Windows 7... how not to get rid of it?

[Jimmy Higgins]

So luckily in America we have monopolies so there is no competition and stuff for computer operating systems, so when there is a decent one out there that you don't need to pay to use, it gets phased out and the user gets fucked. I currently have four computers, one XP, two Windows 7's, and one Windows 10. The XP isn't on the network and so isn't exposed. Windows 7 will become exposed soon, but my problem is I don't want to mess with the OS's with an "upgrade" on boxes that are doing fine.

Now that I said that, one of them will likely explode.

Regardless, my two Win 7 laptops are now media boxes that have my ripped DVD / Blu-Ray collection. Ultimately, I can probably survive if they no longer speak to each other, but I like that they can speak to each other and TVs I have, both locally through HDMI and through the WiFi. I am assuming the best I can hope for is plugging in an older router (do I even have it anymore? gosh was that a 802.11-b?), and hooking them to that and use it as a local network, because I don't see how I can have them on the existing network and successfully limit access from online, unless I can somehow make the computer read only access. Is that a thing? Is read-only not including port exposure?

I suppose the next crazy question is double checking that HDMI can't transit a virus. There is the feedback stuff, but that usually is limited to a single HDMI input on a receiver or tv.

 

[bigfield]

SRegardless, my two Win 7 laptops are now media boxes that have my ripped DVD / Blu-Ray collection. Ultimately, I can probably survive if they no longer speak to each other, but I like that they can speak to each other and TVs I have, both locally through HDMI and through the WiFi. I am assuming the best I can hope for is plugging in an older router (do I even have it anymore? gosh was that a 802.11-b?), and hooking them to that and use it as a local network, because I don't see how I can have them on the existing network and successfully limit access from online, unless I can somehow make the computer read only access. Is that a thing? Is read-only not including port exposure?

A computer's firewall can be configured to be very fussy about what it lets in and out on any port.

If you can specify what the laptops need to be able to send/receive over the network, there's a good chance you can allow that while preventing internet access. For instance, if you are sharing media files using some form of CIFS (such as SMB) then you can open the ports for that service but only let the laptop send/receive to/from IP addresses in your local network. You can also configure a CIFS/SMB connection to be read only.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

If you have only two devices you want to talk to each other simply plug in an ethernet cable. They'll both get 169. addresses but it will work. (That's why they pick those 169 addresses when they can't see a network!)

If you have more than two you'll need a switch. An old router likely will suffice for the purpose. Plug each machine into it. Again, 169 addresses but it should work.

Note that a sophisticated router can be configured to deny those MAC addresses access to the internet.

 

[Deepak]

You can use Windows 7 firewall to restrict access to just the machines with an IP in your LAN IP range (one outbound, and one inbound rule for all ports). There's more sophisticated options, but that should do for a simple home network.

https://www.howtogeek.com/112564/how-to-create-advanced-firewall-rules-in-the-windows-firewall/

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

In the Linux world, virtual machines are common. Virtual Box allows one to set up a VM for Windows 7 for those who want to do so. This allows one to keep Windows 7 safe by making sure it is not connected to the net. This is great for games or software that needs Windows 7.

Windows 10 also has VM software that allows one to do this. Since I am not a windows 10 user, I have no experience doing that, Oracle Virtual Box can be installed on Windows. It is free. If I wanted to keep Windows 7 and use Windows 10, this is probably the way I would go.

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Thanks a bunch. I'll need to digest and see how to move forward.

 

[ZiprHead]

If you have only two devices you want to talk to each other simply plug in an ethernet cable. They'll both get 169. addresses but it will work. (That's why they pick those 169 addresses when they can't see a network!)

If you have more than two you'll need a switch. An old router likely will suffice for the purpose. Plug each machine into it. Again, 169 addresses but it should work.

Note that a sophisticated router can be configured to deny those MAC addresses access to the internet.

To do that, you need a crossover cable. A standard ethernet cable won't work.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

If you have only two devices you want to talk to each other simply plug in an ethernet cable. They'll both get 169. addresses but it will work. (That's why they pick those 169 addresses when they can't see a network!)

If you have more than two you'll need a switch. An old router likely will suffice for the purpose. Plug each machine into it. Again, 169 addresses but it should work.

Note that a sophisticated router can be configured to deny those MAC addresses access to the internet.

To do that, you need a crossover cable. A standard ethernet cable won't work.

Depends on the systems, there's a very good chance it works these days.

 

[ZiprHead]

If you have only two devices you want to talk to each other simply plug in an ethernet cable. They'll both get 169. addresses but it will work. (That's why they pick those 169 addresses when they can't see a network!)

If you have more than two you'll need a switch. An old router likely will suffice for the purpose. Plug each machine into it. Again, 169 addresses but it should work.

Note that a sophisticated router can be configured to deny those MAC addresses access to the internet.

To do that, you need a crossover cable. A standard ethernet cable won't work.

Depends on the systems, there's a very good chance it works these days.

Hmmm. Did not know that.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

So if the router is blocking the two devices from the Internet, such as by using the MAC address... if something comes probing my router and gets through, it can't see the two laptops?

If you have only two devices you want to talk to each other simply plug in an ethernet cable. They'll both get 169. addresses but it will work. (That's why they pick those 169 addresses when they can't see a network!)

If you have more than two you'll need a switch. An old router likely will suffice for the purpose. Plug each machine into it. Again, 169 addresses but it should work.

Note that a sophisticated router can be configured to deny those MAC addresses access to the internet.

This is about keeping two Win 7 computers on a network so they can interface with other devices (tvs and Win 10 computer), but keep the Win 7 computers from having exposure to Internet.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Firewall. You can set up a firewall to not allow connection to the net by vulnerable machines, while allowing others to connect. I know little about Windows firewalls so you will have to brush up your Windows 10 firewall kung fu to do this. I can set up Linux to allow a machine, say a Windows 7 machine to be accessible by only a known machine which can be handy but don't know how to do that with Windows. That means no access from the net is possible for the Windows 7 machine that is not a privileged machine.

 

[Bronzeage]

I've always considered upgrading the OP on a computer to be the same as swapping out a larger engine in a car. There might be some advantages, but there's always something that doesn't fit and it's up to you to make it work.

Back in the 90s, I got tired of having four computers with four successive operating systems. I wanted every machine to open every file and run the same program. When XP came out, I bought four computers. The last time I bought computers, it was Windows 8. That four were never upgraded to Windows 10, because I never set a machine to automatic upgrades. The 8 machines are working fine, but I'm sure they will be replaced in a year or two. By that time, Windows 10 will be a ghost.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Depends on the systems, there's a very good chance it works these days.

Hmmm. Did not know that.

The thing is an awful lot of devices these days will figure out they have been connected wrong and work anyway. More switches than NICs but plenty of NICs also support it.

What really shocked me was ~15 years ago, an electrician got their grubby paws on a network wire--instead of using a switch they simply wired it as if it was electrical. Amazingly, it sort-of worked. It had a high error rate (no traffic cop avoiding collisions) but the data got through.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

So if the router is blocking the two devices from the Internet, such as by using the MAC address... if something comes probing my router and gets through, it can't see the two laptops?

If you have only two devices you want to talk to each other simply plug in an ethernet cable. They'll both get 169. addresses but it will work. (That's why they pick those 169 addresses when they can't see a network!)

If you have more than two you'll need a switch. An old router likely will suffice for the purpose. Plug each machine into it. Again, 169 addresses but it should work.

Note that a sophisticated router can be configured to deny those MAC addresses access to the internet.

This is about keeping two Win 7 computers on a network so they can interface with other devices (tvs and Win 10 computer), but keep the Win 7 computers from having exposure to Internet.

As others have said, firewall. If you really want a suspenders-and-belt approach drop a second NIC in the machine that will be able to access the internet, the local traffic goes through that, the other machines have no physical connection to the internet.