Windows 7 Is Dead: Long Live Your Antivirus!

Nothing lasts forever, and when a new version of Windows arrives, the end-of-life timer starts ticking. Even Windows 10—the "last" version of Windows—has a "best used by" date coming up in 2025. The simple solution is to continue upgrading, but that's not always possible. If hardware considerations, legacy software, or some other snag keeps you stuck on a defunct operating system, what happens to your antivirus protection?

This is an especially important consideration for users of Windows 7, which died this month. If you don't upgrade, you won't get security updates from Microsoft, which isn't great. Even worse would be the possibility that your security software might abandon your devices. Will that happen then? The researchers at AV-Test Institute in Magdeburg, Germany, decided to find out.

Antivirus Testing

AV-Test Institute is known worldwide for its testing of antivirus products. Reports come out every few months, like clockwork. Testers rate each antivirus on three criteria: Protection, Performance, and Usability. Protection naturally refers to the product's essential ability to fend off malware attacks and wipe out malware infestations. A good performance score means the product did its job without dragging down system performance. Mistakenly flagging a valid app or website as malicious lowers the product's usability score.

A given antivirus can receive up to six points in each category, for a maximum of 18 possible points. Those that manage 17.5 or better receive the designation "Top Product."

While the latest tests all use Windows 10, this lab used to cycle between all active Windows versions. That gave the researchers plenty of experience with validating protection on multiple operating systems. For the report on continued Windows 7 support, they checked company websites and queried the manufacturers directly about continued support for Windows 7.

Good News, for Most

Most of the manufacturers announced no specific date to drop support for Windows 7, which AV-Test experts took to mean support would continue at least two years.

This group includes: AhnLab, Avast, AVG, BullGuard, Carbon Black, ESET, FireEye, G Data, Ikarus, K7 Computing, Kaspersky, Microworld, NortonLifeLock, PC Matic, Quickheal, Seqrite, and Vipre. If you're using one of these on Windows 7, you'd be wise to check from time to time in case the company does announce an end date for support. TotalAV likewise doesn't have a specific end date, but will offer support for at least a year.

A few provided more specific dates. Bitdefender will support Windows 7 until Jan. 11, 2022, while McAfee's support ends in December 2021. F-Secure will continue support until at least December 2021 and Avira until November 2022.

Windows 7 news from Sophos seems to refer to the company's large enterprise business, not so much to the home products we've reviewed. Sophos will offer on-premises support until December 2020 and cloud-managed support until the following June. Finally, Trend Micro doesn't state any plans for ending support, but offers only limited tech support for those who continue to use Windows 7.

If you don't see your antivirus or security suite provider noted above, you may need to check with the company directly. You could also bookmark AV-Test's report and check from time to time, as the company plans to expand it with any new information that arrives.

Hey, What About Windows XP?

Windows XP reached its end of life in 2014, but it still shows up in the most surprising places, like on Vladimir Putin's desk. If you're somehow stuck using Windows XP, your pickings for antivirus protection are quite a bit slimmer.

Looking at our top antivirus picks, Bitdefender, ESET, F-Secure, Kaspersky, McAfee, NortonLifeLock, and Trend Micro have all dropped support for Windows XP. Webroot comes closest, hanging onto support for Windows Vista, but that still doesn't help if you're stuck on XP.

BullGuard and Panda aren't at the top of our list, but the system requirement lists for these two product lines indicate that they support all Windows versions back to Windows XP. Avast and AVG both maintain XP-specific old-school versions of their free antivirus products—but if you choose one of these, be sure to opt out of sharing data. Comodo also used to offer an XP-specific free antivirus, one that still shows up in search results. However, clicking the search result link just takes you to the standard antivirus.

Upgrade If You Can

So why exactly are you still using Windows 7? If you're stuck maintaining an antique PC that can't support an upgrade, there's nothing you can do (except buy a new PC). Likewise, if you rely on legacy software that can't handle the upgrade. But if it's just laziness, well, fire up your energy and get the upgrade.

As AV-Test's experts discovered, Microsoft really wants you to upgrade away from Windows 7. Even though the time period for a free upgrade to Windows 10 expired multiple times, it's still open for Windows 7 users. Presuming your Windows 7 installation is legitimate, with a valid license key, you just download the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant, run it, and follow instructions. Welcome to the modern world!

About Our Expert

Neil J. Rubenking

Principal Writer, Security

My Experience

When the IBM PC was new, I served as the president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial team, who brought me on board in 1986. In the years since that fateful meeting, I’ve become PCMag’s expert on security, privacy, and identity protection, putting antivirus tools, security suites, and all kinds of security software through their paces.

Before my current security gig, I supplied PCMag readers with tips and solutions on using popular applications, operating systems, and programming languages in my "User to User" and "Ask Neil" columns, which began in 1990 and ran for almost 20 years. Along the way, I wrote more than 40 utility articles, as well as Delphi Programming for Dummies and six other books covering DOS, Windows, and programming. I also reviewed thousands of products of all kinds, ranging from early Sierra Online adventure games to AOL’s precursor Q-Link.

In the early 2000s, I turned my focus to security and the growing antivirus industry. After years of working with antivirus, I’m known throughout the security industry as an expert on evaluating antivirus tools. I serve as an advisory board member for the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO), an international nonprofit group dedicated to coordinating and improving testing of anti-malware solutions.

The Technology I Use

Much of the testing I do, particularly testing with real-world ransomware, is just plain dangerous. To perform such tests safely, I sequester them inside virtual machines managed by VMWare Workstation. For cross-platform testing, I use a MacBook Air, a Google Pixel 4, and a 6th-generation iPad.

I rely on my Delphi coding skills to create and maintain small applications. These include programs to check whether an antivirus correctly handled the malware it detected, launch dangerous URLs and record the security program’s reaction, and analyze the malware that I collect for use in testing. I also wrote a tiny browser and text editor for use in testing security apps that have predefined reactions for known products.

I do my writing and research on a Dell OptiPlex desktop, relying on Microsoft Word (my fingers know all the shortcuts). Many of my articles include charts and analysis; Excel is my go-to for those. When work hours end, though, I escape the bounds of Microsoft and Windows. There’s an iPhone in my pocket, I relax with my oversized iPad, and my Kindle Oasis is always loaded with the best science fiction and fantasy.

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