Posted on 07/18/2025 1:35:20 PM PDT by fireman15
Choose wisely. Your PC could end up vulnerable to online threats otherwise.
This fall, Windows 10 will reach its end of life—at least, as defined by Microsoft. On October 14, the company ends feature updates to the operating system. Security and stability updates also become restricted—a potential liability, depending on the choices you make now.
To help users successfully navigate Windows 10’s extinction event, Adam Patrick Murray sat down with ethical hacker Mike Danseglio to talk options. The goal: To find the best option for your PC to stay current with security updates and patches, no matter the age of your hardware. AI tools have increased the speed and volume of online attacks, with vulnerabilities more easily discovered and exploited.
The duo frames the possibilities as a decision tree, with two main branches: PCs compatible with Windows 11, and those that aren’t. For systems ready for Windows 11, Mike simply recommends upgrading—and making the jump before the October sunset. I echo this advice, as doing it well before the deadline ensures your PC will keep receiving uninterrupted security patches.
(Not sure if your PC’s compatible? If it has an Intel 8th-gen or Ryzen 2000 chip, you’re probably fine. Windows Update—or a Microsoft nag screen—will tell you.)
If your Windows 10 computer is too old to upgrade to Windows 11, you can choose between five different potential paths—but only three are smart choices, according to Mike:
Do nothing Buy a new device Pay for updates Modify your Windows install Install another OS Doing nothing leaves you open to vulnerabilities in Windows 10, which attackers will unearth as time passes. Exploits could then allow hackers to run code on your PC, steal your data, or even potentially remotely render your hardware unusable.
(Excerpt) Read more at pcworld.com ...
Option- get a Mac.
Well, as it pertains to Win11, there is a widespread belief that everything you do will be permanently recorded on the cloud somewhere.
Is that incorrect? Will WIN11 users be able to use Office Desktop?
Bkmk
This article ignores the very best option which is to get completely rid of your windows computers and buy yourself a mac.
A friend of mine who live in another state had me upgrade his Windows 10 computer to IoT because one of his accounting packages now requires a subscription for the version that runs on Windows 11.
I checked his computer for corruption, backed up his system drive, edited his registry, downloaded the ISO, checked it, mounted it and ran Setup all using Quick Assist remotely. This is a time-consuming project because of all the waiting for all of the updates. But if you have a friend who is computer savvy they can do most of it for you using quick assist.
Your best option is Linux.
I’ll probably go with a dual drive dual boot Linux/Win 10 setup with Win 10 not hooked to the internet.
But I’m a procrastinator and haven’t got around to getting the cabling and SSD that that move would require.
I have slimline form factor and it doesn’t have extra PCI slots so installing another SSD it is not quite as straightforward as the standard PC form factor.
I am also thinking about getting an Ipad just for internet use and retiring my PC as a word processor.
It would be nice to have an Ipad to read books from internetarchivedotorg which do not come in that ebook kindle format.
Had a Mac Color Classic but ditched it before 2000 as I needed a PC for its expansion capabilities.
But recently I put my foot in the water with IOS as I have a Apple TV 4k streamer which puts Firesticks, Rokus, and the other OS’s that come with smart tv to shame.
I also purchased a used Iphone to run apps and for QR codes although I don’t have it hooked to a mobile plan to take calls and text.
I could also use it to take pictures if I ever took pictures.
Started out with Mac maybe I’ll end with it.
That is definitely an option, and possibly the best one for many people.
I think it’s ridiculous to run any form of windows on a mac. You can get a windows computer for a hundred bucks and use it only for windows and let your mac be a mac. There really is not very much that you can do with windows that you can’t do with mac. I have only used windows because mac hardware is more expensive. The new mac mini is under 500 dollars. I finally can afford a new mac.
Thanks!
BTW your option seems incredibly well done and thought out. If I was a technie with enough time I would be tempted to do it. But no time for that. :-)
My wife is convinced that I'll volunteer at church more like it's a full time job. She may be right. LOL
I have dual, triple and quadruple booted just about every piece of hardware that I own. I also use hyper-v and VirtualBox machines on just about every OS that I setup. I have Windows 10 IoT running in a hyper-v machine on a computer that runs Windows 11 Pro.
You can also use Rufus to set up Windows To-Go machines using an external NVME in a USB 3 enclosure. It is easier for many people than setting up multiple boot configurations. And this has the advantage of being able to make full use of your GPU while most virtual machines cannot without quite a bit of horsing around depending on the GPU.
I recently assessed my post-Win10 options. It boiled down to Linux, Win11 or Chrome. Chrone was a non starter because it’s a cloud based system. I installed Linux Mint but found its install and that of its apps difficult. Additionally, converting & transitioning Win10 files & apps to Mint would be tedious and difficult ‘for me’. Ultimately went with buying an out of box Lenovo Win11 laptop at a great price. It was the right decision ‘for me’.
No, it’s not for everyone. I still have win8 running in a virtual box for my business software that I refuse to run on the cloud.
The win8 VB has no connection to the internet and it’s been stripped to the bare minimum.
I have found very little that I cannot accomplish with Linux, but I’m not a gamer.
Thank you, I have done this so many times now for myself, friends and family, that I thought it was time to update my directions. The video link, however shows exactly how simple that this procedure actually is. The only problem with the video is that it only gives you a couple years of additional updates if you use the registry values included. The registry values were not correct for the IoT version which will not reach End of Life until 2032.
The other thing that I need to emphasize is that this system for updating all of the features included with Windows 10 Pro may no longer work after October 14.
Yeah as soon as I saw Win 8 desktop with it’s huge icons trying to mimic smart phone apps ... or something, I was done. I still run Win 7 on this machine as dual boot but never really use it.
What am I missing?
To obtain Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021, you must purchase it through Microsoft’s Volume Licensing program. This version of Windows is designed for specialized devices and industrial use cases, and it’s not intended for general consumer use. You can’t download it for free or obtain legitimate licenses through typical retail channels.
I purchased a Dell 16 Plus with an i9 CPU, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe storage. It has WiFi7 hardware and Bluetooth 5.4. It is a lower resolution screen than the last laptop and just built-in Intel ARC graphics. It has Windows 11 Home. I can upgrade that cheaply. It is now running my wsjt-x ham radio communications software along with grid-tracker and tQSL. I made my first 6 meter QSL using q65 protocol last week. My first comms since before the cancer surgery. Back on the air.
Having fixed the laptop, I'm left with my home-built i7 desktop with 32 GB RAM and about 10 TB of disk inside. It is 2013 vintage hardware that started Windows 8 Pro OEM and is currently Windows 10. That machine needs some serious backup. A new motherboard, CPU and 32 GB of current RAM would rescue it nicely. Lots of money in storage and power supply that I want to retain. A current vintage CPU will likely need more serious cooling too. No rush to update/upgrade right now.
BFLR
My neighbor gave me his old MacBook Air which now appears to have a dead battery which will cost $35 to replace.
I will have to learn to use Apple products. I put up with Windows because you can see what you need to do, even though it may take the PC five minutes to start up Edge.
I use massive amounts of storage, so the Chromebook system on a hotspot doesn’t work well enough with lots of big files.
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