If the startup chime of your computer this morning was followed by a full-screen message telling you that "your Windows 7 PC is out of support", you're not alone. Hundreds of millions of PCs are still running the decade-old Windows 7 operating system, despite Microsoft's best efforts to persuade its customers to make the jump to Windows 10. But for many reasons – economic, logistic or just downright stubbornness – many are holding firm. Some might see their stance as a noble act of resistance against the world's second-biggest company, but their fight cannot be easily won. With the ending of the support period for Windows 7 comes a wealth of security risks from new viruses, worms and trojans. Microsoft isn't going to keep you – or, indeed, your business – safe any longer.
It would be an exaggeration to describe Windows 7 as "much-loved", but these things are relative. Windows Vista, its predecessor, was criticised for its poor security and unreliable compatibility with existing software and hardware. Windows 8, its successor, was described by one reviewer as "clumsy and impractical". So almost by default, Windows 7 became a consumer favourite – and that's part of the problem being faced today. Everything has a shelf life, and 10 years is, in software terms, a pretty long innings. Microsoft announced a year ago that support for Windows 7 would end on Tuesday, January 14 – yesterday – but rather like an expiry date stamped on canned food, you can't blame people for asking what the big deal is. How bad can it be? After all – Windows 7 works.
In the short term, the dangers to security may be minimal. But as time goes by, vulnerability to malware increases. Take the example of Windows XP, which has been out of support for more than five years. According to computer security company F-Secure, it now takes 20 minutes on average for a Windows XP machine to be hacked after connecting it to the internet. As machines go unpatched, the number of holes in their software increase. And while many people may question why they would be targeted, the truth is, automated systems don't care who you are. All that matters is the vulnerability of the system – and Windows 7 is now being left to its own defences.
The risk to consumers of leaving system software unpatched is primarily theft, of identity and of assets. Businesses, who also have responsibility to employees and customers, generally show greater diligence in upgrading their PCs, but the associated expense and disruption has caused millions of them to postpone the inevitable. Last month, a survey of the British National Health Service reported that nearly a quarter of a million computers were still running Windows 7. In the USA, it’s estimated that the majority of jurisdictions still use Windows 7 (or older) machines to tally votes and report election counts. In Asia, analytics firm GlobalData estimates that 35 per cent of enterprise PCs are still plugging away with Windows 7.
Recognising the various threats to business, Microsoft announced in October that a special Security Update license would be offered to companies who needed more time to make the upgrade – but that would come at a price, with that license increasing in cost every year, and an absolute deadline of January 2023. No such offer is open to home users.
Upgrading is never popular. We spend many hours each week clicking around on-screen environments that become very familiar spaces. We get to know where everything is and what everything does. When that changes, people get frustrated and angry. They start campaigns for things to be put back the way they were, and question why anything needed to change in the first place. Many PC users dislike the tiles and taskbar quirks of Windows 10, and find Windows 7 to be cleaner and more intuitive. Whether that’s true, or whether they’re just more used to Windows 7, isn’t something that can be measured objectively.
What can be measured, however, is the annoyance people feel when they’re forced to upgrade. Back in 2015 Microsoft launched pop-up notifications to urge people to install the newly-launched Windows 10, and saw a wave of resentment at their marketing campaign. One user took Microsoft to court for attempting to upgrade her computer without her consent. The company learned its lesson, and now describes its notifications of the end of Windows 7 support as a “courtesy reminder”, while giving people a “do not notify me again” option to suppress any future nudges. This could, however, cause complacency.
Windows 10 Home is on sale in the Microsoft UAE store for $199 (Dh730), which could be another deterrent to upgrading. But it is reported on technology website ZDNet that the free Windows 10 upgrade programme – which was supposed to end in the summer of 2016 – still works, and it offers a walk-through of how to get it.
Whether Microsoft will respond is unclear, but its decision could sum up the big question at the heart of this issue: are technology companies more interested in the security of their customers, or the revenue they collect by forcing them to upgrade?
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Freezer tips
- Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
- If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
- Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
- The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
AWARDS
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs: 2019 Jeep Wrangler
Price, base: Dh132,000
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 285hp @ 6,400rpm
Torque: 347Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.6L to 10.3L / 100km
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
