All sorts of security features in the browser only work on newer operating systems:

Hardware-enforced Stack Protection: https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-chrome-this-new-feature...

Significant improvements to ASLR starting in Windows 8: https://msrc-blog.microsoft.com/2013/12/11/software-defense-...

And many more things. New Windows releases aren't just coats of paint.

Understanding the difference between security and privacy is why I actually use Edge on Windows for some desktop tasks.

There is no difference between security and privacy. If you have no privacy, compromising your security is easy. If you have no security, compromising your privacy is easy.

Guarding one protects the other.

Correct.

Need to do those in different ways at different times.

I would not have thought the improvements would have been that significant (I'm old and ignorant). HeSP is dependent on the cpu? (article noting intel gen 11 and amd ryzen 3 are needed) and ASLR still being implemented on Win7 with http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2639308

We still have to keep a couple winxp and nt boxes alive at work for diagnostic gear (none are online). Thankfully not my job as I am obviously a risk :)

Forced ASLR isn't the important feature (the browsers already opted themselves in). The increased entropy, which doesn't exist on Win7, is important however.

Remember WannaCry? 67% of infected PCs ran Windows 7, the rest mostly ran Windows XP: https://www.networkworld.com/article/3197762/wannacry-was-a-...

Windows 10 was technically vulnerable, but since Windows 10 has drastically better security features, from a defense-in-depth standpoint, having Windows 10 more or less rendered most computers immune in practice. (Likely, the few 10 machines infected were intentionally crippled by their admins.)

Bear in mind, Windows 7 is an OS from 2009, 12 years ago. It's ancient from a computer security standpoint.

Whether you are personal or corporate, you probably should be running either Windows 10, or choose an alternate operating system entirely like OS X or Linux.

Chrome end of support on Win 7 is in only 7 months from now.