Have you decided what to do with your Windows 10 PC when it reaches its official end of support date in a year?
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I know several people who are convinced that Microsoft will back out at the last minute and extend that deadline. That won’t happen. End dates are listed in Microsoft support documentation. “Products are scheduled to be retired or no longer supported in 2025.”
If you’re looking forward to an extension, prepare to be disappointed.
Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET
Schedules are defined by Microsoft. Latest lifecycle policyis documented in Microsoft life cycle Page: “Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025. The current version, 22H2, will be the final version of Windows 10, and all editions will continue to be supported with monthly security update releases until that date.”
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For Windows version Reaching end of support datethe software continues to work, but the update channel stops.
[There] No new security updates, non-security updates, or assistance support will be provided. We encourage customers to migrate to the latest version of the product or service. Eligible products may have paid programs.
The middle part is encouraging. “We recommend that customers migrate to the latest version of your product or service.” Unfortunately, this means that if you are running Windows 10 on hardware that does not meet Windows 11’s strict hardware compatibility requirements. This option is not supported for customers with
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When you try to upgrade one of these PCs to Windows 11, you receive an error message. In a separate support article, Microsoft reiterates that it will no longer provide technical support or security and reliability fixes for PCs running Windows 10 after October 14, 2025.
What should you do if you’re responsible for one or more Windows 10 PCs that have failed Microsoft’s Windows 11 compatibility tests? You have five options.
1. Completely ignore end of support deadlines
Nothing can be done. Just keep running an unsupported operating system and hope for the best. This is a bad idea that opens you up to a very real possibility of falling prey to security exploits.
I’ve heard that some people believe that using third-party antivirus software can protect them from harm. I wouldn’t bet my business on that strategy.
Also, don’t pay for antivirus software. Here’s why you don’t need it
If you plan on doing so, please consider installing it. Free 0 patch agent To address security issues not addressed by Microsoft. The free personal plan includes patches for known zero-day vulnerabilities, but if you want all Windows 10 patches or if your PC is used for business or enterprise tasks, you can spend a few dollars worth You will have to pay for the Pro plan at the rate you want. dollars a month.
2. Buy a new PC
Microsoft and its partners want you to replace your unsupported hardware with a new PC. You might be tempted by a shiny new Copilot+ PC with a custom neural processing unit or a powerful gaming PC. But it seems wasteful to throw away a perfectly healthy computer. And if you’re still using Windows 10 because you have mission-critical software that’s not compatible with Windows 11, that’s not an option.
You also have the option to sign up for Windows 365 and rent a new virtual PC. This allows you to remotely connect to your virtual PC running Windows 11 in Microsoft’s cloud. Windows 365 subscriptions run on Windows 10 and include up to three years of Extended Security Updates for your host PC. Windows 365 isn’t cheap, but it’s cheaper than a new PC.
3. Ditch Windows completely
You can also keep your old hardware and replace Windows 10 with your favorite Linux. If you have the technical know-how and experience to manage the migration, it’s worth considering that option.
Related article: How to replace Windows with Linux Mint on your PC
It might be possible to switch to Google’s free ChromeOS Flex, but the replacement’s compatibility requirements will likely get in your way. I wrote about my experience in “Do you want to install ChromeOS Flex? 5 things to do first to avoid headaches.” As I pointed out, “If you have an older PC or Mac and are thinking of installing ChromeOS Flex on it, don’t do anything until you check Google’s official.” List of ChromeOS Flex certified models. ”
Also: Yes, you can upgrade your old PC to Windows 11 even if Microsoft says no. These readers proved it
Also, pay particular attention to the end of support date for the PC you’re considering upgrading. It doesn’t make much sense to replace Windows 10 with a ChromeOS Flex release, which is also scheduled to reach end of support in 2025 or earlier.
Switching to Linux or a Linux derivative may be a good way to reuse your old PC. Still, this isn’t a viable alternative for most consumers and businesses that have already invested in Windows software.
The last two options are more attractive.
4. Pay Microsoft for security updates
Remember that official support document I cited earlier that says “there will be no new security updates” after Windows 10’s end of support date? That’s not exactly true.
Microsoft will certainly continue to develop security updates for Windows 10, but they won’t be free. Microsoft announced in December 2023 that it will be offering Enhanced Security Options (ESU) for Windows 10. These subscription-based updates are available for up to three years.
Also: Microsoft plans to start charging for Windows 10 updates next year. How much is it?
How much do these paid updates cost? Microsoft announced a price list for business and education customers in April 2024. If you’re an administrator at an educational institution deploying Windows 10 Education edition, you’re in luck. These extended updates literally cost $1 per machine in the first year, $2 in the second year, $4 in the third and final year, and run through 2028.
IT professionals who manage large numbers of business PCs aren’t so lucky.
Business customers will have to pay a hefty price to continue using Windows 10. Extended Security Updates (ESU) program licenses are sold as subscriptions. The first year’s cost is $61. In the second year, the price doubles, and in the third year it doubles again. I didn’t do those calculations in the blog post, probably because the totals are uncomfortably high. A three-year ESU subscription costs $61 + $122 + $244, for a total of $427.
Consumer choices are even more limited. For $30, you can extend support until October 2026 and receive security updates for an additional year. This is a significant discount compared to what business customers would have to pay, but the consumer contract is only valid for one year. Once your subscription ends, you will no longer receive support.
5. Upgrade “incompatible” hardware to Windows 11
This pesky compatibility checker may claim that you can’t upgrade your Windows 10 PC to Windows 11, but there are actually officially supported ways to get around these limitations. You just need to overcome some technical difficulties.
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For more information, see How to upgrade an “incompatible” Windows 10 PC to Windows 11. Here is the short version.
If your PC was originally designed for Windows 10, you’ll need to make a few registry edits to ensure your PC is configured to use Secure Boot with Trusted Platform Module (TPM) enabled. There is. Older TPM 1.2 chips are also sufficient. As many readers confirmed via email, this process works seamlessly as long as the configuration details are set properly.
For older PCs that were originally designed for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you may need to use a third-party tool called Rufus to avoid installation issues. This is especially true for PCs that use legacy BIOS instead of UEFI firmware or do not have access to a TPM. Make sure you are using the latest version of Rufus (4.6 beta or newer) to ensure you can avoid Microsoft’s latest compatibility checks.
Also: This Windows 11 hide setting lets you kill unresponsive apps directly from the taskbar.
Additionally, if you try to perform an unsupported upgrade, you may receive a warning message similar to the following. Don’t worry. “If you continue installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and you will no longer be entitled to receive updates. Because it is incompatible, your PC will no longer be covered by your manufacturer’s warranty.”
That’s an intentionally misleading statement. As previously mentioned, this warning doesn’t actually mean Microsoft will block your access to the update. This simply means that your PC is no longer supported and is no longer “eligible” to receive those updates. These words are instructions from Microsoft, which disclaims legal responsibility without saying what it will actually do.
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If you don’t want to mess with the registry and want to perform a clean install, just use Rufus to create a bootable Windows 11 installation drive. This will completely bypass the compatibility checker. You’ll need to backup or restore your data files from the cloud, and you’ll also need to install software from scratch, but it’s no more difficult than setting up a new PC.
This article was first published on November 15, 2021 and last updated on November 3, 2024.
