Right now, only two versions of Windows are supported by Microsoft and developers: 10 and 11. When an operating system is discontinued, developers gradually turn their backs on it, gradually eliminating support and leaving users unable to use their programs. Web browsers are a clear example of this, since despite being critical programs when using a computer, they are also the first to lose support for older versions of Windows. Luckily, there are always companies that make efforts so that we can continue using older Windows without risks or problems.
Connecting to the Internet from an obsolete operating system such as Windows XP, Windows 7 or Windows 8 It can be quite an ordeal. And not only because of the vulnerabilities that exist in these systems, but also because many of the programs we are used to, such as Google Chrome, will probably no longer work on them.
Although we will find more and more programs that no longer offer support for these versions of Windows, if what we want is to be able to connect to the Internet without headaches, there are still some alternatives. We are going to leave you the best browsers that still work on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
Firefox
He Mozilla browser It is probably the best option we can choose if we want to be able to surfing the Internet from these operating systems. Although Mozilla was initially planning to end support for Windows 7 and 8.1 very soon, it seems that the company has reconsidered things and will offer extended support for much longer than initially planned.
At the moment, Mozilla is finalizing the details of its extended support, although it will probably be limited to ESR versions (extended support versions) and not to the main branch of the browser. We could even see an independent version for these systems that, although it will not receive new functions or features, will continue to correct errors, bugs and vulnerabilities.
Download Firefox here.
UR Browser
Another browser that continues to support Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 is UR. This web browser is characterized, mainly, by three qualities: being fast, private and secure. It is a web browser that comes with several extensions that allow us to improve our privacy when we browse the Internet, block all trackers that are loaded without permission when visiting certain websites, and even offers a VPN with which we can browse with total privacy and anonymity.
Download the browser from its website. Some antivirus programs may give a false positive with the installer, but it is completely safe.
Pale Moon
Pale Moon is another excellent web browser that promises to run smoothly on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, at least in the short and medium term. Initially, this browser was based on Firefox, but over time (and especially when Mozilla released its latest web engine) it made the jump to Goanna to continue with independent development. Thanks to this, this browser can support these systems without depending on other organizations.
This is a very optimized, light and fast web browser. It is true that it is not one of the prettiest, aesthetically speaking, but it is one of the most secure, private and customizable that we can install on our operating system without support.
Download the browser from Pale Moon free.
Older versions of browsers
Finally, although we do not recommend it, we can also download and install old versions of classic browsers, such as Chrome or Opera, which do work with these versions of Windows. However, we must be extremely careful with these versions, since they have not been updated for some time, and they probably hide vulnerabilities that could endanger the security of our PC.
Similarly, we can also use Internet Explorer, and even Safari, to browse the Internet from these outdated versions of Windows. However, these browsers do not support the latest web standards, and will give us a lot of problems when opening most websites.