Windows 10 End of Life

After October 14th 2025 Microsoft will no longer be providing free security updates for computers running Windows 10. This means that they will not be fixing any newly discovered bugs. Nor will they be patching new vulnerabilities that would enable cyber-criminals to attack your computer. And computers running Windows 10 will become the focus of attention for such crooks.

So if you continue to use a computer running Windows 10 after this date you are increasing your risk of becoming a victim of a cyber-attack, with devastating consequences for your organisation, staff and clients.

What are the Options?

Obviously you should upgrade all of your PCs that are capable of running Windows 11, in good time for the deadline. However you may have a number of older computers that are not compatible. So what are your options:

• You can pay for extended support. Microsoft are offering to continue providing updates to business users for $61 per computer for an additional year. This offer continues for a further 2 years, doubling in cost each year. Personal users can purchase extended support for one year only for $30, but may be able to get it free in certain circumstances, e.g. by enabling backup of their OneDrive.
• The easiest option is to replace these computers, but that could be costly. You may be able to keep costs down by finding suppliers offering refurbished or discontinued items. However pay attention to what warranties are provided.
• You could consider replacing them with Chromebooks. These are generally significantly cheaper than Windows laptops, and require less support. They are ideal if you are mainly using web based apps (Gmail, Google Docs, etc.). They are more limiting if you have requirements for unusual or complex software.
• You can force a computer to upgrade to Windows 11 even if it doesn’t meet the required spec. This is not straightforward (registry tweaks are involved), and is not guaranteed to work. Also there is no guarantee that Microsoft would continue to support such a setup.
• You could convert the computers to run Linux. Obviously many of the familiar Windows apps would no longer be available, but there are equivalents for most tasks (e.g. Libre Office provides much of the functionality of Microsoft Office). However there would be a learning curve for many users (although there are versions of Linux designed to look and feel like Windows).
• You could convert the computers to Chromebooks by installing ChromeOS Flex. However there are limitations. Firstly ChromeOS Flex is only free for personal use. Also there are indications that Google are planning to discontinue support (this appears to be linked to plans to merge ChromeOS and Android). Note that unlike proper Chromebooks you can’t run Android apps on ChromeOs Flex.
• If you have a need to continue running a Windows 10 computer, e.g. for some legacy app, then you can minimise the risk by keeping it disconnected from the network and the Internet. You would have to transfer any files required using a thumb drive or similar, taking care that no infected files are transferred.