What does the end of support mean for Windows 7?

On January 14, 2020, support for computers running Windows 7 was largely discontinued. Windows 7 will continue to function despite the end-of-life, but certain functions are no longer included: Technical support in the event of problems, updates to the operating system, security updates, problem solutions and bug fixes no longer take place. This service can be maintained for a fee for companies for 2 years.

20. 3 2020 - Sebastian Evers

Can I continue to use Windows 7 after the support has ended?

The continued use of Windows 7 is associated with considerable risks after the end of support. With the end of the manufacturer support, Windows 7 can still be used - however, it is not advisable: The lack of support exposes you to a much greater risk of malware infection without updates and fixes for security gaps. Accordingly, an update to the current Windows version 10 or a change to another current operating system is recommended to reduce the risk.

However, the update to Windows 10 also has certain problems.

Can data be lost when upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10?

In the past, both the Windows 7 update to Windows 10 and the semi-annual updates on Windows 10 have led to data loss. For this reason, it is recommended - in addition to the regular backups - to back up the pictures and documents and all important data before updating to Windows 10.

Furthermore, the Windows 10 security updates should be carried out manually so that a complete backup of all files can be made before each installation. Only then should you install the Windows 10 update. Windows 10 Update 1809, among other things, led to severe data loss in October 2018 and has since been recalled because it destroyed all data from redirected user profiles.

Can data loss occur when installing Windows 10?

There is always data loss in the course of Windows 10 installation if an installation data medium is to be created with the Media Creation Tool. The data from the storage medium intended for installation of Windows 10 should always be backed up first.

Often the corresponding data carrier is mixed up or not taken into account that it is reformatted for this purpose. The result is a new 32 GB partition called ESD-USB. This means that external hard drives or USB sticks with important data are formatted unknowingly and data that is still required is overwritten.

Can data deleted by Windows 10 update be saved?

Deleted data can be restored in almost all cases. There are a number of free and commercial programs on the Internet, all of which could more or less reliably enable data recovery. However, only files that have not yet been overwritten can be restored. For example through new installations or newly saved files.

For this reason, you should avoid installing the data recovery software onto the same data carrier on which the data was deleted. In addition, the result of the data recovery should never be saved to the affected drive, but always onto a different storage medium or at least another partition. Otherwise, the raw data marked as deleted would be recursively overwritten with the supposedly saved files - the data would then be permanently lost.

If the data carrier in question is a SSD, formatting can mean that data recovery is no longer possible by simultaneously executing TRIM.