Millions Will Lose Chrome Updates

John Lister's picture

Google's Chrome browser will soon be unsafe to use on Windows 7, 8 or 8.1. Google is about to finally ditch support for the systems, meaning no more updates.

Version 109 of Chrome, scheduled for a full public release on January 10th, 2022, will be the last available for those editions. Starting with version 110, expected in February, new versions will only be available for Windows 10 and later. (Source: google.com)

Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users can still run Chrome 109 (or earlier versions) but the browser will become increasingly outdated with no new features or performance fixes.

More importantly, there's no guarantee of any security fixes. That's a big deal given a web browser is one of the most attractive routes for criminals to distribute malware and exploit security bugs.

Windows Also Outdated

The move may be a surprise to many users, though not to those who have followed Google's support calendar. In fact, ditching pre-Windows 10 support was originally scheduled for July 2021 and then January 2022, in both cases being pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In what's likely not a coincidence, the last edition of Chrome to support Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 is being released on the same day Microsoft ends extended support for those operating system versions. That means there will be no more security updates barring the discovery of a bug so serious that Microsoft breaks its own policy. (Source: ndtv.com)

Many Users Affected

Having both the operating system and browser on the same computer no longer getting security fixes is a significant security risk that could affect many people. The latest estimates from Statcounter show 64.26 percent of computers running the Chrome browser. They also show just under 15 percent of Windows computers running a version earlier than 10.

In principle, there's no reason people can't switch to newer systems of Windows and Chrome as upgrades to supported systems are available without charge. Unlike with many earlier upgrades, the hardware requirements for Windows 10 are virtually unchanged from Windows 7, 8 and 8.1.

It appears the most likely reasons people have for sticking with increasingly insecure Windows versions is being deterred by the hassle of upgrading (particularly on office networks) or using third-party applications that aren't compatible with later editions of Windows.

What's Your Opinion?

Do you still use a version of Windows before 10? Would a lack of Chrome updates affect your Windows upgrade plans? Are Google and Microsoft right to stop supporting these editions?

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Comments

russoule's picture

interesting since there are sites that refuse to relate with Chrome editions that are not "up to date" currently. very frustrating to be told "You must use a more recent version of your browser" when accessing a media site or other sites whne you have set Chrome as automatica updating, let alone if Chrome refuses to update past v109. mt current version is 108.0.5359.125 as of 5 pm Jan 5, 2023 and it states that is "up-to date". I have my version of Windows at WIN10 and refuse to be forced into purchasing new hardware just so it can run WIN11.

it appears that the powers-that-be have decided to make us all convert no matter what. I wonder how those users of the old systems in back-water countries will relate to this? or grandma and grandpa who can barely use the old Windows 2000 to get their e-mail?

buzzallnight's picture

" the hardware requirements for Windows 10 are virtually unchanged from Windows 7, 8 and 8.1."

OK, you expect me to believe that they can't find all the bugs in Win 7 and Chrome in all the years they have been out

BUT THEIR NEW SOFTWARE IS BUG FREE?

Hahahaha Quit it you are making my sides hurt laughing too much!!!!!!!!!!!!

pctyson's picture

There is an article titled "How to Bypass Windows 11's TPM, CPU and RAM Requirements" that can be found at the following link:

https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/bypass-windows-11-tpm-requirement

They make the claim that you can install Win 11 without a TPM. I do not know if this works, but I am going to make time to do a full backup in the next week and try and give it a shot. It would be nice to know if there is a work-around that "works".

buzzallnight's picture

and their software has always had more holes in it than Swiss cheese
but
their quality is getting even worse than that.

They can't even do a patch without breaking a bunch of other things

and probably not fixing the thing they were trying fix
either!

Chrome and Android aren't much better.

It really is time for something completely new to hit the software market!

Maybe an operating system designed by AI?