102 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2020HERE’S HOW WINDOWS 7 IS DEAD
connect to the Internet, physically
disconnect it from the Internet. Pull the
ethernet plug right out, or disable Wi-Fi.
Alternatively, if you only need legacy
Windows 7 support for a program or two,
you can run Windows 7 in a virtual machine
on a modern, supported operating system,
be it Windows 10 or some flavor of Linux.
(Again, moving off of Windows 7 as much as
possible should be the goal.) If the virtual
machine gets compromised, you can just
wipe it and start over, with no harm to your
main installation. Just make sure you’re
backing up the Windows 7 data so you can
replace whatever’s lost.
Even with all these precautions in place,
your PC can get pwned (go.pcworld.com/
pwnd) if you tell malware to come in. Use
safe browsing practices (go.pcworld.com/
sfbr) to avoid being fooled into downloading
malware by
phishing
attempts,
malicious emails,
fake updates and
error warnings,
drive-by
downloads, or
other tomfoolery.
It’s not specific
to Windows 7
security, but make
sure you’re
backing up yourdata (go.pcworld.com/wbak) and using a
password manager (go.pcworld.com/
pman), too.MAKE PLANS TO MOVE ON
Windows 7 was great while it lasted, but
now it’s gone. While these tips will help
you keep using the operating system for
longer, running an insecure OS in
today’s hyper-connected world is inviting
trouble. Start thinking about your future
options, whether it’s snagging a free Linux
distro (go.pcworld.com/lnxd), trying for a
free Windows 10 upgrade (see page 103),
or straight-up buying a new Chromebook
or Windows laptop (go.pcworld.com/blpt).
When the next catastrophic bug rears
its head, you don’t want to be left in
the lurch.
Be careful out there.You may want to consider migrating to Linux.