Will TurboTax 2019 still operate on Windows 7 after Microsoft no longer supports it?

[chlpatent]

Well some companies have a person who monitors message boards like this.  If it (an answer) didn't come from the company then whether or not they will offer a TT for Win 7 next tax year is still an open question, and answers one way or another are just speculation. 

No Operating System is free from security issues, as any IT pro knows, not Win 10 or IOS, so the annoying warning message displayed on the start of TT 2019 for Win 7 is something some corporate lawyers dreamed up as a CYA, in my opinion (I am a lawyer AND have a MS in Computers and EE).

If TT makes a Win 7 version, they ought to stand behind it 100%.

And what happens if TT for Win 10 gets hacked? Seems like TT is tacitly accepting responsibility in that case while trying to absolve themselves in the Win 7 version with their warning message.

So, give us the warning message once when we install the Win 7 version, fine.  But every time we open the program is overkill dreamed up by lawyers.

Anyway, the bottom line is TT 2019 for Win 7 installs and works.  If it stops working after Jan 2020 when MS stops supporting Win 7 for home users (they are still going to support it for enterprise users for a fee) then we should ask for our money back.

[chlpatent]

Just in case TurboTax forces a change from Win 7 to Win 10 after January 2020 when MS stops supporting Win 7, and you don't have a Win 10 PC yet, it is still possible to download and install Win 10 LEGALLY without purchasing a license key (as of yesterday 11/28/2019 - I checked) using the MediaCreationTool.

See this article at How-To Geek for more info on how to do that:

http://www.howtogeek.com/244678/you-dont-need-a-product-key-to-install-

and-use-windows-10/

This article also describes the process:

https://www.intowindows.com/download-windows-10-media-creation-tool/

The installation of Win 10 will nag you for a license key, but you can still install it without one and without activating it after installing.

Nobody knows how long MS will continue to allow installation of Win 10 legally without purchasing a license key, so this could change at any time.

You may not want to abandon Win 7 for Win 10 on your PC (I wouldn't), so you could set up a dual-boot system for Win 7 and Win 10 on your C: drive if your system has the space.  I have done that in the past without too much trouble. Win 10 will set up the boot so that Win 10 is the default and there is no wait for operator input, but the free program EasyBCD can help you correct that easily so that Win 7 is the default and the system will wait for the user to select the OS to use before proceeding.

Win 10 will operate on as little as about 25GB, however, without more space, updating Win 10 monthly gets troublesome, so I used about 1/2 of a 500GB SSD when I tried it - the other half left for Win 7.

This article will tell you how to do that:

https://www.howtogeek.com/214477/how-to-dual-boot-two-or-more-versions-

of-windows/

The limitations on using Win 10 without activating it with a license key are essentially cosmetic - you can't "personalize" it.

However, you can still install and run TurboTax 2019 without activating the Win 10 installation.

Of course if you decide you like Win 10, you could install it over Win 7 and activate it (so-called "up-grade").   I have not tried that, but some people have reported that you can still "upgrade" to Win 10 for free from Win 7 as of earlier this year. (They give it away free because of the treasure trove of data they collect form your usage, and presumably monetize, if you don't turn off the data gathering - plenty of articles on line about how to try to do that.)

Follow all recommended procedures to backup your important data files before mucking about with the operating system in case of catastrophic failure.  Also make a system image of your C: drive as well in case you need to revert back to your existing operating system.

Good luck!

[chlpatent]

NOTE: a couple of the links wrapped around in the post so be sure to use the whole link:

http://www.howtogeek.com/244678/you-dont-need-a-product-key-to-install-and-use-windows-10/

and

https://www.howtogeek.com/214477/how-to-dual-boot-two-or-more-versions-of-windows/

[bluedeb]

@chlpatent  Please start your own post.  There is no need to continue to post on someone else's question.

[berylgrant]

my computer guru says I can still use Windows 7.  Is he right?

[DoninGA]

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@berylgrant wrote:

my computer guru says I can still use Windows 7.  Is he right?

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Yes you can use a Windows 7 Operating System with the TurboTax 2019 desktop editions.  However, for tax year 2020 to be filed in 2021, TurboTax will not support Windows 7.

See this TurboTax support FAQ - https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-topics/help/windows-7-end-of-support-impact-for-turbotax/01/85...

[chlpatent]

There are probably still going to be millions of Win 7 users who don't switch to Win 10 by 2020 tax season, and large and small business users using Enterprise versions can pay to extend the Win 7 support through the MicroSoft program "Extended Security Update program."

So if Intuit goes through with their announced plan to no longer make a Win 7 version for 2020 tax year, they are going to lose that business or have it shift to an on-line TurboTax version, like users of Linux do.

QuickBooks 2020 will also run on Win 7 as long as one has it up to date (Service Pack 1) according to the Intuit system requirements page, but there it says "only supported until January 2020" whatever that means.

[chlpatent]

Huh? My comments, suggestions, are all related to the original post/question.

Starting a new post seems like it'd be redundant, no?

[Vanessa A]

Yes, TurboTax will still run on Windows 7 for the 2019 Tax Year. 

[DoninGA]

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@chlpatent wrote:

There are probably still going to be millions of Win 7 users who don't switch to Win 10 by 2020 tax season, and large and small business users using Enterprise versions can pay to extend the Win 7 support through the MicroSoft program "Extended Security Update program."

So if Intuit goes through with their announced plan to no longer make a Win 7 version for 2020 tax year, they are going to lose that business or have it shift to an on-line TurboTax version, like users of Linux do.

QuickBooks 2020 will also run on Win 7 as long as one has it up to date (Service Pack 1) according to the Intuit system requirements page, but there it says "only supported until January 2020" whatever that means.

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This same type of issue arose when the Windows dropped support for XP and Vista.  Even though TurboTax software would run on XP or Vista in the year Windows dropped support, the following year TurboTax would not run on an XP or Vista OS.  As happens in many cases users either upgraded their OS or used the TurboTax online editions.

TurboTax will probably also not work on a Windows 8.0/8.1 OS after Windows drops support for that OS in the near future.

[Critter]

@chlpatent 

Sorry but for those who refuse to upgrade will have to use the ONLINE version instead of the Downloaded one ... the other major DIY tax programs will not support Win 7 for the 2019 program ... at least TT is giving in for one more year.