Future of Chrome on Windows 7

[alzcore397]

has anyone released any patched 110?? 

[upadi]

Chromium 109.0.5414.130-1_Win32 was released https://chromium.woolyss.com/ this version is ungloogled. The date say 26 feb but was uploaded recently

archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20230303055534/https://objects.githubusercontent.com/github-production-release-asset-2e65be/95730276/e5b106d7-59b1-4eec-8549-e11e580e35b8?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWNJYAX4CSVEH53A%2F20230303%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20230303T055350Z&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Signature=102f6454efe29313556b2854595e77ded19f046a88fcd2646e5f74d170fa9cbc&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&actor_id=0&key_id=0&repo_id=95730276&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B filename%3Dungoogled-chromium-109.0.5414.130-1_Win32.7z&response-content-type=application%2Foctet-stream

Edited March 3, 2023 by upadi

[xpandvistafan]

For those who don't know, Google will continue pushing Chrome 109 updates until October for Windows Server 2012. You can find more about that here. However, on my Windows 8.1 machine, it seems updates for 109 are being pushed as well. I just got updated to Chrome 109.0.5414.129, which is supposed to be for Server 2012 only. Can someone test on Windows 7 and see if it has also been updated?

[mina7601]

17 minutes ago, xpandvistafan said:

Can someone test on Windows 7 and see if it has also been updated?

Unfortunately, on Windows 7, it didn't update. It stayed at 109.0.5414.120.

Edited March 4, 2023 by mina7601

[xpandvistafan]

1 minute ago, mina7601 said:

Unfortunately, on Windows 7, it didn't update. It stayed at 109.0.5414.120.

There is also a direct download link to the new version that Google has released. Can you test if the links below works and installs?

Chrome 109.0.5414.129 64 bit: https://www.google.com/dl/release2/chrome/juzaykgd5e6nyvk27fwtbrjgoa_109.0.5414.129/109.0.5414.129_chrome_installer.exe

Chrome 109.0.5414.129 32 bit: https://www.google.com/dl/release2/chrome/kr3ekrngooyu46qwruasnjsjey_109.0.5414.129/109.0.5414.129_chrome_installer.exe

[mina7601]

1 minute ago, xpandvistafan said:

There is also a direct download link to the new version that Google has released. Can you test if the links below works and installs?

Chrome 109.0.5414.129 64 bit: https://www.google.com/dl/release2/chrome/juzaykgd5e6nyvk27fwtbrjgoa_109.0.5414.129/109.0.5414.129_chrome_installer.exe

Chrome 109.0.5414.129 32 bit: https://www.google.com/dl/release2/chrome/kr3ekrngooyu46qwruasnjsjey_109.0.5414.129/109.0.5414.129_chrome_installer.exe

Thank you, I will try. I will test both of them.

[mina7601]

The latest Chrome version for Server 2012 (and R2) installs and works on Windows 7!

[rainyd]

4 hours ago, mina7601 said:

Unfortunately, on Windows 7, it didn't update. It stayed at 109.0.5414.120.

I can confirm that too, however manual installation using a link above (64-bit version) was successful.

[xpandvistafan]

That's great that this works. So I guess manually installing the new updates will make it work, at least on Windows 7. As I said earlier, new updates (only security updates) will be released until October, so we should get updates on 109 until then, after that, we will have to look at backporting again, as has been done on MacOS.

[VistaLover]

10 hours ago, xpandvistafan said:

There is also a direct download link to the new version that Google has released. Can you test if the links below

Can you please provide/explain the method you employed to obtain those links?
How is one on Win7 supposed to get access to similar links until Oct 2023?

[xpandvistafan]

14 minutes ago, VistaLover said:

Can you please provide/explain the method you employed to obtain those links?
How is one on Win7 supposed to get access to similar links until Oct 2023?

For me, I just downloaded the Chrome installer, and when I ran it, I intercepted the requests when it was downloading and it directed to the above links. The Chrome Installer still pushes Chrome 109 to operating systems below Windows 10, and when it fetches 109, it should fetch the latest version, which is currently 104.0.5414.129. 

[legacyfan]

On 3/4/2023 at 10:54 AM, mina7601 said:

The latest Chrome version for Server 2012 (and R2) installs and works on Windows 7!

good job mina! (does this mean chrome is still usable on 7?)

[VistaLover]

19 hours ago, xpandvistafan said:

I just downloaded the Chrome installer, and when I ran it, I intercepted the requests when it was downloading
and it directed to the above links.

... I assume that was a stub/on-line installer, run on your Win8.1 setup, was it not?
If that same installer is run under Win10+, it'll fetch the latest stable Chrome release, either v110.0.5481.177 or v111.0.5563.50 at this time... What will be fetched under Win7SP1 if that same installer is run? Probably just v109.0.5414.119/.120 (can't test right now) ...

So, I guess, one has to first gain access to a Win8.1 box to grab the v109 security updates, to then install them under Win7SP1...
Hopefully, the updated links will be made public to the Win7 communities, as they become available to 8.1/2012R2 users... BTW, one should better archive those v109 installers, because it's widely known Google will remove the builds from their servers , in due course, for being "insecure"  ...

Edited March 5, 2023 by VistaLover

[mina7601]

4 hours ago, legacyfan said:

(does this mean chrome is still usable on 7?)

It is still usable and can display modern websites (but, after sometime, some websites may soon require newer Chrome 110+, just like in the last XP/Vista version 49, where they required Chrome 50+), but these security updates will not make Chrome update to the latest version (which is 110, at the moment), they will just improve security.

[cmccaff1]

Writing this from Server 2008 R2 x64, and I think I've settled on the ultimate compromise now. I was amazed with Server 2003 x64, the fastest experience I've ever had running Windows XP. However, XP (while still my favorite version of Windows) is in a tougher spot than 7 at the moment when it comes to software. 7, of course, is my second favorite version (and to me, MS's last great OS).
So I ended up looking into what 7's equivalent would be, hoping to see if I could reap the same benefits Server 2003 has over the standard XP. Turns out the answer is 'YES'!

I can't say enough good things about Server 2008 R2. Just like 2003 it's a true 'thoroughbred' OS that trims out exactly the right amount of fat from standard 7, and carries a more powerful version of 7's already incredible kernel. All the same advantages of Server 2003, and then some, are found here (including support for more physical processors, more RAM and larger hard disks). There are quirks (such as having to enable the audio service and install WiFi support from a built-in manager), but it's still fantastic. It is an idea I wish regular Windows would implement (giving you a base set of features out of the box and a manager tool to add other features when the need arises), but it may irritate casual users, while only advanced users would really, truly, take advantage.

After a lot of testing, my journey is, without a doubt, over for now. Unless the incompatibility of newer hardware makes me move up to 10, or the limitations of older hardware bring me back to XP, it's 7 or bust for the foreseeable future. XP's browser situation is just much too dire for my comfort nowadays.

I'm currently on Hibbiki's last Chromium 109 build (.120 being the newest available point update at the moment), but I hope there will be more builds as more security updates are released--and of course I'll try to keep track of anything new that comes up on the browser front for Windows 7. The fact that Chromium 109 is still getting security updates is very cool, and I think that version will be perfectly usable at least for a couple more years before it can truly be considered 'obsolete'.
And of course, Firefox is still getting updates for the time being, and there is also the option to experiment with older versions of Chromium/Firefox (for example, Chromium 87 and Firefox 78 ESR/84 were the last versions with built-in Flash support, so if you like to play Flash content in a browser and have a modern code base these are still worth revisiting), and to try out other browsers too.

Many thanks to everyone who is still using 7, and following what's going on! If I can contribute anything of value, I will try my best.