Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Windows 10 given an extra year of supported life, for $30
The Register ^ | Oct 31, 2024 | iain Tomson

Posted on 10/31/2024 6:20:04 PM PDT by dayglored

Microsoft has thrown a lifeline to Windows 10 users ahead of the OS going end-of-life, by offering an extra year of patches for $30.

Support for Windows 10 ends in October 2025 and Redmond is pushing people to upgrade to Windows 11, with mixed success to date – as of last month, Windows 10 had 62.75 percent of Redmond's OS market share, compared to 33.42 percent for the newer version ago.

Perhaps that’s why the software behemoth has decided to offer Extended Security Updates - previously only available for business, education, and government users - to anyone who wants them.

"For the first time ever, we’re introducing an ESU program for personal use as well," wrote Yusuf Mehdi, consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft. "The ESU program for consumers will be a one-year option available for $30. Program enrollment will be available closer to the end of support in 2025."

This will be a boon to those who don't care to upgrade or who can't because their PCs aren’t capable of running Windows 11.

Enterprise users can pay $61 per device for an extra year of support, but that doubles the next year to $122, and again to $244 in year three. Users in the education sector have it much easier - they pay $1 per license for the first year, then $2, and then $4 per Windows 10 machine.

Windows 11 is one of Microsoft's most poorly performing operating systems, in part due to the powerful hardware it requires. Chipmakers and PC players expect the need for upgrades to bring a payday, but that hasn't happened yet.

Part of the problem, as The Register readers have noted on our forums, is that Windows 11 isn’t a significant improvement over its predecessor. While Redmond repeatedly touts the benefits of Copilot and AI, it doesn't seem to be an incentive for many people to rip and replace their hardware to take care of it.

Microsoft also risks driving users to non-Windows machines. With Apple's market share steadily growing in the US - and the iPhone's popularity - many may consider making the switch.

Or perhaps 2025 will be the year of Linux on the desktop. ®

===============

Note: My prior attempt to post this thread threw an error that caused there to be no initial "Comment" and no way to reply. Hopefully this one will work.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: extendedsupport; iso; microsoft; windows; windows10; windows11; windowspinglist
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-119 next last
To: Dalberg-Acton

Every version has had bugs. Windows logo should be a spider.


41 posted on 11/01/2024 4:15:34 AM PDT by Omnivore-Dan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: dayglored

‘Note: My prior attempt to post this thread threw an error that caused there to be no initial “Comment” and no way to reply. Hopefully this one will work.”

That has been happening quite often. I have been afraid to report it because mod superiority dictates we are all dummies. There are no transparancy communications here from that side. Never any explanations, thank you, nothing. Too good to interact with lowly users.


42 posted on 11/01/2024 4:16:45 AM PDT by Openurmind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dayglored

What do they mean by “support”? As if you can give them a call, reach a person, and ask for help. You cannot. So I don’t get what they mean by support. Updates? I’m going to pay them $30 so they can send updates, which typically make everything worse? I don’t think so.

I bit the bullet and bought two refurbished Windows 10 computers, $200 each — a laptop and a desktop. I don’t get this “Edge” thing that (to me) is annoying and I can’t get rid of.

Overall, I prefer Win 7 and still go back to that often.


43 posted on 11/01/2024 4:19:52 AM PDT by MayflowerMadam (I'm voting for the felon with the pierced ear.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TwelveOfTwenty

“How do you keep W7 secure on the Internet?”

I only go on web pages I trust.


44 posted on 11/01/2024 4:34:43 AM PDT by Kleon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: dayglored

If you get some extra time it is well worth playing with the newest version of “Easy OS”. It is delivered as a containerized system that uses images. Very well thought out system that can run complely from a USB stick and leave to traces or be installed to any drive partition.

Fast, light, and basically a VM operating system out of the box. Pretty cool stuff with tons of great tools. Right off the bat it hands you two containers. An isolated root container, and a “working” container. And with one click you can add cloned containers, or images of other operating systems.


45 posted on 11/01/2024 4:37:42 AM PDT by Openurmind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: webheart

You can install windows 11 on almost any computer doesn’t matter how old but it has to be a fresh install , just buy another hard drive to put window 11 on and safe your old one then swap back and forth , https://pureinfotech.com/create-windows-11-bootable-usb-unsupported-pc-rufus/


46 posted on 11/01/2024 4:42:19 AM PDT by butlerweave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: dayglored

And it does not use SYSTEM D! :)


47 posted on 11/01/2024 4:45:13 AM PDT by Openurmind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Omnivore-Dan

My personal favorite was Windows 2000 Pro (https://winworldpc.com/product/windows-nt-2000/final).
Before installing any service packs, it took up 35 megabytes of RAM and was insanely fast compared to anything that came after.

If all the service packs were installed, it took as much RAM as XP and slowed quite a bit. So by that time, you might as well be running XP.


48 posted on 11/01/2024 5:20:16 AM PDT by Dalberg-Acton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: dayglored

I was thinking about running it under a sandbox if I need to download anything, but not sure how I would get the download out of the sandbox session onto the computer, but I can find out how later if sandboxing would be a viable safe way to connect windows 7 to internet. I do have one game that is online, which has frequent updates, but don’t really need to keep that one if there is no safe way to connect 7 to internet?


49 posted on 11/01/2024 5:33:54 AM PDT by Bob434
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: dayglored

I have 5 computers and Windows 11 works great on them. My oldest one has 16GB ram and an i5-8400 CPU which came out in late 2017. Window 11 works flawlessly on that one.

If you are still on Windows 10, and you can upgrade to Win 11. You should do it! Any Intel CPU that is 8th generation onward should be an easy upgrade.


50 posted on 11/01/2024 5:37:21 AM PDT by dennisw
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: chief lee runamok

For the info of several here, there is Microsoft 365 that enables cloud use and lots of stuff very beneficial. The business world and I mean the world, use Microsoft 365 both internally and externally with customers.

Windows 11 is just one aspect of the integrated Microsoft capability now in service all over the world.


51 posted on 11/01/2024 6:02:32 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. +12) Where is ZORRO when California so desperately needs him?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Bikkuri

How are you running photoshop on Linux? With vm? I tried running it in vm and in another Linux program which emulates windows , wine I think it was? They both changed some things in photoshop that caused me to not like how they handled, and my vid card wouldn’t work with it, so it limited the program. I use another program, heavy on video card, a painting program called rebelle- great program, but will really work,a video card. Not sure I could get it to work in a vm

Oh, and wanna sell a copy of your tweaked/much Improved iso for win 10? (Not sure my computer can run 11)


52 posted on 11/01/2024 6:22:47 AM PDT by Bob434
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: Dalberg-Acton

And it was a real pain if you had to reinstall it, with all the excruciatingly slow windows 7 updates, security tweaks that we were forced to do, customizations to get it how we liked it etc. It always took me days to a week of fiddling with the os to get it secure and how I liked it (I’d only work an hour or 2 a day on it usually)

It was a real pain in the butt to keep it secured (mostly secured at least) and there was a spell on the net where we were getting viruses left and right from being redirected from sites that got hacked- thankfully I used a program called RollBack RX and could rall back to a safe time before the virus hit. Then things calmed down mostly on the net- and only occasionally would hit a site that would redirect.

Linux on the other hand I can have up, customized and to my liking very quickly- I’ve got all the downloads for programs in one spot, email copied and saved, etc. And have never, as far as I know, had any virus

Bu5 with all its downfalls, windows 7 is still my preferred windows os. I have a hard drive duplicator and a couple of duplications incase one drive fails- no more tedious fresh install for me thanks.


53 posted on 11/01/2024 6:31:11 AM PDT by Bob434
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: dayglored
"While Redmond repeatedly touts the benefits of Copilot and AI, it doesn't seem to be an incentive for many people to rip and replace their hardware to take care of it."

If my last HP laptop hadn't come with Windows 11 I would have been happy with ANY prior version. For me, Copilot and AI are used as frequently as would a translator from English to Latin (in other words, never). I currently have 23H2, and am wondering if you know if there is anything in 24H2 worthy of accepting the update.

54 posted on 11/01/2024 7:10:13 AM PDT by deoetdoctrinae (Gun-free zones are playgrounds for criminals.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: deoetdoctrinae
> I currently have 23H2, and am wondering if you know if there is anything in 24H2 worthy of accepting the update.

Short honest answer is, "No idea at this time". I would guess it's more bells and whistles, flaky AI, annoying animations, and moving things around so you can't find them where they used to be. :-)

I use Win11 only for work, and only in rare circumstances, supporting users. My work Win11 machine will get all updates as part of the company's update policy.

I've pretty much given up fighting the juggernaut of Windows Updates to Win10 and Win11. I spend most of my time in Linux, some in MacOS, and a little in Windows for Outlook (company email). So I've accepted that I'll just go with the flow and hope for the best.

55 posted on 11/01/2024 7:22:26 AM PDT by dayglored (This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: bert
The version of win 11 I have encourages use of the cloud,
which I promptly ignore.

With flash drives having immense storage capabilities, they
are much more secure than any cloud storage.

56 posted on 11/01/2024 8:13:07 AM PDT by chief lee runamok ( Le Flâneur @Large)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: chief lee runamok

I upgraded to Linux Mint and use WINE to run windows software.


57 posted on 11/01/2024 8:14:14 AM PDT by Pol-92064
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies]

To: Dalberg-Acton

We’re down to just one computer now, still running Windows 10 Home version, with Google Chrome. It’s too slow for me, time to upgrade whenever I get around to it. Not exactly a priority now that I’m retired.


58 posted on 11/01/2024 8:18:52 AM PDT by Omnivore-Dan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: Bob434

Sounds like you have it under control.
I use Clonezilla to keep my hard drive images on an SSD USB drive.
Timeshift is doing weekly backups to another internal hard drive.


59 posted on 11/01/2024 9:21:23 AM PDT by Dalberg-Acton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: Bikkuri

How did you redo the ISO for Windows 11? I have bypassed the whole Microsoft account and forced a local install for Windows 11 Home, but it was a pain, along with dealing with all the privacy crud. I would love to have a clean ISO, though.


60 posted on 11/01/2024 12:05:57 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-119 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson