Windows 7!

Make sure you're using a standard user account and not an admin one when you go online. Use Microsoft Security Essentials for your anti-virus (Microsoft announced a week or two ago that they'll continue to update this for Windows 7 users until further notice). Use Google Chrome as your browser (Google announced this week that they'll continue updating this for Windows 7 until at least the middle of next year).

Keep away from the one-handed websites. And use something else (like an iPhone) for online banking, every time, so if the worst does come to the worst, the worst thing doesn't happen.

Do all that, and I should think you can carry on with Windows 7. I certainly am. Regardless of anything else, Windows 7 seems to be the only operating system out there which allows one-finger scrolling on a laptop. You can't do it on W10 or Chromebooks or Macs. It might sound trivial, but I just can't handle two-finger scrolling after getting so used to one-finger.

Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 for Windows 7 for x64 - last update going through

So why do so many people, especially ones who have trouble dealing with computers worry so much about updates? It's a con. If you don't have an antivirus, you wont get a virus. If you turn off updates, you wont need to worry about them.

What is the alternative to upgrading to Windows 10?

Use Ubuntu instead. It's free.

https://ubuntu.com/desktop

I run WINDOWS 10 on my desktop, and Ubuntu on a laptop for banking only.

If you only use your computer for online work there's no point in buying Windows.

I stuck with Windows 7 to within a month of the end myself, but I have to say, having bought a new PC, Windows 10 isn't that bad.  Depending on what you use it for, a lot of it handles in a very similar, if not identical, manner to Win7 (File Explorer etc).

The one that they really screwed up was Windows 8, until they gave people the option to effectively use it like a Windows 7 emulator.

Thanks for the heads-up everyone. I shall heed your advice.

I just tried to update something I'd normally do every other day after deleting cookies and scanning for virus, but nothing doing, obviously. I do have Microsoft Security Essentials and another antivirus recommended by my bank Nationwide (Spybot I think); I do have another laptop with Windows 10 which I only use for promotional games from bookies to try and win free spins - Windows 7 will not work with these games.

I'll continue using this laptop with Windows 7 Home Premium - it's the best of all. I might collect my other laptop with Windows 8.1 which I like - it had a loose power input socket - from a friend who'd fixed it just in case this one malfunctions. But, nothing comes here to Windows 7, in my book.

Someone told me they still use XP and get security updates which are still available for certain commercial versions of the software. Most people wouldn't know how to go about doing this.

This Windows security updating lark is a complete disgrace.
They design the software to be vulnerable and needing regular security patches, then when the time is ripe they bring out a rehashed version and sell you the same thing again.

Which is a very good business model, but is why so many get fed up and switch to Ubuntu (Linux.)

But they're getting round that by designing new computers to run on Windows, so if anyone buys a new computer they'd best check before they assume it will be okay running Linux.

^^^^^^^^^If you have a valid licence foe Win7, I believe it can still be upgraded to Win10 for free?

Well here's interesting....

Just fired up the desktop, and "Windows 7", with a generous shovel of "Nutty Slack", and I got....

"Preparing To Configure Windows, Do Not Turn Off Your Computer"

and then...."Installing Windows Updates..Please Wait"......or words to that effect!

The whole process, including restarting, took just over five minutes, so would be interesting to know what "Jiggery Pockery"
has taken place!!

It's all Wizardry really, letting people you don't know, having keys to your office, and filing cabinets etc,
on the grounds that they have promised to be good, and treat everything in there with utmost confidentiality, and if they want to
alter things, without asking, that's ok!

^^ and ^^^

tuesday is update day, so nothing really surprising.

Going forward the problem is that a "vulnerability" is found in win10 that also affects win7. Hackers check these updates and as the issue won't be fixed in win7 they try to exploit it.

Microsoft would probably still issue updates for any SERIOUS flaws found in Windows 7. They have done this previously with Win XP.

A couple of news items recently since Microsoft stopped support for Win 7.

First there was the black desktop background issue(As i've mentioned above, i've always used a pirated windows OS and have mostly worked with a black desktop background. Its just what happens when the computer checks for an update and realizes the computer/OS isn't even registered.) It was treated as a bug, when it really doesn't make any difference.

Now there's the issue of the computer not shutting down. My guess is that also had something to do with it looking for an update and not finding one and getting stuck in a loop. I was told to turn off updates immediately after installing windows and that if I didn't do that and turned off the computer while connected to the internet, it'll look for updates and wreck me.

Similarly there was an anti virus thread here where most people, including me said that anti viruses are a scam and the very reason viruses attack you is because you have an anti virus installed. Apple recently was fined 27 million dollars because it deliberately slowed down old iphones so people would have to upgrade. Just to put this into perspective, Apple had 33 billion(with a B!) in revenues in the fiscal 4th quarter 2019 alone. LET THAT SINK IN!

So why would an anti virus company not infect you especially when your subscription is about to expire?

By the way i'm still using windows 7 without any anti virus as always. Absolutely nothing has changed.