Question Any advice for running Windows 7 with no Microsoft support ?

[Kalnon]

I use Windows 10 but I want to create a Windows 7 virtual machine using Hyper V Manager for running older games that are not Win10 compatible or don't work well on Win10, I have a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate I want to use. I've never run an OS that for which support has been discontinued so I imagine that there are security risks in doing so.

I have Bitdefender Total and Malwarebytes Premium that I use together on Windows 10, would that be enough to keep me safe on Win7? Are there other things I should do to keep safe?

Also I've never used Windows 7 before so if anyone has tips for setting it up I would appreciate it.

Thanks

 

[lvt]

If the games are so important to you, you should built a separate PC for it.

For example a small ITX box running Win7 should be nice.

 

[Cellie]

If the only thing you're only going to do in that OS is run games I don't see the security risks, specially since you're going to do it in a virtual machine — isolated from your main system. As long you don't browse the internet or install games from suspicious sources you should be fine.

 

[TerryLaze]

As long you don't browse the internet or install games from suspicious sources you should be fine.

Internet connection alone is enough to get infected though, and that's enabled by default.

Also, a VM will not give you good graphics for the most part, it will simulate a generic card and your games will have to be able to handle that.

Are there even any windows 7 games that don't run on windows 10/11?
It's the same architecture, other than maybe some system files (like dx9 or some specific .net version or something) you need to download there should not be any game that should have any issues.

 

[Kalnon]

If the games are so important to you, you should built a separate PC for it.

For example a small ITX box running Win7 should be nice.

Because running a VM is a heck of a lot cheaper

 

[Kalnon]

If the only thing you're only going to do in that OS is run games I don't see the security risks, specially since you're going to do it in a virtual machine — isolated from your main system. As long you don't browse the internet or install games from suspicious sources you should be fine.

That's a really good point. I forgot a VM is completely cut off from the main system. I don't plan to download from suspicious sources. These are games I own through platforms like Steam, GOG and Epic. Also some games are from legit abandonware sites.

Even though running a VM would keep my main system safe, I still want to install my antivirus/malware programs because some games require mods I have to download off the internet, other than that, I won't do any browsing. Of course I would install Adblocker & Malwarbytes Browser Guard browser extensions too. I'm hoping that would be enough to keep the VM safe.

 

[Kalnon]

Internet connection alone is enough to get infected though, and that's enabled by default.

Also, a VM will not give you good graphics for the most part, it will simulate a generic card and your games will have to be able to handle that.

Are there even any windows 7 games that don't run on windows 10/11?
It's the same architecture, other than maybe some system files (like dx9 or some specific .net version or something) you need to download there should not be any game that should have any issues.

You mean I can't install Windows 7 drivers for my graphics card in a VM? I honestly didn't know that. I thought I could just install Windows 7 version of all the drivers I need.

Yes there are games that run fine on Windows 7 but not Windows 10 and games that run better and have less issues than running them on Windows 10. I looked into this which is why I decided to make a Windows 7 VM so I can play them, i was looking for a way to play certain games I own that I can't get running on Windows 10 or have many issues running on Windows 10. Even if what I read about this is wrong, I don't see the harm in giving it a try.

 

[NedSmelly]

You mean I can't install Windows 7 drivers for my graphics card in a VM? I honestly didn't know that. I thought I could just install Windows 7 version of all the drivers I need.

DirectX doesn't work properly in a virtual machine. The VM platform has to create a virtual GPU that the VM sees - it can't directly access the GPU. Which is the whole point of a VM.

VMWare Workstation Player used to offer limited DirectX support, but in practice it was pretty crap. AFAIK Hyper-V doesn't support DirectX out of the box, but there are convoluted ways around it.

 

[Kalnon]

DirectX doesn't work properly in a virtual machine. The VM platform has to create a virtual GPU that the VM sees - it can't directly access the GPU. Which is the whole point of a VM.

VMWare Workstation Player used to offer limited DirectX support, but in practice it was pretty crap. AFAIK Hyper-V doesn't support DirectX out of the box, but there are convoluted ways around it.

Well that really sucks, I'll give it a try anyway just to see how the games run. If there are "convoluted ways" around it, I'll have to look into that and see if it's worth my time to mess around with.

I appreciate everyone's advice so far, I am learning now, thanks to you all.

 

[NedSmelly]

Well that really sucks, I'll give it a try anyway just to see how the games run. If there are "convoluted ways" around it, I'll have to look into that and see if it's worth my time to mess around with.

I appreciate everyone's advice so far, I am learning now, thanks to you all.

What you need to find is a VM that provides "GPU passthrough". You'll find a few technical guides if you search for "Hyper-V gpu pass through" as key words. And they all look pretty ugly.

It's been a while since I've played with VMs. Even when I got a game working, they were often stuttery messes due to CPU scheduling and latency. Theres a *lot* of tuning involved.

Edit: Going back to your original question, I'd probably be looking at a dedicated Windows 7 gaming machine that is airgapped / 100% offline, with games only being installed via physical media.

Steam stopped supporting Windows 7 at the beginning of 2024. I would not be using Windows 7 for online gaming, single player games requiring internet access to run, or online anything for that matter.

 

[Kalnon]

What you need to find is a VM that provides "GPU passthrough". You'll find a few technical guides if you search for "Hyper-V gpu pass through" as key words. And they all look pretty ugly.

It's been a while since I've played with VMs. Even when I got a game working, they were often stuttery messes due to CPU scheduling and latency. Theres a *lot* of tuning involved.

Okay I'll look into that, thank again for the advice, I really appreciate it. I'll give it a shot anyway and see how it goes.

Maybe @lvt was right, maybe I am just better off just building another PC lol

 

[NedSmelly]

Okay I'll look into that, thank again for the advice, I really appreciate it. I'll give it a shot anyway and see how it goes.

Maybe @lvt was right, maybe I am just better off just building another PC lol

See my postscript edit above - added while you posted this. Good luck

Edit: do a search on "Hyper-V and GPU-P"... and "Two Gamers One GPU"

 

[TerryLaze]

i was looking for a way to play certain games I own that I can't get running on Windows 10 or have many issues running on Windows 10.

Do you mind listing a few of those?! I'm really interested to see what games they are.