Developer enables Windows 7 updates on PCs with new processors

A developer has put a patch online that makes it possible to receive updates on PCs with new processors and Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Microsoft has withdrawn support to persuade users to update to Windows 10.

A developer nicknamed Zeffy posted the patch on GitHub in the form of a .bat file. The patch changes a single value in an update. In the wuaueng.dll file, the fix changes a value from 0x01 to 0x00, indicating that the update does support the CPU, after which Windows 7 can install the update. There is another fix for Windows 8.1, but that is an internal test function from Microsoft and that possibility may disappear in future updates.

Microsoft recently released the first updates that no longer support newer processors on Windows 7 and 8.1. This includes Intel Kaby Lake and for AMD Bristol Ridge and Ryzen. AMD will continue to make Ryzen drivers for Windows 7, although updates will not come without the fix.

With the new support policy, Microsoft probably wants to ensure that consumers and companies immediately choose the latest Windows version when purchasing new hardware. Companies in particular regularly install older Windows versions on their systems. However, Microsoft hopes that as many users as possible will switch to Windows 10, and for this reason has made an upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.1 free.

For systems with Intel Skylake processors, Microsoft has extended Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 support until July 17, 2018. Until then, Windows 7 users will receive critical security updates. Windows 8.1 users could in theory also receive new functionality via updates, although this does not seem likely in practice. There is mainstream support for Windows 8.1 until January 2018. The extended support period for Windows 7 will end on January 14, 2020, and Windows 8.1 will end on January 10, 2023.