As the years go by, just as operating systems are updated, so do applications. Application updates generally try to take advantage of new features that have been introduced, as well as to improve security of the users. A clear example is found in browsers, browsers that, after the end of support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 in the same month of January, many have stopped receiving updates so, unless we change the operating system, these they will not receive new versions, versions intended to improve navigation safety.
However, that does not mean that we cannot continue using these browsers to navigate on computers with old versions of Windows such as Windows XP or Windows Vista, since we can continue using them, as long as we use the latest version that received support from its developer.
Chrome
Before the end of 2022, Google announced that, beginning in early 2023, computers running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 would stop receiving updates to new versions of Chrome, new versions intended only for all computers that are running Windows 10 or Windows 11. .
The latest version of Chrome that is compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 is number 109. If we talk about Windows Xpthis operating system that was born in 2001 is compatible with all versions of Chrome up to number 49. In the case of Windows VistaIt is the same version.
If we want to use Chrome in both Windows XP and Vista, 7 and 8.1, we will have no choice but to download versions 49 and 109, versions that we can download from this link, since Google does not offer them through its website.
edge
If we talk about Edge, we find ourselves with the same problem as with Chrome, since currently, from version 110, it will no longer be compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, much less with previous versions. The latest version of Edge browser compatible with these operating systems is version 109.
If we download the installer for the latest version available from its website, a message will be displayed informing us that our team it is not compatible with newer versions of Windows. If we want to download old versions of Edge, we cannot do it through Microsoft distribution channels, but we will have to resort to websites like this one.
Firefox
Firefox is the only one of the big three browsers that, in January 2023, continue to support for computers run by Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, but not on computers running Windows XP and Windows Vista. At the moment, the Mozilla Foundation (who is in charge of its maintenance) has not announced any date on which it will stop offering support to these operating systems, operating systems that have been abandoned by Microsoft due to their age. If we talk about Windows XP and Windows Vista, the latest version of Firefox compatible with these operating systems is version number 52.9 that we can download from here.
In this way, if our computer is managed by Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, if we want to browse safely, using a browser that is updated regularly, the only option we have today is to use Firefox. Using browsers that have stopped receiving support are a danger to our security when browsing, since friends of others can take advantage of vulnerabilities that are not detected at the time and patched in later versions.
