Windows 10 is DEAD in 2025? — Here’s How I Run It SAFELY Forever (No Updates)

YouTube.com ^ | 11/05/2025 | Rob Braxman Tech

[E. Pluribus Unum]

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)

Many of you now think that the best option is just to stick with Windows 10, even though it is classified as end-of-life by Microsoft. End-of-life means you will not get security updates. I know that for $30 you can get an extra year of security updates from Microsoft, but after that, zero.

So regardless of short-term solutions, in the end you will have an unsafe OS. Also, the reality is that many of you cannot upgrade to Windows 11, and even if you could, my recent videos show that Windows 11 has AI that watches everything you do. I'll never use it as my main OS.

But I do use Windows 11 too, 1% of the time. 99% of the time I use Linux. While I might state clearly that you should abandon Windows and go to Linux, the reality is that this may not be an easy transition.

This may be because you want to run games or do video editing on Windows, or maybe there's some special software you need to use like CAD CAM software for Windows. But it's very dangerous to leave Windows 10 as-is without some security precautions. So what we will learn today is Windows 10 hardening.

I will teach you some things. Most of the attacks in Windows come from very specific areas, and with the right approaches, we can mitigate the risks and even eliminate them. And this may allow you to use Windows 10 for an extended period of time in conjunction with Linux.

Maybe forever. Safely. Find out how.

And everything I will teach you today will be free. Stay right there. Our objective.

Part-time use. I want to make our objectives clear from the get-go. I'm not suggesting that you just keep going as you are with Windows 10 as-is.

I'm suggesting that you reduce your use of Windows 10 to an occasionally used OS, and that alone reduces the attack footprint for hackers. And I'm also recommending a dual boot setup where you install Linux side-by-side with Windows, and I have a recent video that explains how to do that. And it should be easier to do with Windows 10 versus Windows 11.

So the main objective should be part-time use. This is the only safe way to move forward without getting a new computer and using Windows 11. If you're on Linux, you are going to be a lot safer from hacks than Windows, because generally it is harder to hack Linux, and there are fewer exploits on Linux versus Windows.

You will not need an antivirus for Linux. And of course, Linux will always get security updates while your Windows 10 will not. Therefore, risky operations are better suited for Linux, and that will keep you going safely from here on.

But rest assured, the way we harden this, you will not need any antivirus from Windows 10, nor will you care if you don't receive a security update forever. I realize that some of you may say this is a cybersecurity topic and not a privacy topic. But this cybersecurity procedure is necessary to retain our privacy on the OS by not relying on the Windows Fireware product called Windows 11.

What apps not to keep on Windows To achieve this part-time status, we need to examine the apps we use, and certain things must be moved to Linux. If you control what apps you run on Windows, you already eliminate a ton of hacking risks. In a 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations report, it reported that 82% of breaches involve phishing or stolen credentials, mostly via email.

So think of this, if you move your email to Linux, which is the simplest thing, and it's already built in, you basically eliminate a big source of hacking risks. This alone is huge. Secondly, if you move your web browsing to Linux, and again, web browsers are pretty much the same on Linux as Windows, then the second highest source of attacks pretty much disappears.

These two things alone will make you a lot safer. Additionally, if you pass files back and forth with others, like word processing files and spreadsheets, this must be done on Linux. Lots of hacks can happen on Microsoft Office scripts that don't happen on Linux.

But the change I just stated here is huge, and super simple. Windows apps, moving them to Linux The next step to turning Windows into a part-time OS is to review what Windows apps can run on Linux. In case you think this is theory, Steam claims that 85% of the top 1000 games are playable on Steam Deck hardware that used to run only on Windows.

Steam Deck is a portable gaming machine that's actually running Linux and Proton. Proton is doing the Windows emulation, and it is based on Wine. So if Steam can run games on Linux, you can see that it is possible.

I happen to have a Steam Deck, and it is actually cool when you realize that it doesn't use Windows to run these games based on Windows. Steam, of course, has made this seamless for games, and lots of you want to stay with Windows mostly because of games. And yet, there's no reason for it.

Linux will work faster most of the time, so your gaming experience should be better. At least on Steam, only 15% of the top 1000 games are unplayable on Steam Deck's Proton. So at least with that specific hardware configuration, they've solved lots of compatibility issues.

Some of you may be less successful with this, especially with newer computer models, though. The point is to lessen the use of Windows 10 directly, since it is not security patched. But if some of your gaming moves to Linux, then it is another big win right there.

For regular Windows apps, you can use a GUI to manage your executables to run on Wine. This GUI is called Bottles. So the combination of Bottles plus Wine allows you to run Windows apps.

This is a direct execution of Windows EXEs. This is not a virtual machine. Now, I personally find the Bottles UI a bit clunky and hard to understand.

But the point is, it is possible to move Windows apps to Linux. Not all, but certainly some. Another option outside of Bottles with Wine is another GUI for Wine called Lutris with Heroic, which you can use for games from Epic and GOG games.

The rest of this video will focus more on advanced techniques that will really allow you to run Windows 10 for an unlimited period, safely, without caring about security updates. Immutable Windows This technique, which is called Immutable Windows, is the same technique used by the Tails Linux distro or even the typical Linux Live USB. You basically have an instance of Windows that doesn't have persistent storage.

In other words, after a reboot, any changes to data will be removed and restored back to the original automatically. To do this, you need an enterprise version of Windows 10. And the specific version I will tell you to download is called US Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021.

The number one spot to get this is archive.org. It's a non-profit digital library hosting public domain and archive software like this ISO. Multiple verified downloads exist, all pointing to the exact file EN US Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 x64 DVD. This version of Windows can be installed using a local account, so there is no need to ever use a Microsoft ID.

If you run these commands that I show here on your Windows install, the drive will be locked and you cannot store any data permanently after boot. So the feature that restores your OS to its original state is called UWF or Unified Write Filter. It is available only on Windows Enterprise, IoT Enterprise, and LTSC editions.

When enabled, it redirects all your disk write operations to a temporary virtual overlay in RAM. And then on reboot, it will be discarded. Thus restoring your drive to its original state.

For example, running this command will protect your C drive. You can create exclusions, meaning areas where you can allow a write. But be careful here, as malware can write to this as well.

So I would prefer not having any writes on the root drive. But here's an example of how you would do exclusions. This feature is used mainly for kiosks or public computers, but it's very useful here.

Why does this work? In an immutable Windows setup, no malware can survive a boot. Even if you get malware, after a reboot, it will be gone. Here's a good way to use this.

Let's say you like to use your computer for gaming using Steam. What you do is store your Steam files on drive D, so you can still keep your game status data. You can store your real data, like word processing documents, spreadsheets, photos, etc.

also on drive D. So aside from the exception apps, you will use Windows only on C drive in this immutable format. This also means you cannot install new apps, or you have to undo this by disabling UWF. So if you need to, just remember to turn off UWF, install new apps, and then lock it down again with UWF.

This also makes this immune to Windows updates, by the way. To keep things safe, you must also be aware of what data you store on drive D. You must stick to your predetermined apps, like your Steam files and video editing files, and so on, meaning no email or web browsing or office document handling. An important thing is that if you are going to do this, that you followed my advice earlier and moved email and web browsing to Linux.

So there should be no instances where you open email attachments or download from websites from this Windows installation. There are alternate ways to do an immutable Windows, for example, using a virtual machine. If you can use a virtual machine and your apps run well on a virtual machine, you can then just keep an original copy of your VM that you never saved to.

So you always start with a copy. For some of you, this could be the easier answer. However, some apps do not run well on a virtual machine like video editing or gaming.

So unfortunately, the UWF option is still the most practical. Virtual machine. One of the ways to guarantee that your Windows app will work is to install a virtual machine on your Linux computer and run Windows 10 on it.

You can use the same Windows version I used previously. US Windows 10, IoT Enterprise, LTSC 2021. For Linux, the best performing option is to use the KUEMO KVM way of doing virtual machines.

I have an old video on that. Now, there are advantages to using Windows 10 in a virtual machine versus Windows 11. First, the TPM requirements do not exist, so it won't need to create a virtual TPM, which adds complexity.

Things like BitLocker won't be much of an issue. So even if you had the option to use Windows 11, it would be more practical to stick to Windows 10. And just like the UFW procedure we did, you can implement something similar on a virtual machine.

What you do is always work only from backups of your original Windows 10 VM. This way, you can always not save the original state, and thus, again, will ensure that malware doesn't survive the session. If you install new software, start from the original VM, and then save the master, and then use only copies as your VM.

SMB Hacks One of the ways Windows is hacked is by hackers taking advantage of the SMB, or Server Message Block feature, of Windows, which is what allows sharing of files in Windows. In this environment we are creating, we have no need to ever use SMB, so we will turn this off. To verify that SMB is actually disabled, you can run this before and after the steps I just told you about.

RDP Access Another interesting trick to isolating Windows is to leave it on the current computer, lock it down using some of the techniques I already stated, and then remotely access it from your Linux computer using an RDP client. RDP stands for Remote Desktop Protocol and is used to remotely control screens. It is built into Windows and is fairly easy to enable.

To enable RDP in Windows, you need to enable NLA as shown here. Using RDP provides a layer of isolation since it will prevent your Linux computer from ever receiving malware directly from the Windows machine. While it is unlikely with the prior precautions to have hacks on the Windows machine, this is through isolation here and is obviously easier to do, because you do not have to do dual boot.

Just buy a $200 Lenovo ThinkPad 6th Gen, install Linux on it, harden your Windows 10 and use it in a very limited way from there, and access it remotely using Remote Desktop. You can then use an RDP client on Linux to access it. This is very common among system operations techs, so you can do the same yourself.

Most popular Linux distros already have a built-in RDP client called Ramina. Physical Access The other main way a Windows 10 computer will be hacked will be by physical access, typically using the USB drive and using some hacking device like a USB rubber ducky. The assumption I'm making here is that this is for home use, so the threat of an unattended computer accessible by the night cleaning crew isn't a factor.

If this is an issue at your home, then you've got other worries beyond Windows. Obviously, physical access introduces other threats to your person beyond just some hacker getting control of your computer. So this is kind of common sense.

I could tell you to put certain controls on the USB drive and so on, but is that really necessary? Up to you. We need to be able to boot from USB for Linux purposes, so this is not practical in a dual-boot computer. Still, we can add a little safety here for extra insurance.

And what we'll do here before you enable UWF is to prevent autorun in the USB drive. So run this in PowerShell. Beyond this, I think we'll leave the physical access threat to you all.

If this is a risk for your environment, then you can work on physical security, which is outside the scope of this video. What about Windows 11? Well, what about Windows 11? As I talked about in several videos, using Windows 11 as a primary OS is very dangerous as the OS is geared to watching everything you do with the new see-what-you-see technology. And I've stated over and over that I personally use Windows 11.

It came with my computer, which is brand new. And I dual-boot. But 99% of my activity is on Linux, so Windows can watch me all at once.

I do not do email on it, web browsing, searching. I do video editing on it. That's it.

I don't have to spend the time to harden Windows 11 because it is actively updated by Microsoft. I have TPM off, BitLocker off, and Secure Boot off, so it doesn't mess with me. If you're able to upgrade to Windows 11, you can do what I do.

Use it in such a limited way that it is not a threat. But aside from dual-boot, I don't have to do anything special to it. Final thoughts In summary, what we've done here is change the way you use Windows 10.

No, this video does not encourage you to use Windows 10 as is. But it forces you to rethink your computing plan long-term and decide how Windows 10 will fit into it. At some point in the future, you may find that there will be no instance where you need to be on Windows at all.

I'm almost there. I'm at 1% use. You can be there too.

Folks, thank you for watching my videos. As many of you know, this channel does not have sponsors. And we primarily sustain ourselves by just creating products and services that we use to defend our privacy posture.

I'd like to invite you to visit our community site, BraxMe, which has a growing community of privacy enthusiasts. Their people from their walks of life and beliefs converge together in the mutual support of privacy issues. We have a store there with products ranging from the Brax Virtual Phone Service, Brax Mail, Bytes VPN, dGoogle phones, and other services like Flashing and OS.

All these are tools used by the privacy-aware, and you can even talk to the actual users of the products directly. Join us, we'd love to have you there, and you don't even have to identify yourself to be part of the community. The very successful Brax 3 phone is also available for pre-order on its second batch.

The first batch has been sold out. Information about that is on braxtech.net. Thanks also to those who donate to us on Patreon, Locals, and YouTube Memberships. You are all appreciated.

See you next time.

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)

---

TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: computers; microsoft; windows; windows10

[Bob434]

Inter3sting. Hadnt heard of doing that before. Will have to look into that

[Repeal The 17th]

Thanks a million.
Got one more year now to decide what to do!

[Openurmind]

“His solution to install Linux to work side by side with Windows 10 is above my paygrade.”

Actually, the Linux installation app does it all for you. All you have to do is select “Install Alongside” and it will partition, format, and volume label everything for you as part of the installation. It will automatically create three partitions, correctly format them, and connect them all together for you as part of the install.

They have actually made it pretty automated and painless for folks... :)

[Tired of Taxes]

Glad to hear it worked!

[Openurmind]

Or even a 128 gig stick... That is actually quite a bit of storage for a portable stick... :)

The great thing is, very few Linux Distros are over 2 gigs... A fully loaded Mint Cinnamon with all the bells and whistles is barely over 2 gigs. With what? 4 gigs for the Swap volume? It is still only 6 gigs and the rest is portable storage in a small package.

But along with these I also have larger external hard drives. One is 2 Tb and no bigger than a Cell phone. I just stay away from Videos when on the smaller sticks and they will hold quite a bit of data.

[Nervous Tick]

Please see post #81 in this thread.

[jaydubya2]

Can you upgrade Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2021 LTSC? Or does it require a new install?

[Tired of Taxes]

"i wonder though if you link to ms account, then temove the account after gerting free year if they will cut you off from the year of updates?"

Good question. I don't know. I've found some older information that says the updates won't be cut off. But I don't know whether those sources are trustworthy, and even if they are, I don't know whether that information is still true now...?

[Openurmind]

I’m mobile on the road all the time. So in order to have internet for my Computer when I need it, even in the middle of nowhere camping, I buy pay as you go burn phones with a good data plan and use it’s connection to the net as a modem. I can tether with a cable, or hotspot with wireless to the phone from my laptop.

But I usually tether because it charges my phone at the same time when my laptop is plugged in. That way I can turn off the wireless on both and close off any third parties. That is my only internet service and access and it works fine anywhere my phone will work and I have service. :)

[dennisw]

How much space is needed for Win 10 11on a flash drive? For best flash drive get a Samsung bar plus..... 17.99 for 128gb and 3$ less for 64gb

[Tired of Taxes]

"wouldnt it be way easier to put a shortcut on ypur desktop to the network connedtions app and simply disable the itnernet completely? Thus oreventing any online activity at all?"

I wish I knew. I've been trying to think of ways to avoid Windows 11 myself. I hate Microsoft for what they're doing. But I'm glad to have another year to figure out what to do.

[Openurmind]

Honestly, I don’t know what Win 11 is. But the last I knew several years ago Win 10 was around 20 Gigs... So if you are going to make a Windows stick I would go with larger the better... I don’t know how easy it is to do with Windows, Not a Windows guy anymore. Been with Linux the last ten years... I know it is fairly east to do with Linux for sure.

But here are some advantages of making one with Linux instead of Windows. First it is uncontrolled and it is yours, It is more secure for browsing the net and downloading, And they make great rescue sticks in case a Windows system goes down. Unless the hard drive is completely toast you can boot into a Linux drive and go into Windows and save all your important files off to the Linux stick, or even off to other target USB drives.

For that last reason alone EVERYONE should have a standalone Linux stick, even if they would rather use Windows as a regular system on their box. MS is going to make you erase and reinstall your drive and you will lose everything. The Linux stick will save the day and let you go grab all those folders and data off first before you do.

[Bob434]

thnaks, I’ll see what i can find, if anything

[dennisw]

“And they make great rescue sticks in case a Windows system goes down”

Not if your Windows is encrypted via bit locker... though maybe Linux rescue USB will work if you have your bi-locker password handy.

[daniel1212]

I am quite sure this involves breaking the law, I mean violating MS license. And as regards,

Many of you now think that the best option is just to stick with Windows 10, even though it is classified as end-of-life by Microsoft. End-of-life means you will not get security updates. I know that for $30 you can get an extra year of security updates from Microsoft, but after that, zero.

Microsoft has now announced that Windows 10 users can continue to get security updates until October 13, 2026, without having to pay the $30 fee to enroll in the Extended Security Updates programme. You must be running Microsoft Windows 10, version 22H2 Home, Professional, Pro Education or Workstations edition. You must have the latest Windows update installed. You must be signed in as an administrator. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2025/11/03/microsoft-confirms-free-windows-10-security-updates---how-to-get-them/)

[Bob434]

thnaks for the info- didn’t think about tethering w/ cable- that would be cool instead of mucking around with wireless- I get open wireless downtown when eatign breakfast/lunch, which i do every mornin-, but of course that is a security nightmare- but do use a vpn and it’s on android tablet- so a little more secure- sometimes though can’t get in a spot where i can pick up the wireless from the town boathouse- so tried doing hotspot connection to tracfone, but it ran through the data pretty quick- so stopped using that- would be nice not to have to use the open wifi-

[Saintgermain]

Thank you very much!

[dennisw]

Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2021 LTSC image is here>>>>
https://archive.org/details/en-us_windows_10_iot_enterprise_ltsc_2021_x64_dvd_257ad90f_202301

[jaydubya2]

Thank you sir!

[fireman15]

Can you upgrade Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2021 LTSC? Or does it require a new install?

Supposedly the OS needs a new install, but this is not true. Nearly every install that I have done has been on top of the previous Windows 10 install. But you have to use a minor modification in your registry to do this.

First watch this video that tells how to do it for the version that lasts only a couple of extra years, https://youtu.be/rWxGfxXLRFU , then return to my directions because there are a couple of important modifications to his registry configuration:

The obvious solution to the Windows 10 End of Life Event is for people who prefer their current Windows 10 installation is to install Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2021 LTSC. I have advocated this before but it usually goes in one ear and out the other of 99% of people posting here. There are cheaper license providers, but I have purchased most of mine from https://www.gamers-outlet.net/en/buy-windows-10-iot-enterprise-ltsc-cd-key-microsoft-global. I have used https://www.gamers-outlet.net/ for years and never been burned by them. There is always a 10% off coupon if you search for one using the Google search terms... gamers-outlet 10% discount code.

I did manage to get 20% off a couple of times, but usually anything over 10% does not work.

The following project is not difficult to figure out if you watch the video at https://youtu.be/rWxGfxXLRFU . This guy deserves most of the credit; he has 877,000 followers and puts out a lot of good videos. But use the values below instead of the ones that he recommends or your license will expire in a couple of years and not in 2032.

This will take you at least a couple of hours and maybe more because I recommend backing up your system hard drive first, and because of all the updates that will end up being installed. But you will end up with a system that most people will not be able to distinguish from what they are currently running right now. Not having to reinstall everything in many of my machines is definitely worth a little extra effort.

Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2021 LTSC is a stripped-down version of Windows 10 21H2. The latest version of Windows 10 is 22H2. There are essentially no differences between 21H2 and 22H2 that any normal user will notice. But there are many features and a whole lot of crap that are left out as compared to a normal install of Windows 11 Pro. With this method all the crap along with extra features will be installed. The first three installations that I did, were done completely clean from the original Microsoft ISO file. I added the features that I wanted included by using PowerDesk scripts. This worked fine and if you are someone who doesn’t mind getting their hands a little dirty diving into Windows or Linux operating systems... it may be the best way to go for you. BUt you are also going to have to reinstall nearly all of your applications that you like to use.

A clean install is the only way that the vast majority of users are aware of to get Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2021 LTSC working on their computer. The normal install routine will not allow you to upgrade an already installed Windows 10 installation. But I have found that with a few very minor edits to the Windows 10 registry that it installs without any real problems. The primary issue is that it takes considerably longer than doing a clean install... This is because it will re-install basically every update that Microsoft has released in the last 4 years and give you access to your already installed applications.

The following is how I have installed Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2021 LTSC on the last few Windows 10 computers that friends, family and I want to continue using Windows 10 on while being hooked up to the internet after October 14. This creates a system that is virtually indistinguishable to most users from the Windows 10 installation that they currently have installed on their computer only it will likely run a little faster. It does involve purchasing a license online. I am not associated with any of the mostly shady operators who sell license keys. I would advise using Paypal or a “virtual credit card” to pay for the place even with the place I have purchased many licenses from over the years... Gamers-Outlet. I should mention that Gamers-Outlet always has 10% disount codes available that you can search for using Google or DuckDuckGo, so this “project” costs right around $21.

I obviously do not offer any guarantees that Micorosoft will not pull something to put an end to this workaround that helps to prevent users from being forced to upgrade to Windows 11. As the deadline gets closer the demand for license keys whatever their origin will no doubt increase despite the lack of advertising and good info.

1. Download the ISO file and save it somewhere where you can find it again but preferably on a second drive installed in your computer. A fast removable drive or SD Card that is large enough to hold a 4.5GB iso file will work also. The file that you download should be called:
en-us_windows_10_iot_enterprise_ltsc_2021_x64_dvd_257ad90f.iso

It is available from a link that license key providers such as Gamers Outlet will provide you with, but it can also be found at archive.org and other places:
https://archive.org/search?query=en-us_windows_10_iot_enterprise_ltsc_2021_x64_dvd_257ad90f.iso

You should check the file from whichever source you choose with a Hash Viewer. You do this by using one of the free HASH checkers available from the Microsoft store... search for Hash Viewer. After you have installed Hash Viewer (MD5, SHA1, ...) load the file into it and it. After it has completed it’s calculations you can copy and paste the following hashes into the verify box and see if it finds any discrepancies.

File list :: Operating Systems :: Windows 10, version 21H2 [19044.1288] (Updated October 2021) ::
English :: en-us_windows_10_iot_enterprise_ltsc_2021_x64_dvd_257ad90f.iso
File: en-us_windows_10_iot_enterprise_ltsc_2021_x64_dvd_257ad90f.iso
Family: Operating Systems
Version: Windows 10, version 21H2 [19044.1288] (Updated October 2021)
Language: English - (EN)
CRC-32: 188c9d0d
MD5: 2463b19beac328290e6a8adcedb7533a
SHA-1: 76c3c10e38307d29fd8b4748522ed144dba35829
SHA-256: a0334f31ea7a3e6932b9ad7206608248f0bd40698bfb8fc65f14fc5e4976c160
SHA-512: 640942d93daf8cd183d06e35d5d753a4b93c952c3196c3e3fa7876295b39d8bfef5df8ef2a3b420b5247905fe396606f94ccf093982ee999e503d09e69850143
SHA3-256: 33bacaa70b78abcf4969fa0f6219a5cad7dd4d49c9b975ddadc8b15658d17d48
SHA3-512: 03e3a8e34a79363235aaf91333cb3afa4927feb0b1f1cf212e6cf4a70c54cbe7ab367fafb6143e6057dac00e407c1b661cb0e2511f7eadb4562c49d0ee606a4e
Size: 4.518 GB (4851668992 bytes)

2. Next scan your current Windows 10 installation for errors: Use your search bar or icon next to the Windows 10 icon on your taskbar and search for Command Prompt. Choose to run it as an administrator. Enter the following command into the command line: sfc /scannow
It will likely find a few errors and correct them. When this is done run another command: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
After this command has finished reboot your computer. (turn it off and on using the shutdown option when you click on the Windows Icon at the lower left corner of your screen.)

3. Then Make an image of your primary hard drive, SSD, or NVME preferably to a second drive installed in the computer. My prefered tool for this is Macrium Reflect Free, but there are many other free programs that work just fine as well.

4. Then Watch this video, https://youtu.be/rWxGfxXLRFU . It explains what you will be doing better than I can here. Follow the steps that he shows in the video... But do not use the regestry values that he recommends... use the following values instead to install it as an IoT version which will get updates until 2032.

The following will take just a couple minutes. But I will warn you... back up your registry first, and if you do not end up doing the upgrade the changes you make will probably screw your computer up in some way. So, if you do not complete the following steps... restore your registry back to its original values.

5. Go to the search box on your taskbar like you did for the command prompt and search for regedit.

As shown in the video run regedit as an administrator and navigate to...
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

now change to the values to the new ones listed below by double clicking on the Key Names:
Key Name = New Value

CompositionEditionID = IoTEnterpriseS

CurrentBuild =19044

CurrentBuildNumber = 19044

DisplayVersion = 21H2

EditionID = IoTEnterpriseS

ProductName = Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021

ReleaseId = 2009

6. After that you can mount and run the ISO from within your Windows 10 computer.

If you purchase your license key from a provider like Gamers-Outlet they provide a link to the ISO file. Download the ISO and copy it preferably to your 2nd drive but a USB drive will work as well. The ISO file cannot be run from the drive that you are currently running Windows on. Do not bother preparing a bootable drive. Go to wherever you saved the ISO file using Windows Explorer right click on it and choose “mount”. Then go to the simulated DVD drive that will show up and double click on setup.

You may have to choose the option to keep your files and programs but I have not had to do this. If you do not want to keep your files and programs you can click on the button that allows you to review what you want to keep. If it already says that it is going to keep your files and programs and you click on the button to review your decision expect to wait several minutes.

If you are doing a clean install from a bootable USB stick the process of installing like most instructions in videos and directions found online like I did on my first three installs it does not not take very long. But depending on how much stuff you have installed in your Windows 10 system installing over the top of it can take a long time to complete.

The first time that the computer shuts down it may try to look for the simulated drive that you ran setup from and gie you an error message. Turning the computer off and on this should fix this problem. If it does not you might have to go into your “bios” or “UEFI” to change the boot settings. This varies a little from system to systembut is not difficult.

After you have waited quite a while for update after update is installed and it looks like your about done be prepared for more updates, and then more updates after that. You will eventually be stuck on a blue page for quite a while that says that more updates are in progress “Please keep your device on”. You will start thinking that the computer is screwed up, but just wait and wait and wait, and eventually you will get a counter showing the percentage left. It will appear to boot up, but you will get a blank screen that lasts for a long time. EVentually the counter will resume at about the number that you saw last. It will eventually get to 100% then it wills eventually boot up and come to a familiar page.

8. When you do decide you are ready for more waiting install the cumulative updates search for Windows Update in the search box. Scan and choose to install them all... two will fail.

KB5055682 NET Framework 4.8 and 4.81
KB5010472 NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8

They will give you error code 0x80070570

9. Search for NET Framework 4.8 and 4.81 and then NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8 in Grok.com and it will tell you how to install them manually.

After everything is installed you need to perform one more step... And that is once again checking your system for errors. Here are those directions again:
Use your search bar or icon next to the Windows 10 icon on your taskbar and search for Command Prompt. Choose to run it as an administrator. Enter the following command into the command line: sfc /scannow
It will likely find a few errors and correct them. When this is done run another command: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
After this command has finished reboot your computer. (turn it off and on using the shutdown option when you click on the Windows Icon at the lower left corner of your screen.)

After that your system should look and feel the same as it did to begin with and it likely will perform a little better