When Windows 10 support runs out, you have 5 options but only 2 are worth considering

ZDnet ^ | April 22, 2024 | Ed Bott

[fireman15]

Microsoft will officially end support for its most popular operating system in October 2025. Here's what you should do with your Windows 10 PCs before that day arrives.

In less than two years, Microsoft will draw the final curtain on Windows 10 after a successful 10-year run.

That news shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. The end date is right there on the Microsoft Support document that lists "products retiring or reaching the end of support in 2025." The schedule is defined by Microsoft's Modern Lifecycle Policy: "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 remain in support with monthly security update releases through that date."

When a Windows version reaches its end-of-support date, the software keeps working, but the update channel grinds to a halt:

There will be no new security updates, non-security updates, or assisted support. Customers are encouraged to migrate to the latest version of the product or service. Paid programs may be available for applicable products.

That part in the middle sounds encouraging, doesn't it? "Customers are encouraged to migrate to the latest version of the product or service." Unfortunately, that's not a supported option for customers running Windows 10 on hardware that doesn't meet the stringent hardware compatibility requirements of Windows 11. If you try to upgrade one of those PCs to Windows 11, you'll encounter an error message. And Microsoft is adamant that it will not extend the support deadline for Windows 10.

Option 1: Ignore the end-of-support deadline completely

Option 2: Buy a new PC

Option 3: Ditch Windows completely

Option 4: Pay Microsoft for security updates

Option 5: Upgrade your old hardware to Windows 11

[daniel1212]

Win 11 Pro runs fine for me, but I am a long-term Windows user (from 3.1, W/9x, XP, W.8.1. 10 and 11 (at the cost of less than $30 since an upgrade from XP was on the Retail channel, thank God) yet, looking for improvement and options, I have tried every major and many minor Linux distros (and Mint is used daily on my old computer by a brother, mainly just for email and the Internet).

But while the receding issue of a few illegal multimedia codecs, if needed, was a concern I would have to deal with, what has really kept me from being a “convert” to Linux was and mainly is that of lack of need and unwarranted time that would be required to customize it as I have with Windows (despite MS resistance).

Meaning that I have been able to quite easily and freely customize Windows, effecting improvements in efficiency (which Windows as well as Linux warrant), via enhancements and quick access to applications and features, but without much of a learning curve.

For one, I am the type of person who likes compact yet expansive menus, and overall enable quick access to programs and places, while improving layout without needing to learn much coding though I have edited the Windows registry a few times, and sometimes used Power Shell to accomplish such.

Therefore I like the the over 200 tweaks available in Ultimate Windows Tweaker for Windows 11 from the Windows club (Windows 10 users should use Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4.8 for Windows 10), as well as Winaero Tweaker and Explorer Patcher and 7+ Taskbar Tweaker beta.

To begin with, Explorer Patcher restores the Windows 11 taskbar to be exactly like Windows 10, and with it I use the Windows 7+ Taskbar Tweaker which provides more customization. Below is two-level (Windows enables this by dragging the top border upward) Taskbar:

Note that most of the buttons are that of multiple Portable Firefox installations, each generally being for its own purpose, from forums to shopping. (Note that to run more than one copy of installations of FF portable concurrently, you need to place a copy of the FirefoxPortable.ini from Other\Source to the main folder of FirefoxPortable and edit the FirefoxPortable.ini to instruct:
AllowMultipleInstances=true)
DisableIntelligentStart=true)

You can also create a Quick launch menu for your taskbar, either for a custom folders or the default Quick launch (buried in %UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch) . Right click on your taskbar and hit Toolbars and then New Toolbars and navigate you the folder of your choice,

Add to this Right-Click Extender (add items to many right click menus), plus Open Shell to replace the Windows 11 start menu

Resulting in these expansive quickly accessible layouts (composite image of desktop view in Windows 11: Start and Right-Click menus, default Device manager; task bar via Explorer Patcher.

In contrast, are examples of more limited, spaced out/less compact (though scrollable) default menus in both Windows and typical Linux distros (and the sparsity of the Mint right click menus is not worth showing. Puppy Linux is better)

(Mint):

Yet which is better than the Windows 11 default Start menu (contrasted with OpenShell, on right)

”Meanwhile T-Clock Redux works in W/10 far better than the default Windows clock, or any I have seen for Windows or Linux, but does not work for me in W/11 as yet.

Also, I like being able to quickly see and actually go the source of program executables in Windows via a right click on the menu icon, hit Properties and Open file location and go there, which I usually find I cannot do in Linux start menus

Why? For one, because we should be able to find actual locations. For instance, i may want to edit something in my Firefox profile folder, (in does such, I have found the extra security of Linux to be a hindrance. As the sole user of this PC, I do not want to have to run a terminal to do many things I can do as a Admin in Windows).

Another reason is because sometimes I want to be able to easily choose which application to open a file with, or which location to send a shortcut to. So I go to the buried Send to folder (%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo), and right click on that folder and choose to create a shortcut to it, and then place that shortcut in the folder itself. Then you can right click on program shortcuts such as to image viewers, editors, and send them to the Send to folder.

And then, if you want to open up an image or document in one of a programs designed for it other than the default one, then you can right click on the file and point to Send to and to one of the programs you placed there to open it with. Which can be faster than the Windows default “Open with” option (which does not list my portable programs)

Note that Windows hides extensions of known file types by default, thus hiding executables, and so of the first things I do in Windows is go to folder options and select Show hidden… and deselect “Hide extensions…”

Then there are free utilities such as AutoHotKey which does involve finding out some basic coding to create scripts which will do such things as remap keys. For me, this is very helpful, esp. due to typing and operations with stiff arthritic fingers). For I remapp Caps Lock to ctrl+c (which I find hard to accomplish past sessions in Linux), and Esc to ctrl+v ; NumLock to Esc and the middle mouse button to ctrl+x by addng the lines below to a script:

CapsLock::^c

(NumLock::Esc

Esc::^v

mbutton::^x

This enables copying a selected (highlighted) word or section of a page by simply pressing the CapsLack key, and pasting it with Esc, which is replaced by NumLock, while the middle mouse button cuts (ctrl_x).

There are also Windows programs that there are no truly comparable applications for in Linux (maybe There is for AutoHotKey now).

However, if you can code and compile etc. then that is fine. I do not want to degrade all Linux users, and maybe one day I will mainly be one, but I am giving my reasons for not having switched. At least not yet.

I thank God for the tools we have, and those who create and improve and provide them. May they only be used for good, expressing God, the source of all that is Good.

[Gaffer]

I gave up on Norton and McAffee years ago. They slowed down my computer so much it was like using and abacus. Totally useless. Stuck then with Defender and it worked pretty well since then. I don’t know what I’m going to do after October, frankly.

[daniel1212]

Linux is not an option for most users, waste of time and effort, plus the tech downgrade. All of the Linux users I know have long ago set up Windows computers to use the software and so forth. Linux is best for servers.

Which is offensive to Linux devotees, and while we have on quite capable home built box running it for surfing, I have not found it justifying the time and energy I would want to make it comparable to Windows as customized, by the grace of God. As per post above.

[daniel1212]

Accept nothing less than a desktop with a fair sized case. Something that is relatively easy to monkey with.

Yes, if able. Smartphones are inferior in most computing use,

[daniel1212]

ClassicShell (now OpenShell) was a godsend for Windows10. It's an absolute necessity for Windows11.

As is Explorer Patcher and 7+ Taskbar Tweaker beta for me.

[Macoozie]

Lots of cloud hosted Biz stuff is device agnostic.
Programming doesn’t care.
It’s the still-local, yet-to-migrate stuff that’s the problem.

[coloradan]

No, but the lumber and drywall and screws and anything else I might need will still work. Unlike when operating systems are abandoned, and then new software simply doesn’t function. Imagine trying to hire a handyman to work on your house, but all of them say “nope, that’s an old house version with pipe sizes and stud spacings and drywall thicknesses we no longer work on. We would be happy to sell you an upgrade, otherwise you’re on your own.”

Suppose, also, that you had a security system but they just decided, even though it still works, nope, we no longer accept alarm signals from your outdated system, you need to buy an entirely new system.

So it is with Microsoft software.

[dayglored]

Actually, I see that daniel1212's wonderfully detailed post right after my reply to you contains a possible answer to my dilemma about the Win11 taskbar.

Daniel1212 thank you once again for lots of terrific windows information!!

[fireman15]

Would I be OK to accept it as a 100% W11 computer with no hidden weaknesses?

There is no such thing as a computer that has been designed for the general public that has no hidden weaknesses. But it also depends on your hardware and/or your settings. If you do not have TPM v2 or it has been disabled and an add on module is not available for your motherboard then no... your computer is likely to be vulnerable to certain types of malware.

And there could be other vulnerabilities as well. There are others in this thread more qualified than me to help you evaluate your situation. Whenever you go outside of the official recommendations there is always a chance of vulnerabilities. The chances of a problem also depend on what type of activities that you engage in or whether you are a target for some reason.

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-TPM-M-R2-0-14-1-Module/dp/B01DQQLH74

[PAR35]

I’m very unclear on what new hardware and s/w is going to do for me.

Well how else can they properly determine your social credit score?

[PAR35]

You got any CP/M computers? I keep one in the closet just in case. I think my father’s Commodore with cassette tape drive got trashed a few decades ago, however.

[Paladin2]

You are “Spot On”. [as the Brits used to say]

[Paladin2]

Run my financial accts. wrt CBDC?

We’re headed for a bad place, led by the Marxist DNC and Turtle led GOPee.

I’m NOT a Happy Camper.

[PAR35]

I always considered McAfee to be a virus, not an antivirus. I run Microsoft Security Essentials on my Win7 box; virus definitions last auto updated today at 8:13 AM with a set sourced at 1:54 AM.

[kiryandil]

I suspect that Microsoft is making a bigger and bigger chunk of money off of their Azure and related Cloud services. That means money from business, and lots of it. Business is not going to move from laptop/desktop PCs to pads and phones any time soon.

The point of my post was that ordinary users no longer like to mess with MicroSlop's PC clusterflock.

My post had nothing to do with business. A fair percentage of those guys will get tired of dealing with productivity interruptions in due time.

I am soon to relegate The Slop to a "toy" operating system in my computer world.

[x]

Yes, I am getting messages from Microsoft now. It ticks me off. They tell me that I can’t upgrade the old computer to Windows 11, and I’m used to Windows 10 and don’t like the new version. I’ll probably be getting a new computer some time, and maybe I’ll go with Linux.

[kiryandil]

I'm not saying that your posts are wrong - they're actually excellent observations.

I'm just observing people voting with their feet.

[kiryandil]

some interesting posts here

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4234104/posts

[x]

Thanks.

[kiryandil]

When Windows 11 screwed up the taskbar, I started restoring my system every time I was FORCED to update [every five weeks].

It got me my old configuration back - but costs me 3 hours.

Last time, I managed to set enough flags in the registry to prevent the forced update.