I got this message saying that in late October WIndows 10 will not be supported anymore with automatic updates, and that my PC/computer is not compatible with Windows 11. So presumably I will have to buy another PC? Can this be true? Has anyone else had this message?
Me too. It’s true. If you’re worried you can buy and extension from Microsoft. There’s a tech guy on Youtube who gives the pros and cons. He doesn’t seem to be willing to commit if it’s a good idea or not.
I’ve known this for a long time and was planning on getting a new laptop with Windows 11 until I can manage to sort out a new desktop setup.
My computer is from 2016 and is not able to be updated due to hardware compatibility.
However, many older computers are eligible for Extended Security Updates (ESUs) which will offer security protection for another year until October 2026.
My computer finally had the link to sign up for ESUs last week and it was easy to set up.
I will still be purchasing a Windows 11 laptop at some point but the immediacy is not as urgent.
We’ve had a few threads on this:
Being the most recent (in a quick search), but probably a half-dozen total or more, since it was announced over two years ago.
Windows (on non-compliant PCs) in system updates and occasional pop-ups has been saying this for, again, years, but if you have automated your software updates and/or out of habit closed all the little notifications you can miss it.
As mentioned already, you don’t have to buy one today as long as you’re willing to pay or jump through minor hoops for the one year expansion (so far, some companies are pushing hard) it’s security updates only. Not a full set of software, driver, framework, et al that you would have had historically.
So I suspect (kind of stepping past FQ here) that’s why various Tech guys don’t want to commit. It simply isn’t going to be as well supported as historically, there will be more vulnerabilities, and that could open them up to liability, so better to stay mum.
Similarly, I would say if you’re using a secure and supported browser, and just surfing safe sites on the net you have less risk. If you visit sketchier sites, download software or files to your PC, or keep financial documents on it… I’d still worry.
Thus me just getting back from a 1280 mile round trip drive to visit my father, set him up with a new Win11 machine, while adding the ESU (extended security updates) on the old machine if he needs to pull something off of it.
So you can get the ESU for one year and hope that things are further extended, get the ESU and plan for more time/budget to do an upgrade before October of next year, or get a new PC right away and have a little time to transfer everything and not worry about it until the next OS cycle.
My main concern is that Windows 11 will be chock full of the latest unwanted AI “helpers”, ad ware, spy ware, default storage to the Cloud, and everything else that you have to manually opt out of in order to make your computer your own and not an agent of Microsoft, that you might not even be aware comes with 11 as a default. Can anyone give a comprehensive list?
Add-on question: is it any kind of reasonable to see if one can hold out long enough skip to Windows 12? In other words, is there any hint of what’s on the horizon and how long it will take to get there? I hate these version updates every 3 or 4 years (or so it seems). My computer has been trying to sell me Windows 11 since I bought it.
Also, do I need the ESU security updates if I have a good 3rd party security provider?
That was my impression of it. Windows 11 was so full of ads and spam and AI malware that it really turned me off Windows altogether, even though I grew up on it and used it from 3.1 to 10.
11 was so bad it drove me to Macs, and I never looked back. These days, if I ever need to use Windows at all (a couple times a year, for work or certain game cheats), I first have to spend half an hour configuring it to turn off all the annoying spam. Microsoft must really hate their users.
There wasn’t even supposed to be a 11. Windows 10 was supposed to be the last version, an evergreen OS that self updates like browsers do. Alas, greed always gets the better of MS. So now you have a bunch more ads, a slower computer, nothing good added, and you get to pay for the privilege.
Would be a good time to move to Linux, Chromebooks, or Macs, IMHO.
As the factual question has been answered (“yes”) and discussion is shifting to advice, I’m moving this to IMHO.
I’m reminded of 19th century railroads and the robber barons who ran them. A natural near-monopoly, the railroads sponsored homesteading on the land grants the railroads were given. Looked great at first, until the homesteaders realized they were 100% dependent on the railroad for anything they bought or sold from outside the boundless wilderness they were otherwise stranded in; and the railroads decided they’d charge anything they liked, for any level of service they liked. “Consumer serfdom” indeed.
Yeah, I’d agree with that. And in some ways it’s even worse than that… the company has no real vision anymore. Like so many tech companies of that scale, it seems to have devolved into small internal fiefdoms all vying for supremacy. On one hand, their offerings for professional developers are actually really good, but their consumer-facing stuff is so thoroughly enshittified it boggles the mind how they have any willing customers left at all.
The AI rush has thoroughly driven them to madness, and they’ve spammed their Copilot branding on everything from Windows to keyboards. They even tried to record all your minute-by-minute usage for AI processing, but there was a big enough community backlash that they toned it back a little bit. Still, it’s clear that there’s nobody really advocating for your average user anymore, and Windows is an abandoned orphan. Now it’s just a shitty billboard for every other Microsoft team to splatter their ads all over. It is increasingly hostile with every version.
I think they know that people who use Windows often have no choice. But instead of trying to make life easier for them, they double down on the exploitation and try to milk the poor bastards at every turn. Robber barons indeed…
…maybe? But you can bypass some of the TPM and other requirements. Also, installing Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC instead of “Pro” will help— in my experience, the installer is less picky.
Run https://old.reddit.com/r/TronScript/
It’s free!
There’s been no announcements about it so far, so it’s probably still a ways out. Windows 11 sub-versions have individual end-of-life dates, but Windows 12 is just speculative at this point. Microsoft probably won’t announce it until close to that date, because they don’t want to hinder the already abysmal Windows 11 sales. They tried to give 11 away for free for many years, and still nobody wanted it. It’s just outright bad.
It depends on how you use the computer, and how much of it is inside a browser vs outside.
If you mostly only use the web for everything (including email), then a modern browser (Chrome or Firefox) is your first line of defense, and those things are hardened just as much, if not more than, your OS is. For those kinds of users, their browser security is far more important than their OS, and thankfully, the browsers will auto-update (if you let it). If you’re really worried about it, make a separate “standard” (as in non-admin) Windows user account and use that for your internet browsing. Even if something breaks through the browser sandbox that way, it’ll have a very difficult time affecting the rest of your system.
On the other hand, if you mostly use the computer local-first (as in you like to save documents and files on your hard drive instead of in the cloud, you prefer to download and run desktop apps instead of using websites), then using your computer past the security end-of-life puts you and your info at very high risk. You risk not only getting malware but ransomware that could hold all your apps and files hostage and charge you a hefty penny in ransom. It is extra-risky if you also use a desktop email client (like Outlook) and/or a desktop PDF reader — both are dangerous vectors for malware intrusion.
Third-party security software may or may not help; they are often of pretty low quality and won’t necessarily catch the latest threats quickly enough. And if you have a paid version, often that’d cost more than Windows upgrades already. Even the best antivirus is still a sub-par offering compared to just keeping your OS up to date and your firewall on; bugs and exploits accumulate over time, and no AV can really protect a very old system with a lot of holes.
If you’re not dead set on Windows, consider giving something like https://linuxmint.com/ a try. It’s free, community-supported, and doesn’t hold you hostage the way Windows tries to, and it doesn’t ask you to upgrade your hardware for no reason at all. You can try it on a live CD or USB drive first to see how you like it, without impacting your current Windows install.
Edit: Egads, fixed errors and typos aplenty.
Your concerns are completely justified, however you options are:
- Run Windows 11 with all of the annoyances that entails, and possibly having to buy a new computer
- Stay with Windows 10, where the long term security plan is “thoughts and prayers”
- Use something other than Windows, which will come with its own set of annoyances, which may or may not be worse for you than Windows 11
- Mac—probably the easists to switch to
- Tablet as a desktop replacement or phone-only lifestyle—probably fine for watching shows, browsing, and light office stuff (with a keyboard)
- IpadOS/IOS
- Android
- Chromebook—the cheapest option, but your just exchanging feeding your personal data to Google instead of Microsoft; pick your poison
- Linux desktop/laptop—the most versatility to limit what you share and how in control you are, but it brings along the responsibility and effort associated with that freedom
- Other obscure solutions people will only mention to be cool, pedantic, or because they’re evangelists—do you need a hobby?
Yes, this is a failure mode of capitalism, and was allowed by a complicit government. Blame Reagan if you want, and the roots go back even further.
Just yeasterday I upgraded an older laptop that was not compliant from Win10 to Win11 using this Youtube video as a guide. The process was successful and very easy.
Windows 11 has been out for 4 years. If your machine can’t support it, it would be wise to upgrade because Windows 11 has stricter hardware and security requirements.
I question just how different Windows 11 really is. From the responses in this thread you’d think it was the most unusable, unfriendly software ever!!1! and yet both my co-workers had their machines automatically updated and they’re didn’t even realize anything had changed.
This from Microsoft:
Windows 11 is safer than Windows 10 due to its more stringent hardware security requirements, such as the mandatory Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) and UEFI Secure Boot, which protect against malware and hardware-based attacks. It also features enhanced software security like Virtualization-Based Security (VBS), Kernel DMA Protection, and the more restrictive Smart App Control, making it more secure “by default” than Windows 10.
Hardware-Based Security Enhancements
Windows 11’s security model relies more heavily on hardware features that were not standard or required in Windows 10:
This hardware chip encrypts sensitive data, secures encryption keys, and protects against physical access by malicious actors. *
UEFI Secure Boot:
This feature ensures that only trusted software can load during the startup process, preventing rootkits and other malicious firmware from taking control. * Microsoft Pluton processor:
Some new Windows 11 devices may feature the Pluton security chip, which provides an even more advanced level of hardware-based security.
Software and System-Level Protections
Windows 11 introduces and enhances software protections for a more secure baseline:
VBS creates a secure, isolated environment within the operating system to protect critical processes from malware. *
Kernel DMA Protection:
This protects against hardware-based attacks, such as those that use direct memory access (DMA) to steal data. *
Smart App Control:
By default, this feature blocks untrusted or potentially harmful apps from running, significantly reducing security incidents, especially on new devices. *
Windows Defender System Guard:
This built-in security technology protects against advanced threats and ensures the integrity of the operating system.
Secure-by-Default Configuration
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Windows 11’s design emphasizes being more secure out of the box compared to Windows 10.
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Advanced features like Smart App Control and VBS are enabled by default on new Windows 11 PCs, creating a stronger initial security posture against malware and firmware attacks.
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About the Extended Security Update program,
You can activate it without paying anything.
- Open Control panel
- Find Windows Insider Program and join
- Go to the Windows Update screen.
- There’s a link to enroll in the ESU
- If file backup is not enabled, you might have to change that. It’s something with onedrive. I didn’t need to change anything to get the extension.
Ok, that weirdly formatted copy paste isn’t what I was asking. I was questioning just how different the user experience actually is when people I know can’t even tell the difference. Doesn’t sound like the horrors described here that would cause someone to swear off Windows entirely because of it!