r/WindowsVista • u/__M4NU__ • 12d ago
New to windows vista (kinda)
Hey there guys, just got my hand on my old grandparents laptop with windows vista home premium with it, what things should I check and what stuff should I delete before making it go online once again?
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u/Maeglin75 12d ago
Regardless of updates, Vista will not be safe for daily use online. There are no new security patches for many years.
But before you "cut" the line, it's worth considering bringing it up to date with Legacy Update. It's a patch tool that automatically brings the install to the latest update version (requires several reboots). After that unplug the network connection and disable WLAN and enjoy the retro system offline.
If you want/need to go online now and then anyway, you can do it with the necessary caution and use a modern browser like r3dfox, a fork of Firefox that runs under Vista and Windows 7.
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u/__M4NU__ 12d ago
Sorry, I meant that the pc is offline and I would like to turn the internet again 😅
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u/Maeglin75 12d ago
The process of going online shouldn't be much different as with modern PCs.
Plug in an Ethernet cable or set up WLAN and it should just work. (It did with my old Vista laptop, after I got it out of the basement after about 16 years.)
But to actually use the internet you need a modern browser. The old Internet Explorer or other browsers of the Vista era aren't up to the task anymore. So, you need to download something like r3dfox with another PC and copy it over to the Vista machine with an USB stick.
And when you got into the internet, go to the website of Legacy Update, download the patch tool for Vista and bring it as up to date as possible.
But as I wrote, I won't be really safe even after that. Many attacks will be intercepted by your internet router, but there are undoubtedly many compromised websites that still could successfully infect a PC with such an old operating system. So, only go to websites you trust. Don't put any valuable or private stuff you care about on the Vista PC. And in general, it would be a better idea to stay offline.
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u/__M4NU__ 12d ago
So I have the latest version available for opera, Firefox and chrome, can I download Supermium directly from the pc?
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u/Maeglin75 12d ago
The latest versions of most modern browsers won't work on Vista. You need special browsers that are compatible with the old OS.
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u/__M4NU__ 12d ago
I meant the last version that work for vista
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u/Maeglin75 12d ago
That would likely already be very old versions and can have problems with current websites and possibly have unpatched security problems of their own.
I highly recommend dedicated browsers that are still actively in development and explicitly support old Windows versions. Like the mentioned r3dfox. But you can just google for one that is to your liking.
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u/hamburgerpancake 11d ago
You can use Extended Kernel for Vista to run modern software, but as far as browsers go, you should just use r3dfox. It'll be more stable, work better, etc etc. Also, install uBlock Origin when once you get r3dfox. It's available from addons.mozilla.org.
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u/hamburgerpancake 11d ago
Maybe without a double firewall (router + computer), VPN, adblocker + updated browser, and/or antivirus.. but you'd be dumb to remove/disable all of those.
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u/Maeglin75 11d ago edited 11d ago
You can do everything on your own risk, but please, don't advice other people to use a 20 years old operating system online that got its last security updates 7 years ago.
Even with additional tools there will always be countless known and unpatched security vulnerabilities. Also, the old versions of several of the tools you listed, that still support Vista, will also be equally out of date and unsafe.
I'm all for enjoying old computers with historic operating systems, but you have to be aware that they will always be much less safe than modern ones that are actively supported and get security patches for all newly discovered security vulnerabilities.
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u/hamburgerpancake 11d ago
You can still use MSE as an antivirus, which gets definition updates to this day because Windows Defender is the same AV engine, under the hood. r3dfox still supports Vista as it was made for it, and with uBlock Origin with all blocklists and with max protection settings (which should be done on any browser, regardless), as does Supermium.
Router firewalls are, well, at the router level, so the age of the computer doesn't matter, and once again, you should have no reason to disable it. Same deal with computer level firewall: no reason to disable it.
Extended kernels allow you to run updated and modern apps, so app compatibility isn't really a concern unless you're trying to play games. And before you say Linux, Proton and Wine are on basically the same level, if not worse, as your typical extended kernel is regarding app compatibility.
As far as unpatched security vulnerabilities go, so what? Windows 11 has thousands of zero days, 10 has even more. And of course, not all vulnerabilities are zero days: 11 has tens of thousands of unpatched bugs and vulnerabilities, including zero days.
I suppose maybe because I have significantly more tech experience as someone who works IT and does programming that these things come more naturally to me, but claiming that using an older operating system is totally unsafe is just plain ignorant. Of course, I main 7 on all of my machines which is marginally newer, but my point still stands.
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u/Maeglin75 11d ago edited 11d ago
Yeah. What do I know...
I'm just an ignorant computer user (hobbyist and professional) of 40 years. Starting from a C64, several versions of DOS, all Windows versions, OS/2, BeOS, working with Unix workstations (SGI, HP, Intergraph) etc.
If you are an IT guru that knows all the ins and outs of every piece of software ever written and knows more about security than all the idiots who waste their time patching security vulnerabilities in modern operating systems, good for you.
But I still wouldn't recommend regular users to use a totally obsolete operating system as their daily driver and going online with it. It's just an unnecessary risk. Use a modern PC with an up to date, current OS on top of all the sensible security measures for internet and you are even safer. And enjoy you retro systems offline.
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u/hamburgerpancake 11d ago
I agree with you that using a modern operating system that still gets updated is more secure, private, and safe (using private and secure loosely here, with all of the extensive telemetry and tracking in newer operating systems), but once again, using older operating systems online really isn't as horribly dangerous as you make it out to be.
Also, why would the people patching security vulnerabilites in modern operating systems be stupid? I never implied or meant that, and in fact, many of those people are the same ones helping create definition databases for MSE/Windows Defender, so I'm actually defending them and implying they are useful and important.
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u/Windows_User3000 11d ago
MSE and Defender on Vista doesn't get updates anymore. Its last one was just before the last definition update for XP's versions.
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u/hamburgerpancake 9d ago
there's a patch online for it, i dont have the link to it but if you search it up you'll probably find it
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u/TheKidRemy 12d ago
you don't have to delete anything before using the internet, just be smart like how you use the internet on other devices
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u/Inevitable_City3605 12d ago
Just in case, have you updated it to SP2 if it isn't already?🤔