PC World - USA (2020-02)

98 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2020

HERE’S HOW WINDOWS 7 IS DEAD

by Windows 7.

Why? Because it

stays out of your

way, and it just

works.

Until January

14, 2020, when

Microsoft ends

Windows 7’s

extended

support.

Windows 7 is

dead.

Your PC will

keep operating,

of course. Microsoft isn’t literally pulling the

plug on your devices. But Windows 7 won’t

receive any more updates or security

patches, meaning your PC will also be very

vulnerable to all those nasty malware

programs garnering headlines seemingly

every day. If you keep using Windows

7—and over a quarter of all computers run it,

per NetMarketShare (go.pcworld.com/

nmkt)—you’re on your own, and the Internet

can get nasty.

We can help you stay as safe as possible,

though.

STICKING WITH WINDOWS

7 IS NOT AN OPTION

Seriously: Switch away from Windows 7 by

whatever means necessary. That’s our

underlying recommendation. Sticking with

Windows 7 was understandable before;

now it’s a liability. With no security updates

and a still-vast market share, Microsoft’s

operating system will be a big, juicy target

for hackers.

We recommend migrating to Windows

10 if you’re able to, and have a guide

explaining your Windows 10 upgrade

options (go.pcworld.com/10up). If you

perform only basic tasks on your PC—email,

web surfing, and documents—then Linux is a

viable, user-friendly option these days.

We’ve got a Linux beginner’s guide (go.

pcworld.com/lnxg), too, and better yet you

can try it for free with no risk to your main

Windows 7 installation. You can probably

still upgrade to Windows 10 for free (see

page 103), too.

But if you need to bide some time before

Upgrade to Windows 10 or Linux if you can.