A few years ago Microsoft announced that support for Windows 10 would end on Oct. 14. Many in the information technology world pooh-poohed this announcement; after all, Windows 10 had cemented its hold in the PC world after the blunders of Windows 8. The arrival of 2025 seemed so far out, and many thought Microsoft might extend this date as it had for other products in the past. Well, here we are, just over six months from the fateful date, and Microsoft hasn’t budged. In fact, they have been regularly reminding users of Windows 10 that the end is nigh.
Ominously referred to as end of life, or EOL, this date signifies the termination of public technical support. The most significant part of this event is that security updates and patches will no longer be available, leaving Windows 10 users vulnerable to bad actors. A bigger problem is that most users still on Windows 10 are running computers that are not compatible with its successor product, cleverly called Windows 11.
The concept of EOL is not specific to Microsoft; virtually all vendors follow this approach. Apple’s macOS version 12, officially called macOS Monterey, for example, went EOL in late 2024. All Macs released before 2017 are now unsupported. As a result, the options for folks running a Mac released before about 2017 are similar to those dealing with Windows 10 and are outlined below. If macOS version 13 (officially macOS Ventura) goes EOL as scheduled, coincidentally about a week after Windows 10, another slew of Macs will also be unsupported. Some of these were introduced as recently as 2019.
There are a few options available for those still on Windows 10.
First, double-check to see if your computer can be upgraded to Windows 11. By now most users will either have been prompted to upgrade to Windows 11 for free or told they are out of luck. Check Windows Updates on your PC; there should be reasonably up-to-date indication there. If the update is available, by all means, do it.
If your computer does not support Windows 11, then you have a couple more options. The easiest way to go is to buy a new computer running Windows 11. This is also the most expensive path.
A couple of alternative solutions, which are not recommended, include chancing ’em and just sticking with Windows 10. A lot of folks will do this. After all, Windows 7, which went EOL in 2020, is still used by millions of folks; admittedly, a significant portion of those are outside the Western world.
Another off-the-beaten-path option is to run Windows 11 on a nonsupported PC. This is not for the faint of heart, and even seasoned IT professionals struggle with this.
Finally, Microsoft has announced extended security updates, or ESU, for people running Windows 10. The ESU program has already been made available for mostly large businesses and government agencies and is still available, primarily via Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform, for Win- dows Server 2012 and other operating systems.
For individuals or Windows 10 Home customers, Microsoft has said that ESU will be available for $30 for one year. No word on anything past that. But for organizations, it will be available for three years; the cost is $61 for year one, and it doubles every year.
How far do you want to kick the can?
John Agsalud is an information technology expert with more than 25 years of IT experience in Hawaii and around the world. He can be reached at jagsalud@live.com.
