I only just noticed this, because I don’t often open up the main Steam window, just launching games directly from the desktop, but there’s a notice on my Steam that, come January 2024, Steam will no longer run on Windows 7. I figured that’d be good information to share, in case anyone else is in the same situation.
Just to verify, support ended for Windows 7 and 8.1 in January, 2023 I believe.
So they’re giving an extra year to an unsupported OS.
I’m worried about my Windows 10 machines honestly. They can’t be updated to 11 and I still prefer 10 to 11. End of support for 10 is October 14, 2025. So not that far away. On the other hand, both machines are from 2014 and an 11 year run would be a good run for computers. I won’t replace the laptop, I rarely use it at this point and instead use a $99 special that weighs nothing and goes days before needing a charge. But the PC probably means demoting my PC to the game room and buying a new PC for myself.
Every Windows 7 machine I ever saw could have handled 10, though there were occasionally some software issues that kept people from upgrading.
Worst comes to worst, could always try installing Linux on it. With the Steamdeck a hit, Linux support for games continues to become more mainstream.
I’m not a Linux acolyte; most of my use is having a Ubuntu stick to test boot questionable hardware. But it seems like a path to extending a Steam-less gaming PC.
Yeah, I don’t understand why Microsoft tied Windows 11 to processor / motherboard generation.
My system certainly has the chops to run Windows 11, but because I believe I’m one generation out from the earliest Windows 11 supports, I cannot upgrade even if I wanted to.
You can. It’s literally just a registry tweak—though the easiest way is just to create a Windows 11 install disk with Rufus, which will handle it all automatically.
The main downside is that you may not get the yearly “feature updates” automatically, and would have to download and apply them manually. Though surely someone could automate that.
Not that I really recommend anyone install Windows 11 on older hardware as long as Windows 10 is still supported. Sure, the problems in doing so are quite small, but so is the advantage of upgrading. There are things that Windows 11 does that 10 can’t, but the main thing computers want requires newer hardware (like resizable BAR).
Hence I won’t directly include instructions on how to upgrade. But, if you’re interested, look up Rufus Windows 11.
It’s not even Valve’s decision: Key parts of Steam are built on Chrome, and Chrome is the one setting the dead-date.
Looks interesting for me. One question: does an installation via this method create an update to my current Windows 10? Or do I have to reinstall programs, reset settings etc.?
It’s about security. Windows has the reputation for being the OS most vulnerable to attacks, and this is a way to improve that.
I admit that I was worried about my own machine’s ability to upgrade, but I’d replaced the MB and CPU when I bought a new video card a couple years ago, so just by luck I was fine.
I haven’t fiddled with W7 in years either personally or professionally. I really liked that OS but it’s pretty antiquated at this point.
You should be able to do an upgrade install. Just make sure to launch the Windows 11 setup from within Windows 10, and choose the option that mentions keeping all of your apps, settings, etc.
Note that I’ve not tried it myself, but that’s what I’ve read from sources I trust.
If you replace your motherboard, CPU, and video card, don’t you basically have an entirely new computer at that point anyway?
Same case and drives, cables, cooling solution. The key performance-related parts were replaced but certainly not everything.
Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 in fact.
That makes some sense for requiring TPM 2.0, but not why they restrict CPUs even if your computer does have TPM 2.0. In particular, making the Ryzen 1000 series incompatible but allowing Ryzen 2000 makes no sense.
And, even then, the additional security provided by TPM 2.0 is more relevant in a business setting than a private one. Most of the stuff that actually makes Windows less prone to malware (e.g. virtualization and Secure Boot) works just fine without a TPM. And the rest of the stuff is only available on Pro or higher.
No, I still think the primary motivation is to push people on to newer hardware. Not counting the temporary uptick during the pandemic, new PC sales have been down. Older PCs remain viable longer, whether you keep your old one or you buy used.
Heck, rumors are that Microsoft’s PC manufacturing partners were the reason Microsoft made a whole new version of Windows. Previously the stuff coming in Windows 11 was promised as a sort of refresh of Windows 10.
Case, drives, cables, and cooling are pretty much interchangeable if you buy good quality components of each type. And there are plenty of good options under each of those categories, many of which won’t have to be replaced for multiple generations of motherboard/processor/graphics card/RAM setups. And if you buy a beefy enough PSU, that should last you a while as well even as processors, GPUs/Video Cards, and motherboards tend to gobble more power with newer generations.
[off topic] Just wanted to note that I took your advice and it worked like a charm. Now I have Windows 11 running on my age-old laptop. Thanks @BigT, again, your advice in IT issues is always very helpful. [/ot]
Glad it worked. Just remember that you may have to manually update once a year or two to stay on the latest feature update. (Though some say they get feature updates offered automatically). I don’t know if other methods work, but you could, at the very least, just repeat the process you just did once a year or two.
(I say “or two” because most feature updates remain supported for 2 years, but new ones are currently expected to come out once a year.)