Steam no longer supports Windows 7, 8, and 8.1

L4sBot@lemmy.worldmod to Technology@lemmy.world – 295 points –
Steam no longer supports Windows 7, 8, and 8.1
neowin.net

Steam no longer supports Windows 7, 8, and 8.1::Customers sticking to the good-old (and dead) Windows 7 now have one more reason to ditch the operating system: as of January 1, 2024, Steam no longer supports Windows 7, 8, and 8.1.

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It is ridiculous that Steam won't let you play your games you payed for outside of steam. Games that you've played for years on Windows 7 suddenly no longer play. Steam is like a DRM system that suddenly stops working and makes all the stuff you bought worthless.

Are you running an OS that hasn't received a security update in a year (if you purchase the ESU packages)???

Dude, at least move on to Windows 10 or something, that's just you taking bad decisions at this point.

I like Windows 7 precisely because I still have complete control over my computer. Microsoft cannot brick my computer on a whim like they have the power to with later versions of windows.

I feel like this group of people are the kind that would already be on Linux though. If you're that anti Microsoft why be on any version of Windows when such a great suitable replacement that also still works on these older systems exists?

I feel like this group of people are the kind that would already be on Linux though.

I have plenty of Linux machines and used Unix since before Linux existed. But when I want to play WINDOWS games and dont want to deal with wine hassles I need a windows box.

Wine hassles? It's not 2013 anymore. Proton sets up a prefix on first run and you don't think about it.

You'll probably even have more issues on Win7 for gaming than on Linux lol

No DX12 support, questionable driver support from AMD/Nvidia, Win7 CPU scheduling not playing well with plenty of recent CPUs, etc.

"brick my computer on a whim"

Paranoid much?

It's funny that you fear Microsoft but not all the people that can exploit all the flaws that are now left open in your computer because you haven't received a single security update in 357 days (or more since the last three years were paid updates).

Odds that these computers were infected by something in the first place?

Pretty fucking high.

I support multiple computers at all times that are always running the latest Windows version, never had one where an update broke it and if it happened it's a pretty major leap to go from "that update broke my computer" to "Microsoft intentionally bricked my computer"

It's also completely ridiculous because you're implying that the same situation couldn't have happened with a Windows 7 update.

update broke my computer” to “Microsoft intentionally bricked my computer”

Didn't say it was intentional. Why would it be intentional?

It’s also completely ridiculous because you’re implying that the same situation couldn’t have happened with a Windows 7 update.

You can turn Windows 7 updates off. You can also control the timing of the updates.

Odds that these computers were infected by something in the first place?

Zero since they specifically noticed it happened during the update process.

Didn't say it was intentional?

Microsoft cannot brick my computer on a whim like they have the power to with later versions of windows.

You can turn updates off for the following versions of Windows too.

Chances are they update broke because their computer was infected by something that didn't play well with the update, I don't know why you would think the odds are zero and don't know why you would think something similar couldn't happen with a Windows 7 update (not that you would care since you don't get updates anymore, but you might want to care about infection risks though, going on the internet for you is like joining an orgy and leaving your condoms at the door).

"On a whim" means they unintentionally throw out a sloppy updates that bricks some computers. Which I have given you evidence of.

You can turn updates off for the following versions of Windows too.

Not permanently except for corporate versions.

Chances are they update broke because their computer was infected by something that didn’t play well with the update,

Chances are much more likely the update broke their computer because their computer contained some software and/or drivers too obscure for Microsoft QA to care about.

The issue was still present with W7 if that's what you meant, the issue would be much more common if it was an hardware issue and it doesn't really matter in the end, you keep dodging the part where you can forgo updates for a while, but in the end the risk factor becomes so great that you must be an idiot to do so long term.

And need I remind you, if you're not a troll and you're truly still running W7, you haven't had any updates in at least a year... Which would explain you not realising that buying from Steam doesn't make you own the games...

Anyway, I'll stop entertaining you, have fun playing games on a sub par system that isn't compatible with the latest versions of direct x and that hardware manufacturers are starting to stop supporting! Oh no, that's right, you can't use Steam anymore sooooo... No more recent games for you, just a whole bunch of malware and keyloggers! 🙂

You are far from entertaining. I did have to reinstall my OS from scratch one time, but that was because of a hard drive failure, not a virus.

Yeah I don't blame valve for Microsoft dropping security updates and neglecting the last good version of windows. I've switched to Linux where this will never happen.

It's a Chromium issue, not a Windows issue.

It's a DRM issue. Not a Chromium issue, or a Window's issue. What happens when Steam goes out of business after a corporate takeover and NOBODY WILL EVER BE ABLE TO PLAY ANY OF THEIR STEAM GAMES AGAIN.

You're talking about a different subject.

The reason why Steam is dropping support for W7/8 is a Chromium issue.

The reason why Steam will no longer allow me to play my purchased games on Windows 7 is a DRM issue which they could easily fix with a lightweight program.

Do you realize how ridiculous it is that playing a desktop game depends on a freaking web browser?? That is just unbelievably stupid.

No.

The reason is that Chromium doesn't support the OS anymore and Steam is Chromium based.

You purchased the right to install games from Steam knowing you need it to install and play the games, you knew full well that no Steam = no games, your accepted that DRM as long as it didn't get in your way. Looks like no matter how ridiculous you say it is now it didn't stop you from spending your money.

But that lack of logic shouldn't suprise me considering you're running an unsafe OS but you fear Microsoft and not all the hackers that now have access to your shit.

You purchased the right to install games from Steam knowing you need it to install and play the games,

Actually I did not know that. It pisses me off that I bought Axis and Allies Online on Steam instead of GOG one week before it became unplayable on Steam on my Windows 7 system. I will ALWAYS check GOG from now on.

You agreed to a TOS. Not reading it was your fault. I'll admit that extremely long TOSes are kind of a dark pattern, but you did agree to them.

Steam is literally DRM. But nobody wants to acknowledge that.

It's a store and content downloader. Buy games that don't implement steamworks and you can copy the install folder to keep playing on windows 7 just fine without logging in.

Steam isn't DRM, it's a game storefront/downloader that offers developers the option of DRM when they publish their game.

Plenty of games have zero DRM, and plenty of games do. I wish they'd make it clearer which do and which don't, but that's a separate issue.

You’re right with what you said except for Steam is not like DRM. Steam is DRM!
People will defend Valve with tooth and nails, but like every other digital system, one day it will fuck with their users (my guess is when Gabe Newell retires).
I can barely wait for that day, to see thousands of posts of users crying, because they never purchased anything, only rented! ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

Plenty of people hated Steam when it first came out, it was a controversial thing when games started to require it.

Steam has only become as popular as it is because Valve responded to much of that criticism, and improved it enough to become “acceptable” DRM in the minds of most gamers. People defend it because it came to work (mostly) seamlessly and offer additional beneficial features. Unlike many other far jankier platforms/launchers which have been developed with minimum effort as more transparent cash grabs.

A DRM free world be be ideal, but we rarely get an ideal world, so people settle for the least worst instead.

It is ridiculous that Steam won't let you play your games you payed for outside of steam

Very easy to run your previously purchased steam games without Steam. Search "Steam emulator", follow the GitHub or Codeberg link, and problem solved...

Won't help with games that use their own custom DRM though.

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