Windows 7 why?

I still use Windows 7 on my work laptop since many embedded systems I deal with still rely on control software that doesn’t work on Windows 10. Really, lots of software still relies on older versions of Windows.

Unlike XP, lots of modern software is still built with toolkits supporting Windows 7. Unfortunately, most software has become incompatible over time due to updated dependencies, but there is still options for basic use. Firefox is one such example as of mid 2024 following Chromium’s lead.

Windows 7 also supports XP Mode, which is official virtualization software for running XP.

Obtaining

Windows 7 is impossible to download from Microsoft. So unless you have an official installation CD, it is basically impossible to find a clean iso. Most isos you can find are either cracked or come with unwanted software/spyware.

As of publishing, massgrave.dev has some clean isos available for download. You can also find the Microsoft Activation Scripts there for pirating Windows and Office, a very good resource indeed.

If you can’t download from massgrave for whatever reason, then I suggest searching for these filenames, and then verifying the checksum. If you don’t bother verifying the checksum, or the checksum doesn’t match, then please delete it and try again.

ISOs:

Ultimate

x86
Part- X17-59463
en_Windows_7_ultimate_with_sp1_x86_dvd_u_677460.iso
SHA1: 65FCE0F445D9BF7E78E43F17E441E08C63722657
ISO/CRC: 35511F11

x64
Part- X17-59465
en_Windows_7_ultimate_with_sp1_x64_dvd_u_677332.iso
SHA1: 36AE90DEFBAD9D9539E649B193AE573B77A71C83
ISO/CRC: 992B8FCD

Professional

x86
Part- X17-59183
en_Windows_7_professional_with_sp1_x86_dvd_u_677056.iso
SHA1: D89937DF3A9BC2EC1A1486195FD308CD3DADE928
ISO/CRC: E8C2AD67

x64
Part- X17-59186
en_Windows_7_professional_with_sp1_x64_dvd_u_676939.iso
SHA1: 0BCFC54019EA175B1EE51F6D2B207A3D14DD2B58
ISO/CRC: AD44DB36

Home Premium

x86
Part- X17-58996
en_Windows_7_home_premium_with_sp1_x86_dvd_u_676701.iso
SHA1: 6071B4553FCF0EA53D589A846B5AE76743DD68FC
ISO/CRC: 85B5EF4A

x64
Part- X17-58997
en_Windows_7_home_premium_with_sp1_x64_dvd_u_676549.iso
SHA1: 6C9058389C1E2E5122B7C933275F963EDF1C07B9
ISO/CRC: 4A182640

Staying Secure

Considerations

If you are using physical hardware, then choose hardware that is compatible with Windows 7. Anything from before ~2016-2017 is a good bet, but go before 2015 (win10 released) to be sure.

Tutorial

Simple hardening of Windows 7 can be achieved via following these steps:

1. In your bios, disable your bluetooth adapter.
2. After installing Windows, use Bitlocker (builtin/more convenient) or Veracrypt (foss/more secure) to encrypt your hard disk.
3. Connect to the internet, and install all available updates. This will take a while, you will have to endure multiple rounds of updates and restart multiple times.
4. Configure the Windows firewall to block all incoming traffic on public networks. You can set trusted networks as home/work networks.
5. Install latest available drivers for your hardware (especially any radios) from the OEM’s site.
6. Don’t browse the web.

And no, I don’t bother to install antivirus.

I also don’t access sensitive information on this computer, and I disable other hardware like my webcam/mic in my bios as well. So I feel plenty comfortable using it for my purposes.

As you can see, I am using the correct operating system denoted by the badge on the palmrest.

Now please excuse me while I install Windows 10 on this machine 5 or so years down the line.