Updating Windows smoothly Get a seamless upgrade to Windows 10.
Updating Windows smoothly Get a seamless upgrade to Windows 10.
I own a PC running pirated Windows 7 Ultimate with very few updates installed. When WannaCry was active, I isolated it from the internet to keep it safe. This machine has two 2TB hard drives arranged in RAID 1, holding all of my family’s data since around 1996. The drives are nearly full but still functional. My goal is to restore it online so my dad can use it, but my family wouldn’t want to spend any money on this. I’m trying to fix it myself without relying on updates, especially since I’m not confident about handling the process or trusting a Windows update on a system with no backups. I’ve read about firewalls that might help protect the machine, but I’m unsure how networking affects things and worry I might make mistakes. There’s also concern about RAID—disconnecting it could cause data loss, and even if I reconnect, I’m not sure Windows will recognize the setup. I heard stories that RAID 1 is more stable than RAID 0, but I still have doubts. When I finally plug everything back in, I’m worried Windows will handle the data correctly or if it’ll duplicate information. This PC has been idle since the WannaCry incident, and we really need it. Please help me figure this out.
The wanacry malware can't simply appear on your PC without any reason. Another infected machine in your network is likely the source. If no one else in your network has been affected, and you're the only one checking emails (without clicking any suspicious links), you should be protected. Additionally, I've heard that wanacry took advantage of an outdated feature—according to NSA reports—it was fixed starting with Windows 7 SP1 and newer versions. You have similar Windows setups, and your system includes SP1.
I recall the main issue with this virus was its ability to infect a PC automatically without any user action, which contributed to its danger. That seems accurate. Regarding the update, I still have doubts about whether Windows will handle my files correctly. Thank you for your response.
They could easily infect your PC after some network issues somehow got compromised. This mainly happened through deceptive emails aimed at businesses. Once an internal machine was affected, everything became disastrous (and it didn’t come back). The same occurred with another recent threat in Ukraine, where many organizations fell victim to targeted messages targeting their connections worldwide. For instance, Maersk experienced a major disruption, with about one-third of its largest Dutch port shut down. You shouldn’t experiment with Windows 10 or RAID settings. There must be some documentation on this. You might also try installing Windows 10 on another drive in a different machine and transfer essential files to another storage device. A 2x2TB drive holds roughly 4TB of data, which should fit on modern systems after upgrading to a solid-state drive. Then you can reorganize the RAID arrays and either merge or separate them as needed.
I’d likely save all relevant details on an external USB, then connect another device to generate a Windows 10 install USB. I’d format the drives and do a fresh installation on my computer. While I usually favor clean installs—especially switching from Windows 7 to 10—I sometimes opt for upgrades when they’re available. Another choice would be backing up everything and making an update USB for Windows 7.
WannaCry's impact seems significant despite your precautions. Since you haven't installed antivirus and have disabled updates, it’s possible the vulnerability remains active. Stay alert for any new threats.
You seem to be a bit of a skeptic about this topic. Your profile suggests you're aware of the risks, especially with older Windows versions. It's true that many organizations faced issues because they had outdated systems. Most infections came from user mistakes, like opening malicious links in emails. If you avoided those, your chances of getting affected would have been lower. However, it's worth noting that only a limited number of consumers were impacted compared to the vast number of people using PCs.
They released an update that let users turn off automatic updates. It wasn’t a direct toggle, but still manageable. Or maybe I’m misunderstanding, since Linus mentioned something similar in a live chat.
Thanks in advance. I have a few PCs besides this one, and my files can be spread across them. I’ll back them up there and install a new Windows 10. If the RAID stays intact, that’s fine; otherwise, I’ll rebuild it.
I work with a Hackintosh every day and mostly use Windows systems. I also have Linux Mint version 18.2 installed.