Update KB4493132 informs Windows 7 users of the end date of support



[ad_1]

Windows 7 header

A new Windows 7 update called KB4493132 has been released. It displays notifications reminding users that Windows 7 will reach the end of its life, starting January 14, 2020. These notifications contain a link to a Microsoft page that suggests users upgrade to Windows 10.

Microsoft seems to have the gift of bringing back features we like to hate. Yesterday, Clippy was released for Microsoft teams and we now have an update that, for some, will recall the GWX notifications that annoyed users when Windows 10 was released.

These notifications will begin to appear on April 18, 2019 and will display the following message and contain a Learn More link to a Windows 7 end-of-life article. The notification also includes a checkbox that allows you to configure the program so that it will no longer show you the alert in the future, which is described later in the article.

End of support notification for Windows 7 SP1 coming soon
End of support notification for Windows 7 SP1 coming soon

The full text of the notification is available below.

After 10 years, support for Windows 7 is coming to an end.

January 14, 2020 is the last day that Microsoft will offer security updates and technical support for Windows 7-based computers. We know that this can be difficult, which is why we strive to help you back up your files and prepare yourself.

This notification is displayed via a new update KB4493132, titled "Windows 7 SP1 Support Notification" that installs an executable file that will run daily on Windows. More information on the technical aspects of posting notifications is explained later in the article.

KB4493132 Update
KB4493132 Update

The update KB4493132 is currently not available through the Microsoft catalog and will be automatically installed by Windows Update.

In the notification of end of support for Windows 7

After the update is installed, a new executable called C: Windows System32 sipnotify.exe will be created.

Sipnotify.exe Executable
Sipnotify.exe Executable

This executable is started by two tasks scheduled under the Microsoft Windows End of support folder called Notfify 1 and Notify 2.

Scheduled Tasks for Sipnotify.exe Notifications
Scheduled Tasks for Sipnotify.exe Notifications

the Notify1 task will execute the command % windir% system32 sipnotify.exe -LogonOrUnlock when a user logs on or the computer is unlocked. the Notify2 task will execute the command % windir% system32 sipnotify.exe – daily like noon every day.

Once executed, the program will check if the date is between 18/04/19 and 15/01/2020, and if it is, a notification will be displayed.

When viewing the notification, it will use the localized HTML code and the images found in the C: Users [login_name] AppData Local Microsoft Windows SipNotify folder. This folder contains localized HTML templates for many languages ​​and a main cabinet file containing these HTML files.

This CAB file will be downloaded and updated as necessary at https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RE2JgkA, which allows Microsoft to modify the message and the templates presented later. date.

Sipnotify.exe also uses registry entries to keep track of when notifications are displayed and if users want to continue to display alerts. This registry key can be found at HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion SipNotify.

The available entries under the this key are:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionSipNotify]
"DateModified" = hex (b):
"LastShown" = hex (b):
"DontRemindMe" = dword: 00000001

I believe DateModified is the date of the template CAB file, LastShown is the date the notification was last displayed, and DontRemindMe can be set to 1 to stop showing notifications. If a user has checked the box to not display the notification, DontRemindMe will be set to 1.

To force a notification, you can clear the value in LastShown.

[ad_2]

Source link