyen said:So, I tried uninstalling all these updates one by one today. The "Windows 7 Build 7601 This copy of Windows not genuine" error message won't budge.
Yesterday, besides those, my PC pulled down another 38 updates for Microsoft Office.
Is it possible the "culprit" is tucked away in one of those add-ons? Could this little glitch be part of Office rather than being an actual part of the Windows OS?

Anyway, I'm throwing in the towel; it's just not worth the headache. The laptop is already 5.5 years old. If the message stays there, fine. If it manages to limp along for another year or eighteen months, that's a win.

But can this actually cause issues? Will I still have access to Windows updates, and will the laptop perform just as well as it did before?

I ran into the exact same thing after that update rolled out. I managed to fix it using System Restore. Just uninstalling the updates isn't enough. I went through them individually and found that KB3109094 was the culprit. Install everything except that one (just hide it), and you should be good to go.

driftingbadger17 said:Your Windows isn't even legitimate.

I had a legitimate version of Windows installed on my laptop until the hard drive died. When I got the replacement drive, I was stuck with a pirated version of Windows.
What was I supposed to do? Pay an extra $167 just to have them cough up another $150 for new software? That's just throwing money down the $667 hole.
And what if this new drive dies too?
The real issue is why retailers don't just include the installation media with the laptop—regardless of whether the OS is pre-installed or not. I already paid for it.

fadedmason13 said:I ran into the exact same headache after that update rolled out. A simple uninstall didn't cut it. I had to run a System Restore to get things back on track. If you want to go the manual route, install the updates one by one—it turns out KB3109094 is the culprit. Install everything else, just make sure to hide that specific one, and you should be fine.

I'll give that a shot. 👍

Nicholas Nguyen said:I actually had legitimate Windows installed on my laptop until my hard drive finally gave up the ghost, but once I swapped in a new one, I ended up stuck with an unlicensed version of Windows.
Honestly, why should I have shelled out an extra $167 on top of what I already paid for the hard drive just to get a fresh set of Windows licenses and basically throw $667 down the drain?
And what happens if this new drive dies too?
It really makes me wonder why retailers don't just include the installation media with every laptop regardless of whether the OS is pre-loaded or not, since I've already paid for the software anyway.

lol wut, the product key is the only thing that actually matters here; anyone can just grab an ISO image off the web whenever they feel like it.

fadedmason13 said:I ran into the exact same issue right after that update rolled out. A simple uninstallation won't cut it; I had to use a System Restore to fix it. If you want to do it manually, install the updates one by one. It turns out KB3109094 is the culprit. Install everything else and just hide that specific one. That should keep things running smoothly.

Issue resolved. 👍

Hey 🙂

Got a new laptop Dell Inspiron 14
Set the BIOS to boot from the CD
I've installed original Windows 7 about 4 or 5 times on my old laptops and PCs before now

But when I power this thing up, it won't boot from the disc—instead, it just pulls up some Linux distro... honestly have no idea what I'd even do with that

Where am I messing up?

It is entirely possible that the disc itself is damaged; however, if the media is intact, you might try tapping F12 during the boot sequence to access the boot menu. From there, you can manually select the CD drive to initiate the boot process directly, which I suppose would be the most reliable way to handle it.

Thanks, Roger Walker85. That’s exactly what I tried... no luck though.
A buddy suggested I head into the BIOS and toggle that setting that restricts installation to just Windows 8 or newer.
Turns out that actually exists—just in case anyone else is running into this.

Is anyone else running into issues with Windows Update? Specifically, svchost... It’s just devouring my RAM until it hits 100%. I'm talking about svchost alone—mostly because of the Windows Update process tucked inside it—gobbling up nearly 2GB of memory. Just a total resource hog.

An update just won't take—it's driving me nuts. It gets stuck right at the "check" phase and that's it. I've already tried a clean install of Windows three times now, and nothing works. It’s just... yeah. Makes you want to throw the whole thing out the window.
I've tried every single fix under the sun. Every workaround, every little hack, every "magic solution" you find online... nothing. It’s just a total wash. Nothing works.

I ditched that latest Windows update, but now after I restart, it just sits there endlessly spinning on "checking for updates." It's like a dog chasing its own tail.

Ryan James60 said:Just uninstall that "Windows Update" patch, and once you reboot, it’ll just sit there endlessly checking for updates.

If this is the very first update following a clean installation of Windows 7, and you happen to be running an older or slower processor, could it take three or even four hours? Absolutely. It’s actually quite normal. Why not try disabling the update service entirely, then turn it back on right before you head to bed? By morning, the full update should be ready and waiting for you. Also, perhaps consider temporarily disabling your firewall? You wouldn't want to wake up to a failed installation because, say, the firewall blocked the setup for Windows Defender or something similar.

Update is finally done... I’m running an E8400 dual-core at 3.0 GHz—nothing too crazy—but man, this thing used to fly compared to when I had the E4300. It was basically three times faster back then.

My real headache was the system check. It just wouldn't cooperate, no matter what I tried... I woke up this morning to find about 200 pending updates waiting for me.

http://www.nytimes.com/business/article/microsoft-software-sales-trends.html

It seems pretty obvious that sales for version 10 are lagging behind expectations—so, naturally, they’re looking to offload these older iterations, aren't they?

And let's be honest—in a perfect world, most corporations would stick to licensed, official versions (though, if we're being real about the small businesses out there, there's always been a certain amount of "gray market" or unlicensed software floating around the US)—but what exactly does Microsoft think is going to happen here? Do they honestly believe big companies are just going to jump to the latest software updates every single time a new one drops? It isn't quite as simple as just changing a tie and calling it a day!

It depends on how you define "every little while." It’s been common knowledge for quite some time now that Windows 7 would receive support through 2017... so what is an extra year really going to matter? If someone is out there buying brand-new hardware and looking for an operating system, it makes absolutely zero sense to opt for Windows 7 when Windows 10 is right there. As for Microsoft itself, they're simply cutting off the supply because maintaining so many different OS versions is just too expensive for them. If you aren't interested in using Windows 10 the way most people do, you could always grab a version that mimics the feel of Windows 7—you wouldn't get any feature updates besides security patches, and older apps should theoretically still run. Those are the key points, but until someone actually tries it, we won't know for sure... though it’s hardly surprising that Microsoft is pushing Windows 10 so hard.

Where are you getting the idea that Windows 7 2017 support is ending? Every time I go digging through the web, everything I find suggests we have until 2020 before the support officially wraps up.

Windows 7 Support