What happens to all the Windows 10 devices that are incompatible with Windows 11 in 2025?

Martin Brinkmann
Jan 30, 2022
Updated • Jan 31, 2022
Windows 10
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Microsoft released Windows 11 in late 2021 and shifted the focus of development from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Customers with Windows 10 devices may upgrade to Windows 11 for free, but not all Windows 10 devices can be upgraded as Microsoft changed the new operating system's requirements.

While it is possible to bypass the requirements, it opens a can of worms as some features may not work properly or at all, and because it may happen in the future that some updates can't be installed over Windows Update on incompatible devices.

Most Windows 10 devices that do not meet the minimum system requirements will stay on that version of Windows, but what happens when Windows 10 runs out of support in 2025? Microsoft lists October 14, 2025 as the retirement date for Windows 10 Home and Pro (basically, all consumer versions of Windows 10). Some users will certainly replace their devices with new ones, which will likely include Windows 11 or are at least compatible with the new operating system.

Millions of devices will still be in use by 2025, and these can't be upgraded to Windows 11 officially, as Microsoft won't just change the system requirements of the new operating system. Some users may upgrade to Windows 11 bypassing the restrictions.

The main issue that Windows 10 users will run into in October 2025 is that Microsoft won't create security updates for the operating system anymore. Windows 10 devices will continue to work like before, but there will be security issues that Microsoft won't fix after the last Patch Day on October 14, 2025. Other companies, including 0Patch, may step in and produce some security updates for Windows 10, but the company won't release patches for all issues and some may not be released for free.

Continuing to use Windows 10 after October 2025 may still be a valid scenario, for instance if the PC is not connected to the Internet, or if the security setup blocks most attacks before they can do any harm.

Most Windows 10 users whose devices are not compatible with Windows 11 have two main options, if they want to keep using the device:

  • Upgrade to Windows 11, bypassing the system requirements check in the process.
  • Switch to Linux.

Upgrade incompatible systems to Windows 11

Both options are not ideal from the perspective of a user who wants as little interruptions as possible. The first option, the unsupported upgrade to Windows 11, brings most settings and installed programs to the Windows 11 system. Most programs continue to work and data is not lost.

The main issue with the approach is that Microsoft does not support this officially. While Microsoft did release upgrade instructions for incompatible devices, it warns users that their devices "might malfunction" and "will no longer be guaranteed to receive updates, including but not limited to security updates".

The official disclaimer even states that damages are not covered under the manufacturer warranty and that PCs will no longer be supported in any way.

This PC doesn't meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11 - these requirements help ensure a more reliable and higher quality experience. Installing Windows 11 on this PC is not recommended and may result in compatibility issues. If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won't be entitled to receive updates. Damages to your PC due to lack of compatibility aren't covered under the manufacturer warranty.

Windows Update works fine right now on incompatible Windows 11 devices, but there is a chance that this may not be the case in the future. Especially feature updates may become problematic to install, as users may need to bypass the restrictions again before these can be installed.

Make the switch to Linux

The second option that users have is to make the switch to Linux. The change requires more research and work on the user's end: a Linux distribution needs to be picked for that, which may require some testing prior to making the move. Most Linux distributions can be run as Live systems, which won't affect data that is on the PC's hard drives.

Here are the main issues that users will experience:

  • Files need to be migrated manually to the Linux system. It is a good idea to back up important data before making any changes to a system. Use of an external hard drive or internal hard drive is advised.
  • Many applications won't run under Linux; this depends on the programs that are used on Windows, and programs such as WINE may help, but there is a good chance that some programs can't be run at all.
  • There is no data migration between programs, unless the programs support syncing.
  • The handling, administration and management is different, and need to be learned. Many modern Linux distributions require little to no knowledge of the command line. While it is recommend for advanced users, most regular users don't need to worry too much about this if they pick a beginner-friendly distribution.

Now You: do you run Windows 10 devices that are incompatible with Windows 11? What will you do?

Summary
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What happens to all the Windows 10 devices that are incompatible with Windows 11 in 2025?
Description
Not all Windows 10 PCs are compatible with Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system. What happens to these devices when Microsoft ends support for Windows 10?
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. Bart Williams said on February 9, 2024 at 10:30 pm
    Reply

    I wonder if Microsoft will be sued for the unintended consequences of forcing millions of people not sure how to go forward and throw millions and millions of perfectly working devices in the trash.

  2. Bridget said on December 23, 2022 at 10:57 pm
    Reply

    Microsoft became the world eminent software company by Bill insisting on one of the 3 pillars for success that Nordstrom embraced: FANTASTIC customer service. With an eye constantly on this one little pillar, everything else fell into place and VOILA Microsoft was (note the word “was” not “is”) the go to place for everything office software app related, and then some.

    Since 2005 this one little pillar is now nonexistent with the company. If I had to count how many times a launch to any of the companies apps “updates” only completely changed the UI vs. actually updating as a user friendly app, I’d need several other people to chip in with their hands. Too many times Microsoft misses the mark and continues to slide deeper into sub-Comcast level customer service. We said the ribbon needs to go, but it’s still there. Now, I finally give in and get Win 10, only to find that they removed all of the options that were visible when clicking the Win key.

    I think it’s time to throw out anything Microsoft, and transition, quickly, to open source. If Bill wants CEO’s that do not embrace his mission of superior customer service, then it’s time to wave bye bye to a once great company and not even turning back to watch it sink into oblivion, just moving AWAY!

  3. DennisP said on August 6, 2022 at 5:01 am
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    The entire Windows 11 migration in my mind is a total screw up, I purchased a new W11 HP laptop at the beginning of the year and yes it is pretty screen wise but was awfall on workflow in nearly all cases the biggest mess was the File Manager. Since then endless updates have made and NO I am not on insider updates been there done that moons ago never again.

    The latest updates for July seem to be coming thick and fast 3 x cumulative ones so far all with new issues, first the Canon printer / scanner dirver stopped working on the scanner and a polite meesage to get a new driver from Canon ! Hang on you broke you fix it Mr, Microsoft.

    Ooops failed to add my email and Name

    Now I have a new one it advises me that DropBox is creating an error and I need to reload same, so how did you break it Mr. Microsoft. Oh yes a reload does not solve it either so your update has screwed this as well now.

    I wonder when Microsoft is going to do some solid regression work on their updates, or are they just a bunch of software geeks? to my mind we are back to Vista and Windows v8 / v8.1 status nothing has been learnt by Microsoft from the successful W10 OS.

    I fast coming to the decision to ditch Microsoft and join the Apple camp whcih has its own set of problems to be addressed in doing the migration to same. I will wait until 22H2 is released in the hope that all the bugs issues have been resolved but I doubt it especially as Mocrosoft is now talking Windows 12…..

  4. Woody Embry said on June 26, 2022 at 8:01 pm
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    I plan to be dead by late October, 2025. That’s my solution!

  5. philby1 said on June 23, 2022 at 11:43 am
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    I’m sure I’ll be using windows 10 way after 2025. Not really given a choice as my computer is perfectly good and will still be in 2025 for what I want and Linux will not run some of the software I need.

  6. James Williams said on June 4, 2022 at 11:36 pm
    Reply

    Zorin OS is a very nice Linux distro, the first one I used. They have a free version and paid versions. The interface looked very much like Windows 7 which made it easy on the eye.

    My favourite is Manjaro. Some people say that Manjaro is advanced, but I have never really had any issues with it or ever needed to use the command line unless doing more technical things. It is also rolling release – everything is updated via one program. No need to reinstall a new version of the OS unless your hard disk dies.

    If it wasn’t for current games, I wouldn’t use Windows anymore. Linux systems can however use emulators for older games.

  7. Chris Jarvis said on May 19, 2022 at 10:50 pm
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    Microsoft will lose most of its customers and they will install Linux or some other android system because of this update, they said Windows 10 would be the last operating system they will bring out, now with Windows 11 people will say goodbye and Microsoft.

  8. kitten said on May 18, 2022 at 5:12 pm
    Reply

    well win 11 killed my pc thanks alot man

  9. Yop said on May 16, 2022 at 3:08 am
    Reply

    useless article, just stay on 10, if you get hacked it’s your fault anyway regardless of being up to date.

  10. Rollyshed said on May 11, 2022 at 12:44 pm
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    Roll on Windows 11, the sooner the better as it should mean lots of good cheap or free computers around.

    Then we can install Linux Mint Cinnamon on them and carry on using the computers as if nothing had changed – except…. they will go faster, be reliable and importantly FREE apps which will do the jobs better.

    NOTE – Linux Mint updates are thoroughly checked before general release, unlike Windows updates which keep breaking things.

  11. Chuck Riney said on May 10, 2022 at 6:31 pm
    Reply

    As of the release of Windows11 I started considering all windows as ransomware. All the bad things people have to say about Google I believe I’ll switch my system to Chromebook and use every one of their replacement programs and ditch Mickeysoft

  12. Rollande said on April 21, 2022 at 12:24 pm
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    Well that really sucks!
    I purchased my Asus laptop in 2017 and I love it! Thank you very much Microsoft for not saving the environment, I predict most of Windows 10 users will simply save their data and transfer it to a new Windows 11 laptop/pc and the old laptop/pc might be recycled or will simply join the landfill.

  13. Ilene said on April 12, 2022 at 2:49 am
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    I just got rid of windows 11 and switched back to 10. Windows 11 sucks. I hate it! No start or search bar on bottom screen. The only way to turn it off was manually. And setting a background was all figured out for me and I hated it. The color of orange and I could not get rid of it.

    1. James Williams said on June 4, 2022 at 11:49 pm
      Reply

      I noticed a trend that if Microsoft had an okay OS, skip the next one and get the one after. Windows Vista had issues, Windows 8 had issues and so does Windows 11.

  14. Nathan Gray said on March 31, 2022 at 6:57 pm
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    Linux is fine on the world’s supercomputers, OK for grandma who only checks her webmail and watches cat videos on Youtube. But for consumers, as a daily driver, for every day use? Forget it. The Linux fan boys, year after year after year, repeat the same old joke – that it can somehow replace Windows. Linux is too hard for the average person, never developed a reliable library of professional software and has never gained good hardware support from many mainstream vendors. Try getting any decent quality printer to do much more than print on both sides – and advance features? Forget it. That’s IF you can get the printer to work – most inexpensive printers will not work. Linux is great for a dedicated purpose. I use one as a Samba file server, use another for home theater – for streaming – but that is all. I don’t need to waste my time troubleshooting audio problems, printing problems, trackpad problems, video problems, and all the other “it just doesn’t work right” frustration that come with desktop Linux distros. If anyone tells you that Linux is easy to use, they aren’t using it in the same ways we use Windows and Macs. They aren’t using professional software. And they don’t value their time. Sure, Linux is free. Free if you don’t value your time. In its present state, no way it can be a Windows replacement. That’s a crazy fantasy. If it was that good, guess what? It would have more than 1.x% market share of desktop usage. Get real. And no, Android is not desktop Linux, Chrome OS is not desktop Linux, so don’t go down that screwball rabbit hole as the fanboys like to do. Desktop Linux is for techies and hobbyists, not for consumers. History’s shown that clearly with years of proof.

  15. allen said on March 1, 2022 at 6:24 am
    Reply

    Chrome OS Flex will be the easiest Linux to switch to.

  16. Repaso said on February 26, 2022 at 6:37 pm
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    I’m hoping Microsoft will make a patch that will allow generation 7 and generation 6 intel processors to be compatible with Windows 11. Even 3+ years from now many of these intel 7 and 6 processor computers will be running strong. Right now there are not many computers running Windows 11 due to the incompatibility issues. Windows 11 reviews are not very good either, it reminds me of the old Windows ME version that never took a strong foothold. Windows had to get their act together and make Windows XP to keep their strong customer base.

    Most people still prefer Windows 10. Windows needs to step back and figure out how to help customers, with older computers, get windows 11 on these computers with full support and minimal crash potential.

  17. Chuck Riney said on February 23, 2022 at 8:36 pm
    Reply

    Chromebook finally surpasses Microsoft with a system that can work the first time every time and Bill Gates wants one. The new Android system will be named “inyourhineybilly”

  18. another moot topic said on February 17, 2022 at 11:06 am
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    > do you run Windows 10 devices that are incompatible with Windows 11? What will you do?

    IDK, ask me again in 2025 when this topic is relevant.

    By 2025 things like Chrome OS Flex will likely be on option, and who knows what else.

  19. Gamer X said on February 7, 2022 at 7:27 am
    Reply

    I’ll better invest money on good antivirus.
    And stay on windows 10 for a while.

  20. Anirudh said on February 7, 2022 at 4:41 am
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    Please don’t upgrade to windows 11. It’s dogshit. It is full of glitches and bugs. Valorant is not supported in windows 11. So I strongly prefer to stay on windows 10 itself.
    Thank you:)

  21. Steven Taylor said on February 7, 2022 at 2:05 am
    Reply

    For many years now, I would have loved to switch to Linux. No business accounting software and GNUcash doesn’t cut it for me (yes, I’ve tried it).

    How would I recover data off of Windows disks unless I have a copy of Windows to run the data recovery software on? Would it be safe to do that from a virtual machine? Make a Windows boot disk? You see where I’m going with this. Normally my Windows test machine is off, unless I need it. Going to make a Windows 11 virtual machine to test it out, along with my Windows 7 virtual machine.

    I use an older Apple laptop for my business needs. Works just fine for me, and far more efficient. I don’t play games at all.

  22. Anonymous said on February 6, 2022 at 8:15 pm
    Reply

    Have a 8 core processors and 32gig ram.

    Systeem is to old.

    Windows is full of sh**!

    My PC still if faster than a normal one you can buy

    1. sucky time said on February 17, 2022 at 11:22 am
      Reply

      Perhaps you’re missing something, such as a cognitive impairment of some sort. If so, I suggest you seek help from a neurologist.

  23. old man said on February 5, 2022 at 11:17 am
    Reply

    Sorry but I don’t understand this obsession with “security” updates.
    I have been using Windows 7 with just SP1 since 2012 and haven’t had any problems.

    1. ignorance is bliss said on February 17, 2022 at 10:57 am
      Reply

      There’s no need to be sorry, as we understand why you don’t understand, as you are special.

  24. Anonymous said on February 4, 2022 at 11:26 am
    Reply

    And here I still use windows 7

  25. Bob Pfeffer said on February 3, 2022 at 7:34 pm
    Reply

    Hi Ernest,
    Thxs for the reply.
    Yes Win 10 is up to date Vwesion 21H1 (OS Build 19044.1503).
    I am trying to avoid rebuilding my system from scratch.
    It would take at least 2 days to get it all restored.
    it is used for development.

    I examined log and diag files left in $Windows.~BT\Souces\Panther: setuperr.log, setupact.log and diagerr.xml.
    The only thing that looks suspicous is:
    34226176 devinv: ERROR,TelCacheProvider::Initialize,602,AepicInvCache::Initialize failed [0x80004002]
    34226176 devinv: ERROR,TelCacheProvider::Initialize,602,AepicInvCache::Initialize failed [0x80004002]
    34226176 devinv: ERROR,TelCacheProvider::Initialize,602,AepicInvCache::Initialize failed [0x80004002]
    34226176 devinv: ERROR,TelCacheProvider::Initialize,602,AepicInvCache::Initialize failed [0x80004002]
    33554432 ConX::Compatibility::CIndividualCompatibilityCheckerT::OnInvoke: Failed to determine whether secure boot is blocking Setup.. HRESULT = 0x800703ee
    33554432 CSecureBootChecker failed. [] HRESULT = 0x800703ee
    34226176 devinv: ERROR,TelCacheProvider::Initialize,602,AepicInvCache::Initialize failed [0x80004002]

  26. ryuk said on February 3, 2022 at 12:23 pm
    Reply

    If you’re considering switching to Linux, Peppermint OS 11 has been released after 3 years in development, now it’s based on Debian and Xfce:

    https://9to5linux.com/peppermint-os-11-released-after-3-years-in-development-now-based-on-debian-and-xfce

    https://peppermintos.com/2022/02/peppermint-release-notes/

  27. Ernest N. Wilcox Jr. said on February 2, 2022 at 11:35 pm
    Reply

    I spent a few months during 2021 researching and building a new PC. I ordered my new components a bit before Microsoft announced Windows 11, and ‘lucky’ me, my new PC can run Windows 11. I tried it out and my new Logitech mouse was a bit flaky under Windows 11. By the time I decided the issue was with Windows 11 and not my new mouse, it was too late to revert back to Windows 10, so I did a clean install of Windows 10, and I am still using it today. After patch Tuesday, I’ll re-install Windows 11 again to see if the mouse issues are resolved. If not, I’ll revert back to Windows 10 within a week, so it’ll not be too late this time.

    At about the same time I ordered the parts for my new desktop, I ordered a new Lenovo Legion 5 laptop to replace my very old Acer. It can and does run Windows 11. I upgraded to Windows 11 as soon as it was offered to me in Windows Update. Windows 11 is working very well on my new laptop, and I like it. I have no issue with either Windows 10 or 11. I like them both.

    I dual boot all my active PCs with Windows 10/11 and KDE Neon GNU/Linux. Neon provides an excellent combination of the current Ubuntu LTS as a base, and the latest stable branch of KDE, so I get the latest and greatest KDE apps along with the breadth of apps available from Ubuntu. I have a Dell Experian laptop with UEFI and TPM2, but the CPU is not supported list for Windows 11, so it runs Windows 10 currently, and I’ll keep it that way until Windows 10 reaches EOL. When that happens, I’ll remove Windows 10, and use gParted to expand my /home partition, and edit the Grub configuration with Grub-customizer to eliminate the boot menu altogether.

    If any one of my PCs is unsupported by any OS, I will not us that OS on that PC – Period! At the same time, if the PC remains useful/functional, I will find an OS that does support that PC and use it. For me, the most likely candidate for an OS on a PC that is not supported for Windows 11 is some distribution of GNU/Linux.

    My families first computer was a Commodore Vic 20. It didn’t have any hard/floppy drive so my two sons and I had to type in any program we wanted to run by hand – every time we used the computer. Soon after that we got a Commodore 64. It had a floppy drive so we could use it more like a real computer. My twin brother got that one for me and my sons for Christmas along with a variety of games we all could play. Our third computer was a Gateway IBM-compatible PC powered by an Intel-8-088 CPU with 640 KB RAM, a 100 MB MFM hard drive, and a 5-inch floppy drive. It came with MS-DOS 3.1. We got that PC for my wife who was going to a local business school to learn business machines. Her teacher gave her a copy of WordPerfect 5.1 so she could study at home (the main reason we got the PC). I helped her install it, and when I saw WordPerfect load for the first time, all I could say was “I just got’ta know how they did that!” From that point on, I was hooked on computers. We had that Gateway for what seemed like a long time – all the way through to when MS-DOS 5.x was released. Then one day, the hard drive suffered a head-crash. By that time, MFM drives were no longer available – I couldn’t find one, not even a used one, so I went to a local bookstore and got a book named “Upgrading and Repairing PCs”, a used tower case (probably from an old server) and everything I needed to build my first PC – a motherboard with an i386 CPU and a hard drive (I already had a keyboard). I spent some time reading the book then I assembled the PC and did the pin-shorting configuration (I can’t remember what that was called then) needed to configure the ports on the motherboard (that job is done in the BIOS/UEFI today). When all was said and done, I had a working PC running MS-DOS 5.1 (IIRC). Shortly after than I got a copy of IBMs GUI interface for DOS (OS2?). Later on, I got a copy of Windows 3.1. I think I liked the IBM UI better :). I kept building newer PCs as the need arose and upgrading my OS through the various versions from Windows 95 to the current Windows 10/11. I provide this history so you can see why I still use Windows. It is familiar and my muscle memory works best with it, but I can use GNU/Linux too, and I like it. I have used various distributions since the 1990s. My first distribution was Mandrake Linux. It was the first one I tried to use that worked well right out of the box (so-to-speak). The only thing I had to do was to configure my Ethernet adapter, and there was information in the Mandrake documentation to guide me. Today, if I want WiFi on my PC under GNU/Linux, I still have to build the driver for my adapter, but sooner or later, it will be fully supported too.

    These are my opinions about OSs, and my experiences with PCs in general. I’ll leave you with the thought that anything worth doing is worth some effort. You are (of course) free to agree or disagree.

    Ernie

  28. Anonymous said on February 2, 2022 at 4:55 pm
    Reply

    windows 10 is the new XP

  29. brightspark said on February 2, 2022 at 2:32 pm
    Reply

    @Bob,

    Is your Windows 10 up-to-date? Minimum requirement is Win10 2004 and I’m sure I saw somewhere that a specific Windows update is also required.

  30. Bob Pfeffer said on February 2, 2022 at 1:16 pm
    Reply

    I have a Windows 10 pro system that PC Health check says is able to run Windows 11.
    However, about a month ago the message on windows 10 update page that stated windows 11 is coming stopped showing up.
    I decided to try and upgrade to windows 11 by downloading the installation iso.
    It always fails. The installation: Checking PC, license agreement, getting updates, Making sure you’re ready to install, and then stops with: Windows 11 Setup We can’t tell if your PC is ready to continue Windows 11. Try restarting Setup.
    That is it. I have multiple physical disks and cloned my boot disk to another hard drive. Created a hyper-x vm with same result on the vm.
    I tried a completely new install by booting the vm to the iso installation disk and it succeeds but wipes out my disk.
    Any thoughts!

    1. Ernest N. Wilcox Jr. said on February 2, 2022 at 9:24 pm
      Reply

      Bob Pfeffer, on your computer that fails to update to Windows 11, run Windows Update repeatedly until the check tells you that you are up to date. Then run the PC Health Check app again just to be sure that your hardware is truly supported in Windows 11. After that, back up your files, if not to an external drive, sync with Microsoft OneDrive so your files reside somewhere other than on your system drive. Finally, run Windows Update, check the optional updates, you should see the upgrade to Windows 11 there. If not, you can then safely upgrade to Windows 11, even if it wipes your drive because you already have everything backed up, either to an external drive, or to Microsoft OneDrive.

  31. Doug Blake said on February 2, 2022 at 1:10 pm
    Reply

    “I personally think MS is doing Linux a favor with their latest gambit.”

    I think not, the average Windows user wouldnt have a clue, let alone consider installing Linux. So many pitfalls and its wont run all that software you have on Windows.

    Non-starter for me

    1. zarmanto said on February 2, 2022 at 2:20 pm
      Reply

      “… the average Windows user wouldnt have a clue, let alone consider installing Linux. So many pitfalls and its wont run all that software you have on Windows.”

      The “year of desktop Linux” may never come to pass for many and varied reasons, but it can still replace your Windows or Mac computer for quite a few basic workflows. The irony is that the biggest advances which enable Linux to be truly useful have little or nothing to do with Linux itself: it’s all of these platform vendors moving their crap into the cloud. *Including Microsoft.”

      (Admittedly, my Linux box is an old repurposed Mac Mini sitting alongside an iMac that’s presently running an “unsupported” install of Windows 11… so maybe I’m not entirely *in touch* with what the average Window user thinks about Linux.)

  32. Herbert said on February 2, 2022 at 10:16 am
    Reply

    I have a 6th gen i7 their upgrade tool is telling me its incompatible with 11 despite their website saying it is. Thats rediculous.
    Now my grandmothers core2 quad thats 12 years old i kinda expected it not to make the cut

  33. Ioannis Elefsiniotis said on February 2, 2022 at 2:00 am
    Reply

    Switch to Linux definitely! As I’ve seen for my every tasks. Internet browsing, office applications, email etc. It’s more than perfect.

  34. Steve Stone said on February 1, 2022 at 4:18 pm
    Reply

    I still have clients running Windows XP for non consumer, specialized tasks. Some commercial two way radio equipment can only be configured using XP or DOS with computers that contain real RS232 serial ports. One client runs Windows XP on a Point of Sale/inventory computer. She is not willing to reenter 10,000+ items into the database of a new computer running new retail/inventory software. Many older residential clients are still running Windows 7 because it works for their needs and they have limited financial resources. I have one 2007 vintage quad core tower that refuses to upgrade past Windows 10 v1909 unless I totally wipe the hard drive and perform a fresh install. Nothing I am running on that computer today that requires a newer version of Win 10. I’m only starting to run into clients with Windows 11 installed.

  35. Romanio0089 said on February 1, 2022 at 3:21 pm
    Reply

    Just install Windows 11 lol, it’s not that hard to do with the custom MediaCreationTool. Microsoft “requirements” don’t matter.

    1. zarmanto said on February 2, 2022 at 2:42 pm
      Reply

      While it’s technically true that Microsoft “requirements” didn’t stop me from installing Windows 11 on an unsupported 2019 iMac, their system detection software did slow me down quite a bit. I would also suggest that most average users likely wouldn’t have been able to make it happen, as I had to merge pieces of the Windows 11 install package into a Windows 10 install package and then create a bootable USB stick of that hybrid… and oh-by-the-way, you can’t perform an upgrade in place of a Windows 10 install; it has to be a clean install.

      So make no mistake, it’s by no means always a simple “lol, just do it anyway, duh” kind of thing; Microsoft is putting all of their eggs in that TPM basket, and has put quite a few hurdles in place to attempt to prohibit certain upgrades.

  36. Vinko Binkis said on February 1, 2022 at 1:01 pm
    Reply

    As a consumer product, Linux is not going to happen.

    Suggesting that consumers install Linux is irresponsible.

    Sure there are one button Linux installers, but after you boot up to the nice looking Gui, you find out your printer, or your mouse, or your sound card, or your keyboard, or you mix of hard drives, or you mix of memory chips, or your motherboard, don’t work perfectly, so you either hire a Linux geek to sort it out or speed weeks scouring obtuse arcane Linux forums and pray some one somewhere had the exact same problem on the exact same equipment and mix of Linux software versions and took the time to write it up.

    1. cheez wiz said on February 17, 2022 at 10:40 am
      Reply

      > As a consumer product, Linux is not going to happen.

      You are correct, as consumers buy product, yet Linux is free. Hence your point is moot, and the rest is the hyperbolic ranting of a daft novice.

    2. Peterc said on February 1, 2022 at 9:16 pm
      Reply

      @Vinko Binkis:

      You must have some pretty unusual mice, keyboards,* hard drives, memory chips, and motherboards. The only hardware that hasn’t worked for me out of the box in the various beginner-friendly Linux distros I’ve used in the past four years or so is the fingerprint scanner on my two-year-old laptop. And back in 2007, I installed PCLinuxOS KDE on a ThinkPad that Windows XP wouldn’t run stably on. The only thing that didn’t work out of the box was my Cisco PCMCIA WiFi card, and that was probably because Cisco didn’t even make the drivers openly available to *Windows* users. (You had to request the driver from the vendor who sold you the card.) I believe PCLinuxOS actually *prompted* me to put a Linux wrapper around the card’s Windows driver if I had one (which I did). This *all* happened through a GUI and took only a couple of minutes. Finally, are you familiar with the TrackPoints (the pointing-stick mice that look like pencil erasers) on IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads? Publicly available documentation for custom-configuring them is unbelievably sparse for *Windows* and nonexistent for Linux. Anyway, TrackPoints work in Linux, but if you want to do something like add horizontal TrackPoint scrolling to an app that doesn’t already support it, it’s often doable in Windows (you edit the tp4table.dat file), but in Linux, I wouldn’t even know where to start. And that’s pretty much the extent of my hardware-support travails in Linux. But to be fair, maybe I’ve just been lucky (like @Gerold Manders ;-).

      BTW, for potential Windows refugees who are leery of “having to use the command line” in Linux, while Cinnamon is not my favorite desktop environment (KDE Plasma is), I’m pretty sure it’s the one that (in recent years) has allowed me to do the most stuff via a GUI (and hence avoid the terminal). In fact, in Linux Mint Cinnamon, I think I only *had* to use the command line once, for a very weird, very unusual problem that most users would never encounter. All the other times I used the terminal were either for highly optional system tweaks or because it was actually quicker and easier than going through the GUI. My all-time champ in this regard, however, was the old version of KDE on PCLinuxOS 15 years ago. In the course of using it exclusively, full-time, for a year, I never had to use the command line even *once*. (I learned *nothing* about Linux because I never had to!) But those were simpler times, with simpler hardware and simpler software…

      *You know, now that I think about it, advanced keyboard functions aren’t necessarily a no-brainer. I had a friend with an old Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro that he loved and wanted to hold onto in Windows 7, even though it was no longer supported. I think we eventually got most (but not all) of the essential “special” keys working by loading the IntelliType (?) package for a newer (but different) Microsoft keyboard. All of this was in Windows, mind you…

    3. Gerold Manders said on February 1, 2022 at 2:44 pm
      Reply

      ll hardware features in my Lenovo Yoga 500 laptop, worked immediately after installing Pop!_OS (v20.04). That is, the keyboard, trackpad, audio, Bluetooth, Wifi, wired internet, touch screen and HDMI port (for dual screen support, which works marvellously btw). It even “wakes up” properly when it is put to “sleep” when closing the lid.

      Was I lucky? Perhaps. Were you unlucky with your hardware? Probably. The only thing I did to the laptop was exchanging the HDD with a brand new SSD.

      Not saying that Linux can have problems with some hardware, but Windows isn’t that much better. If you were thinking that Windows is better at this, you just haven’t had the experience yet of having niche hardware that isn’t directly supported in the Windows version you try to run it in. Talking about a can of worms there…

  37. Masox said on February 1, 2022 at 7:18 am
    Reply

    I still haven’t seen ANY explanation AT ALL what exactly makes the unsupported CPUs incompatible, let alone any journalist even ASKING THAT QUESTION.
    BTW look at this comparison from the Intel CPU catalog: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/compare.html?productIds=95442,189270
    and tell me what is the FUNCTIONAL difference between the two, besides that the Atom is a just one half of the i3-7100U and that it is SUPPOSEDLY newer generation. And let me remind that the current generations are still NOT immune to meltdown and spectre vulnerabilities.

    1. zarmanto said on February 2, 2022 at 2:46 pm
      Reply

      In most cases, I believe the answer is support for TPM 2.0 on the motherboard. Note specifically that Microsoft dictates that it has to be supported on the motherboard, and not just in the CPU.

  38. entitled brat said on February 1, 2022 at 5:39 am
    Reply

    > do you run Windows 10 devices that are incompatible with Windows 11?

    Yes.

    > What will you do?

    I will have sissy fit and squeal like a pig.

  39. Allan S said on February 1, 2022 at 4:56 am
    Reply

    I’m 70 years old and if covid-19 hasn’t killed me buy 2025 I will be a new owner of a Apply computer

    Unless Mr Bill Gates wants to buy me a new one.

  40. notanon said on February 1, 2022 at 12:26 am
    Reply

    Most people will probably upgrade/buy a new computer.

    Over a decade ago, DDR3 and USB2 were the mainstream standard, but DDR4 and USB3 has been the mainstream standard for about a decade.

    Now, DDR5 and USB4 are replacing DDR4 and USB3. Would you rather be at the end of old technology (and be left behind for a decade), or at the beginning of new technology (and compatible with everything for the next decade)?

    People are waiting for DDR5 & USB4 to become affordable and mainstream before upgrading their computer. This will happen prior to 2025.

    The only thing I don’t like is the spectre of Microsoft Pluton.

    * [Editor: removed, please no politics]

  41. lspb said on January 31, 2022 at 10:51 pm
    Reply

    Now… to get you all excited. I bought an Acer ChromeBook and enjoying it very much. I guess now I am going to get an earful from you guys.

    1. yawn said on February 17, 2022 at 11:41 am
      Reply

      @lspb

      Your comment lacks interest.

      So much for your silly expectations of us.

  42. Loverboy said on January 31, 2022 at 9:22 pm
    Reply

    Guess what I did today?
    I wrote a LETTER! With a pen, on paper. To a girl I like. The post office lady looked at me like I had lost my mind when I wanted to buy a stamp, for my hand-written letter in a real paper envelope. Leaving the post office I felt ALIVE. Put that in your digital pipe and smoke it!
    I’m so awesome it’s not even funny.

    1. Masox said on February 1, 2022 at 7:20 am
      Reply

      Now you can only pray the post delivers before SHE does. To someone else.

  43. Michel said on January 31, 2022 at 8:37 pm
    Reply

    I read the comments and I feel some kids are ready to throw themselves out of the window, jump in front of a bus or pull their teeth out because they can’t install Windows 11. Microsoft this, Microsoft that. C’mon… Every computers can have their motherboard upgraded for less than a thousand dollars, often much less. What’s the big drama here? The problem most of us have nowadays is about upgrading the video card, not the rest of the computer, and you can install Windows 11 easily on a computer with an older video card. If you can’t afford that you should consider changing hobby, stick with consoles or get a library card. Anyway you’ll learn much more with books than you’ll ever will with a computer.
    As for Linux I might try it one day out of curiosity but, for now, I won’t waste my time with it. Too many things to do, a fully loaded computer with tons of software and games and, on top of that, no interest in reinventing the wheel and spend the next 3 years learning the quirks of Linux. Life’s too short and I don’t live for an OS.

    1. Masox said on February 1, 2022 at 7:22 am
      Reply

      Ever heard of notebooks? Most can’t be, and they are much pricier than desktops.

  44. TelV said on January 31, 2022 at 8:19 pm
    Reply

    It wouldn’t surprise me at all if, for the machines which can’t be upgraded to Windows 11, Microsoft offers a premium to trade in your now virtually useless Windows 10 hardware for a new Surface laptop with Windows 11 RT preinstalled.

    I bet there would be thousands who would jump at the chance without realizing what they’d be letting themselves in for.

    1. Dr Jekyll said on February 2, 2022 at 10:09 am
      Reply

      It would be such a waste tho, just like windows 8 RT. Screw that locked bootloader.

  45. lee corkram said on January 31, 2022 at 8:04 pm
    Reply

    i use windows 7 dont like 10 and wont go 11 and yes feel like we are foced to change so much for freedom if we all said f—k off to ms we wont go down that road like i read on here the courts are letting us down its not just ms and apple all the big companys are at it we are all sheep and i do think people are just getting more controled cant think for them selfs

  46. Mike Tanis said on January 31, 2022 at 7:55 pm
    Reply

    Begin right now to reduce your dependance on local programs that require Windows. For example, even QuickBooks now has a web-based system that allows you to escape the shackles of Windows! Get rid of those old legacy programs if you can!

    Now I’m not a Linux or Apple fan boi, but if you begin now to reduce your Windows-only footprint then you’ll have significantly more options in 2025.

    The second thing you can do is figure out how to “air-gap” your Windows systems by removing Internet connectivity from them. There’s very little concern about “missing” security updates if the systems never touch the Internet. (Yes, however, USB flash drives would still be a concern!)

    By 2025 you’ll probably be using your phone (or tablet) for everything Internet, so removing your computers will be easier than you might think. (It’s amazing how stable Windows 10 can be when you remove all Internet access and thus remove all the crazy background updating and telemetry that takes place!)

  47. Robert Therrien said on January 31, 2022 at 6:14 pm
    Reply

    Maybe I should just sue Microsoft as there was NO expiration date on any of the O/S’s I have purchased over the years from Microsoft costing me more and more money which congress does not take into consideration when determining a cost of living raise for us 100% disabled veterans. Even though The government knows disabled veterans must have a computer to talk to their doctors, order their medications and make appointments for medical treatment.

  48. Parry Hotter said on January 31, 2022 at 3:02 pm
    Reply

    “Switch to Linux…” ??????? ???????

  49. Gene said on January 31, 2022 at 2:58 pm
    Reply

    First thing-Windows 10 support expires 10/2025, ok that’s 3yr 9months from now. Need I point out that’s a LOT of time in the tech development world? Same applies to the alternatives you list, especially the allegedly inabily of Linux versions to read Windows10 files/data. If current versions don’t whose to say that new versions won’t, especially if there is a need for this capability?
    Additionally while I will agree that people may keep their tech longer as costs rise, in over 3 yrs from now there might be development’s for which you just might want a new computer negatating the concern you raise about Win10 support expiring.

    1. Masox said on February 1, 2022 at 7:28 am
      Reply

      Since cca Pentium III the CPUs have more power than what most consumers even need. The bottleneck is in the storage, namely hard disks. I have a 2001 IBM ThinkPad T40p with mobile Pentium III and 1.5GB of RAM, that can do regular stuff (email, web browsing, office work) just fine with the original 5.200rpm PATA disk replaced for an mSATA SSD and still waits for me most of the time.

  50. Robert said on January 31, 2022 at 2:43 pm
    Reply

    I have moved 4 of my PCs to Linux. I have been in the IT industry since 1975, and have found the big thing I do on my Home PCs is surf the internet. Really no need to stay on Windows. My Wifes PC is still on Windows, and I have one PC that has a Windows App that controls some Audio equipment that will stay on Windows. When the PC first came out I was in wonder of what it could do, now with everything being done in the cloud or the internet, I really have no real use for Windows/iOS, and for that matter even Linux. More than likely my next PC will either be one that replaces my Wifes PC with a Windows 11 machine or a Chromebook to replace one of my Machines.

  51. Brandon said on January 31, 2022 at 12:45 pm
    Reply

    I already made the switch to Linux. I tried Windows 11 and simply wasn’t impressed. Linux runs considerably better on mysystem than windows does.

    1. monkey do said on February 1, 2022 at 5:48 am
      Reply

      Yup, just like when I have the runs I poop a lot faster.

  52. Ray Foulkes said on January 31, 2022 at 11:23 am
    Reply

    “Many applications won’t run under Linux” – many applications will also not run under win10 because by then MS will have changed the OS API and any upgraded or new applications will require the W11 version.

  53. Torin Doyle said on January 31, 2022 at 10:12 am
    Reply

    Potentially a golden opportunity for GNU/Linux. <(^)

  54. NeonRobot said on January 31, 2022 at 9:21 am
    Reply

    Who cares? Win7 will outlive 11, like 10 & 8.

    1. owl said on February 1, 2022 at 1:53 am
      Reply

      > Who cares? Win7 will outlive 11, like 10 & 8.

      In Japan, except for large corporations with good business conditions, even national organizations (government offices, local administrative organizations) and medical institutions are still using Windows 7.
      This is because even though they are aware of the end of OS support, they do not have enough “management resources” to migrate to the latest equipment (new system environment).
      Because of the huge cost of system migration (not only money, but also system construction, education and training, etc.), people are reluctant to take the next step until the equipment they use breaks down and stops working, making it no longer a viable system.

      Moreover, with the added severity of COVID-19, the world economy is deteriorating, domestic and foreign demand is unstable, and corporate performance and national finances are in crisis. Rather than investing for the future, emphasis is now being placed on measures to prevent business (and financial) collapse.
      Not only the home use market, but even the corporate use market, has little interest in Windows 11.

  55. Anonymous said on January 31, 2022 at 8:07 am
    Reply

    The answer is just keep using Win10, until the hardware doesn’t do what you need it to. The lack security updates won’t matter to the average home user, as they can already jack up an install still being updated. There are people still trying to hang on to Macs that don’t have or soon won’t get valid root certificates for SSL sites. On the Microsoft side it’s a bigger issue in the corporate space, but on Mac those computers become useless on the internet without completely switching the OS. MS has at least demonstrated a willingness to issue a post eol patch when something particularly egregious is discovered.

  56. Jonathan Steadman said on January 31, 2022 at 8:03 am
    Reply

    Linux is a great alternative. But one problem would be software and games support that people need. So if someone need to use Ms access then they will struggle with Linux. So do bear in mind that Linux is not always a great choice. If there is wine and proton but may have issues or not launch at all. But at most times for me it always works with no issues.

    1. goggy said on February 17, 2022 at 10:23 am
      Reply

      > But one problem would be software and games support that people need.

      No one needs to play games, and most people don’t need MS software support.

      In other words, they may want it, but they don’t need it.

      Most people just need web access, anything beyond that is mostly a superfluous luxury.

      Most people who actually “need” MS software support are those who use their PCs for work, and those folks should be able to afford a Windows 11 PC when need be. If they can’t, then they are likely not who they think they are.

      That said, Zorin OS is an easy, free, alternative for those users who simply understand that they don’t need all the things they thought they did. And you can dual boot Zorin with Windows 10. So when support ends for 10, just keep using it, but keep it off-line, and use Zorin to go online.

      As for games, if you are not rich, then just buy the best console you can afford (even a used one) and be done with Windows.

      For the most part, desktop gaming is for rich folks, and hence this topic is of little concern to them.

  57. seeprime said on January 31, 2022 at 7:01 am
    Reply

    0patch offer free and paid security updates. I still use Windows 7 Pro with 0patch.com pro. It’s $30 per year and works perfectly. Don’t let Microsoft lead you to believe that only they can patch Windows. To work on customer’s computers I use a MX Linux USB live boot drive. Both are acceptable ways to keep safely using your computers.

    1. DrKnow said on February 4, 2022 at 1:52 am
      Reply

      How easily the gullible are taken in.

  58. Anonymous said on January 31, 2022 at 6:52 am
    Reply

    I’ve been slowly switching over to Linux for years now, so continuing with that trend is a no brainer. I’ve also support an AD environment that is on life support as MS gets less and less favorable. Other solutions are creeping in, and MS is dying a death from 1000 cuts.

  59. owl said on January 31, 2022 at 6:43 am
    Reply

    I’m not interested in “Windows” anymore, but I’m not interested in “PC” either.

    My family has been slow living a “digital detox” lifestyle for a few years now, and I haven’t turned on my Windows machine for about a month now.

    Currently, the only web device I have running in my house is my iPad (which I bought a long time ago as a substitute for a car navigation system), and it is for receiving Classic FM (UK:100.6) using the “AirPlay” function (which was useful as a substitute for a radio receiver when I renovated my audio environment).

    Therefore, I need a PC to manage and edit the huge amount of “photos” that are my family’s memorials, a lot of “Music CDs and DVDs” and for database-based asset management.
    The number of applications you require is limited. An environment in which they can be used is sufficient.

    Many of my parents’ generation have already passed away, and more we are beginning to receive death notices for our siblings and friends. The end of my life is in sight. The most important thing for me is to organize (dispose of) my assets.

  60. Anonymous said on January 31, 2022 at 6:15 am
    Reply

    This is not the first time we’ve had to decide to upgrade or not. People still run windows 7 with the same security update problem. It’s not such a bid deal

  61. Dave said on January 31, 2022 at 5:23 am
    Reply

    MS has been getting away with this for decades because our courts are not doing their job. Your computer belongs to you, not to the maker of the OS you choose to use. MS is entitled to upgrade its OS. MS is not entitled to brick your computer or anything you have installed on your computer.

    1. Bon Scott Jovi said on January 31, 2022 at 9:17 pm
      Reply

      That’s why there’s that little EULA thing. Which means your computer is not yours when you install windows on it. End of story. Installed windows? You gave away your computer. You are allowed to use it though, which is mighty big of microsoft.

  62. Dora Smith said on January 31, 2022 at 4:51 am
    Reply

    Most computers on the planet install Linux operating systems. There are a number of good, user friendly ones out there.

    Then Microsoft suddenly Finds Jesus, grows heads, and cuts the crap, and presto bingo, all the computers run Windows 11.

    Or, if that doesn’t happen, it’s long since time Microsoft went out of business.

    1. Dora Smith said on January 31, 2022 at 5:17 am
      Reply

      No edit button.

      I switched to Ubuntu when Windows 7 support ended. I have never looked back. I did install ubuntu on a second computer a few years before that just to learn it. At that time you had to do far more the hard way than you do now, like install the ability to connect to a printer, especially if two computers used the printer. Linux has grown up.

      I am 65, and had planned to use Windows all of my life, until Microsoft lost its mind. I loved Windows 95, and Windows XP, and Windows 7.

      Anyone who used Windows 3.0 should have no trouble with Ubuntu. You had to tell it how to find and connect to the Internet!

      Anyone who does not find Linux “compelling” may have tried it years ago, or may not know how to set it up so it looks attractive. Some Linux operating systems, like Mint, are attractive out of the box, others, like Ubuntu, make Windows 8 and 10 look desirable by comparison. You move the favorites bar to the bottom, select your own desktop background, and with a little skill you can make the favorites bar transparent and the top bar as well much of the time, and even make an applications menu appear on it.

      I recommend avoiding KDE with Ubuntu, including the Kubuntu version, because while it is pretty, and can be set up to look like Windows 7, it is hard on computer resources, and whatever you do, do NOT run KDE or Plasma alongside Gnome (the default Ubuntu desktop), or neither will work properly.

  63. ByPass said on January 31, 2022 at 4:08 am
    Reply

    Just bypass, those fake requirements are basically bullshit since every “non supported” device I’ve tried works WAY better and faster with W11 than they ever did with W10.

    1. SuperLord said on January 31, 2022 at 9:13 pm
      Reply

      Agreed. I have the same experience. One laptop with AMD graphics would get bricked as soon as windows 10 installed drivers for it. Tried Windows 11 on the same laptop, whaddayaknow.. graphics drivers installed just like that and the damn thing is snappier than it ever was with Windows 8.1. I have also installed windows 11 on a tiny netbook, and an ancient laptop from 2006 with 2GB RAM and a 60GB SSD. All running with ZERO issues. So far I have installed Windows 11 on something like 40 different computers and the newest one was from 2014. Everything has worked out of the box. Everything. I will also add: NONE of those computers met ANY of the official requirements.

  64. Anonymous said on January 31, 2022 at 2:09 am
    Reply

    Windows 12 will be out by then.

  65. gex said on January 31, 2022 at 1:58 am
    Reply

    I wonder what will happen to unsupported cpus running Windows 11, will 22H2, 23H2 or 24H2 basically leave people stranded with no upgrade or downgrade path?

  66. Adrian said on January 31, 2022 at 1:18 am
    Reply

    Whether streaming video, writing, or calculating I use Ubuntu for almost everything.
    Yes, it takes a little getting used to, but once one has crossed the threshold, I find it gives one more consistent service than the MS windows family ever has.
    Linux distributions are mostly free, but come with differing levels of support.
    Ubuntu is supported by Canonical who provide regular updates. New versions of the OS are published every 6 months and new ‘LTS’ (long term service) versions are launched every two years.
    LTS versions are fully maintained for five years. You update when you want to, and don’t suddenly lose access to the PC as often happens in Windows when lengthy and inconvenient updates seize control.
    ‘autoremove’ instructions clear all the superseded junk out of the system after updates so the OS doesn’t just keep growing all the time and grabbing more and more space.
    A great deal of free open source software is available and can be found either co-bundled with the OS, in the software depository or by searching on the web. Libre Office from the document foundation provides sophisticated word processing and spreadsheet capabilities both capable of reading or writing MSWord and Excel compatible files and works seamlessly with ntfs files.
    My preference is keep an uncluttered desktop, and I set up all my PCs with what used to be called a Windows Classic style. The point I am making is that Ubuntu enables you to configure the desktop pretty much the way you want to.
    Don’t have the idea that Ubuntu is in any way a second class OS to MSWindows. It isn’t.
    Ubuntu distro’s make dual booting configurations easy to set up and this can provide a way of getting confidence before total change over.
    Now please don’t let Microsoft compel you to dump your superb and functional hardware. Load Ubuntu and keep on using it for as long as you want. Better for your cash and better for the planet!
    I hope that that helps a bit.

  67. M. Bearach said on January 31, 2022 at 12:36 am
    Reply

    As a current user of two dual-boot Windows/Ubuntu machines (as well as some others, Linux only), sharing data between the two instances usually works well. For example, any photos on an external HDD are easily viewed and edited with either OS. Further, documents on a Windows NTFS internal drive are also easily viewed, if the drive is mounted, though the converse is not true – Windows is loath to deal with ext4 format. As you state, switching to Linux-only might lose a few applications, but the majority of my favorites, such as IrfanView, Firefox, Thunderbird, VLC and Zoom, run well in wine and/or have native Linux implementations. 2025 should greatly simplify my PC maintenance as Windows 10 passes away.

    1. Gerold Manders said on February 1, 2022 at 2:24 pm
      Reply

      Only Irfanview you need to run in Wine. Firefox, Thunderbird, VLC and Zoom have Linux clients, so work directly in Linux.

      And more stable at that as well, I might add. At least they do for me, on my laptop with Pop!_OS.

  68. Joseph said on January 31, 2022 at 12:02 am
    Reply

    I’ll be switching to Linux for the unsupported system but I’ll probably have a new PC by then

  69. Greg said on January 31, 2022 at 12:00 am
    Reply

    I had to get another laptop last week and … it came with Windows 11, of course. I took it back to the office, discovered that two of my color printers were incompatible with W-11, discovered that I really hated the new format (if I wanted to buy a frigging Mac, I would have done so), and promptly downloaded and installed Windows 10. I am at peace. :)

  70. Joe Mason said on January 30, 2022 at 11:29 pm
    Reply

    Typos corrected: This is Microsoft BADLY shooting themselves in the foot! Doesn’t it seem odd to anyone else that this is suddenly made an issue, right when PC/laptop sales have stayed SO abysmally low over the past 5 years? Do you NOT realize Microsoft has stock in various hardware manufacturers? This is WAY more than “planned” obsolescence; this is pure extortion! Class action?

  71. svl said on January 30, 2022 at 11:20 pm
    Reply

    Windows Vista works well.
    Bill shove 11 up your ass with Covid

  72. yanta said on January 30, 2022 at 11:17 pm
    Reply

    The problem with these “beginner” linux distros is that they come loaded with bloatware (Stuff that the devs thinks is “useful”), and automatic updates to everything. That is, Linux is tending towards the same model as Windows. It also collects telemetry.

    Want to use Linux? You have a steep learning curve if you don’t want to end up with the same issues as Windows. I guess the upside is their patching strategy is nowhere near as bad as Microsoft’s.

    Having to type a password every 15 minutes, and do almost everything from a command line in Linux, plus issues with networking with a Windows server in the mix is not a lot of fun.

    I guess no pain no gain.

    1. Dora Smith said on January 31, 2022 at 5:05 am
      Reply

      Uh, well, yeah, just like Windows. All that stuff that makes a computer usable, like your browser, your video and music players, email, photo display, Office software…

      You can install most distros without the bloatware. If you call it bloatware. A newbie is likely to call it your codecs to play music and videos, your browser, your email client, your software manager and package manager, your Office software, your video and music player, your photo software, for starters. A newbie wants all of this installed, does not want to have to install it. A new setup of Ubuntu is a lot of typing in Terminal, and you have to learn what to type, unless you are using your computer only for a server, and a newbie would never do that.

    2. Dora Smith said on January 31, 2022 at 4:56 am
      Reply

      There WAS a steep learning curve years ago.

      Mint runs right out of the box, recommended for newbies. It typically even finds your printer and installs it for you. Finds your housemate’s printer and installs that as well, and at work, it finds your boss’s printer even if you can’t use it. Grin.

      Linux has a number of advantages. One is, relatively impervious to viruses. You have to type in your password to make any change to your system, NOT every fifteen minutes. I don’t know if this guy’s knowledge is 10 years out of date and he just wants to impress us, or Microsoft is paying him.

    3. DrKnow said on January 31, 2022 at 12:52 am
      Reply

      Oh dear, telling the truth about Linux is going to get you hated on here.

      It REALY isn’t ready for the mass market.

      1. Tim Olson said on February 2, 2022 at 3:05 pm
        Reply

        Windows Trolls have been saying forever. I am personally grateful to MS for introducing Vista because it got me on Ubuntu. I have not looked back since and have helped dozens make the change. I have not had issues getting older intelligent users on Linux. Win 11 will get a new wave of desktop Linux users up and running. Those not clever enough to migrate will be on their smart phone or iPad. Thanks MS for the latest incentive for many others to switch, as well!

    4. TommyR said on January 31, 2022 at 12:00 am
      Reply

      Hold on there Corky, Linux Mint is not bloated and updates are not automatic, you have control over what gets updated. YOU have control I would think in most distros. The learning curve isn’t all that steep either. And the only time a reboot is needed is during a kernel update but still, linux reboots in literally seconds instead of MINUTES in windows. And you don’t have to “Type a password every 15 minutes” either. SO MUCH FUD you are posting! I run Mint and only have a Windows machine to use turbo tax once a year.

  73. ttbek said on January 30, 2022 at 11:14 pm
    Reply

    People still use Windows? I was only dual-booting for SCII, but it actually runs smoothly enough on WINE now (I use the Steam one with glorious eggroll)… Frankly, Ubuntu is a much better desktop experience than modern Windows. Both Windows and MacOS feel like a constant game of whackamole as they hide or remove one important option after another. While Linux changes fast at times (e.g. systemd has a myriad of new ways of doing things)… it is at least mostly change rather than outright regression and user frustration. Windows update consistently breaks my graphics stack, and on Windows doing these updates isn’t optional, despite that they are not security updates… It’s a story for another time, but suffice to say that digging on Linux yields solutions while digging on Windows just yields more dead ends and incredulity at the incompetence of Microsoft.

  74. ElonGates said on January 30, 2022 at 11:12 pm
    Reply

    I’m still using Windows 7 ESU with no plan on replacing it yet. The options I have:

    – Switch to EndeavourOS

    – Install and use Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 19 until 2029. Hopefully by then all the currents fools at Microsoft ruining Windows with 11 are fired and return Windows to a proper desktop operating system.

    – Keep using Windows 7, don’t let Microsoft or their fanboys scaremongering get to me.

  75. David said on January 30, 2022 at 11:10 pm
    Reply

    “What happens to all the Windows 10 devices that are incompatible with Windows 11 in 2025?”

    They keep using Windows 10 like they always have.

    Nothing will happen to your Computers.

    They won’t magically stop working.

    They won’t explode, or catch fire.

    Be careful of what Web Sites you visit.

    Don’t download rubbish from torrent sites.

    Use common sense.

    Use your machine until it physically stops working. People love to spread the FUD around; it’s how Microsoft works, through a fear campaign, and like sheep you go “BAA! MUH SECURITY!” and fall for it every time.

    1. ransomware is fun said on February 3, 2022 at 5:53 pm
      Reply

      @David

      So you say to use your machine until it physically stops working, and to not worry about security.

      I agree. This advice is good for my business.

    2. Dora Smith said on January 31, 2022 at 4:56 am
      Reply

      They use Windows 10 until support for it ends.

  76. Mike said on January 30, 2022 at 9:56 pm
    Reply

    Install linux, then install an hyper-v or equivalent, create a VM, then install windows 11 on it since it can’t verify the hardware but can’t prevent you from running it. This works already and 100% functional.

  77. Martyn Herriott said on January 30, 2022 at 9:53 pm
    Reply

    Hopefully, my excellent tech store will be able to replace my motherboards and CPU in my existing desktop cases.
    Obviously, Microsoft is happy for millions of W10 users to throw away equipment that still has years of working life in it.

    SHAME ON MICROSOFT.

    1. Lawrence Claude Rousseau said on February 3, 2022 at 5:43 pm
      Reply

      @Martyn Herriott

      Microsoft is obviously not happy with e-waste. They have a site that clearly addresses this issue.

      Shame on you for making false claims.

      Please never serve on a jury.

  78. Sam said on January 30, 2022 at 9:39 pm
    Reply

    We need a “WINDOWS” sub system for Linux so we can run the few programs that need Windows but still do most of our work in Linux. I to am running Windows 7 on my main desktop. Have Windows 10 on a laptop (it is 11 compatible – not interested). Don’t like it and am sure I will like 11 even less. Why do we have to keep buying nrew hardware to support Microsoft fans arming our data.? Windows used to be a great OS for a ” work” enviorment. Seems like Microsoft is trying to turn my desktop into an overgrown smartphone.
    Long Term planning – I am switching to Linux, with some version Windows in VM.

    1. Dr Jekyll said on February 2, 2022 at 10:01 am
      Reply

      How do you not know about Wine?

  79. Beta said on January 30, 2022 at 9:38 pm
    Reply

    I have a desktop and a laptop with Windows 11. I have a desktop and a laptop with Windows 10.
    I have a laptop with Linux Mint.
    And they all kick ass.

  80. Gill Bates said on January 30, 2022 at 9:37 pm
    Reply

    Shouldn’t we focus on the real subject here: What happens with all Windows 11 computers that are incompatible with Windows 12 which will arrive 2024. Codename Bing Account, it will feature round windows and requires a microsoft vaccine to run.

    1. Anonymous said on May 11, 2022 at 4:13 am
      Reply

      your name

  81. Twelveteen said on January 30, 2022 at 9:33 pm
    Reply

    There are no computers incompatible with Windows 11. Microsoft lied. That’s what Microsoft do and have always done, they lie.

    1. the earth is flat said on February 3, 2022 at 5:21 pm
      Reply

      MS does not always lie. If they did, that would mean every employee of MS would have to lie all the time.

      I take you are speaking figuratively with hyperbole?

      If so, your extreme hyperbole is not effective, as it makes you look insensible.

      TIP: for hyperbole to be effective, it needs to be obvious.

  82. James Burton said on January 30, 2022 at 9:29 pm
    Reply

    That’s 3 years now for the Linux guys to create an installer for Windows 10 with enough compatibility layers and friendly enough interfaces to migrate the herd, or again miss that boat.

    1. Nathan Gray said on March 31, 2022 at 7:22 pm
      Reply

      Three years? Uh, we’ve been hearing the same ridiculous claims by the Linux fan boys for longer than that. And during all those years, desktop Linux has never ever risen past more than, what, 1.5% desktop usage. Desktop Linux distros are OK for grandma who only checks her webmail and watches cat videos, its fun for hobbyists, a powerful tool for techies, and does, indeed, run the world’s supercomputers. But for consumers? Get real. Never going to happen, a fantasy. The computer skills required to use desktop Linux are far beyond the average person. Period. Anyone who says Linux is easy to use is not using it the way Windows and Macs are used – for real, professional work. Fact. History has proven that fact, year after year after year.

  83. Paul said on January 30, 2022 at 7:59 pm
    Reply

    I don’t see the requirements listed for 11.. so are 10% or 90% of us going to have to buy new?
    Or like most articles these days it plays on the fear factor etc. To get you to read it…
    Yes I saw Microsoft say 10 is the last.. bit like bands saying ‘our final tour!!!

  84. chesscanoe said on January 30, 2022 at 7:35 pm
    Reply

    All I can do is speak with the tiny dollars I have spent on IT stuff since DOS 2.1 was the big deal. I do not purchase any new hardware from any hardware manufacturer that has no firmware or driver available for the next major OS release. No support = No purchase ever again from me.

  85. David said on January 30, 2022 at 7:25 pm
    Reply

    Linux Mint is nice, but also consider the GUI. I tried all the Mint GUIs but MATE was the one with the nicest look, easiest to personalize, and it is not nearly as much of a hog as GNOME or as restrictive in available apps as KDE. Cinnamon is pretty but requires more resources than MATE. XFCE doesn’t demand many resources but it’s also too minimalist for my taste. Mint MATE would be my starting recommendation for a Windows refugee.

  86. Tachy said on January 30, 2022 at 5:56 pm
    Reply

    My predicition…. a TPM hack will be found in the wild and the suggested fix will be to disable it.

    1. Gerold Manders said on February 1, 2022 at 2:15 pm
      Reply

      The TPM hack is already there for about 2 years now. Takes about 30 minutes to negate all the protection it offers.

      That hack relegated TPM to barely anything more than a control game over the hardware in your hands. For those that haven’t got it, with TPM you are not in control anymore.

      Making use of extra (security) features built into newer CPUs may not be that bad of a thing. However, upgrading a CPU in a laptop is difficult and therefore very expensive. Desktops with AMD Ryzen CPU’s are pretty easy to upgrade to a new CPU. Desktops with Intel CPU’s are also expensive to upgrade.

      1. Will said on February 2, 2022 at 7:28 pm
        Reply

        You can install Win11 on any system regardless of TPM status. Use USB media creator Rufus to create Win11 install USB. You can disable TPM and Secureboot requirements on the install media using Rufus. My HP probook was “not supported”, I installed using the above method and now everything works but the fingerprint sensor. Running all my Adobe programs and DaVinci Resolve 17 no problems.

  87. cfbcfb said on January 30, 2022 at 5:47 pm
    Reply

    I supposed “Decide that the computer that’s already 3 years old and just got 4 years older by 2025 is old enough and get a new one” wasn’t a factor?

    Why do I feel like these articles are just a prelude to “Why you should switch to linux”?

    LOL. If people wanted to do that, they would have by now. But there are reasons why they aren’t.

    Stopping windows 10 updates about ten years after the OS originally shipped doesn’t really seem like Microsofts problem?

  88. Jon said on January 30, 2022 at 5:32 pm
    Reply

    Every OS goes out of support, it is the circle of life. Also, you can install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. I have it on my ASUS GL552VW with a i7-6700HQ, it has received every update (currently on 2200.469) via normal Windows update. It runs just fine.

  89. CyberCipher said on January 30, 2022 at 5:24 pm
    Reply

    I had 3 machines that were orphaned from MS-Windows by the Windows 11 requirements. I have already converted them to Linux. I’m using KDE Plasma for the display environment. I have been able to make the user interface on these machines look almost identical to Windows 11. I never would have been able to do that under Windows 10 (with its live tiles). Although I can no longer run Windows apps on these machines (with the exception of Edge, which Microsoft ported to Linux), I use them as file sharing servers (Samba with mirrored 2TB USB drives in external cases) and DNS BIND 9 duties for the network. Time will tell, but Microsoft may have (once again) shot itself in the foot with all of this.

    1. Dora Smith said on January 31, 2022 at 5:00 am
      Reply

      Linux has versions of most software you want to use, especially on its best supported forks, like Ubuntu and Mint. And emulators, plus the ability to run Windows on a virtual drive, which I do, in theory. However I have just one piece of software I use regularly on a Windows emulator. Everything else I do in browser, or with the Linux versions. Even games can increasingly run well on Linux. The browser I use is Chrome, I also have Firefox installed, it comes installed with the OS.

      Mint has a lot of stuff already installed that ubuntu makes you install, making it good for newbies.

    2. nonw00t said on January 30, 2022 at 8:40 pm
      Reply

      ” (with the exception of Edge, which Microsoft ported to Linux) ”
      Which could be discontinued at any time. ha

  90. ULBoom said on January 30, 2022 at 4:42 pm
    Reply

    1. The Security Experience Team tail wagging the dog will be reassigned to Meta Emoji New Experiences and device restrictions magically lifted by a Trusted Stack Enablement Update.

    2. Scrapped. Everyone will have migrated to one of the supported Atom processors by 2025, according to the Adoption Experience Prescience Team.

    3. In the best Apple style, incompatible device owners will eagerly buy new compatible devices. After all, the cost per month is not high and remaining payments on old devices can be combined with Roll In My iStyle for Windows. Beside, it’s a good deal and my old device is, well, old.

    My money’s on 1.

    1. Anonymous said on January 30, 2022 at 6:32 pm
      Reply

      I’m betting on option 3. Microsoft isn’t blind; they see how Apple forces new hardware sales via incompatible OS updates. Microsoft wants to ride that gravy train as well.

  91. common sense computing said on January 30, 2022 at 4:37 pm
    Reply

    Next up: MS is ending support for Windows 11, urges all users to switch to Windows 365.

    The dumb terminals are (still) coming.

    1. Jim Schue said on January 30, 2022 at 6:26 pm
      Reply

      I agree with you. The subscription model is the ultimate goal. But when you and I make statements like this, we’re called “conspiracy theorists.”

      1. fly on the wall said on February 7, 2022 at 4:50 am
        Reply

        @Jim Schue

        I don’t think people who comment such claims are simply conspiracy theorists.

        You are rabble rousing prophets who tend to speak with extreme hyperbole (AKA know-it-all thinking). There are better descriptors for that, but they are often taken as insulting, hence I will just leave it as that.

  92. Nutrynion said on January 30, 2022 at 3:27 pm
    Reply

    I was hoping this was going to tell me what was going to happen with all the actual hardware and devices that will be most likely discarded when people upgrade to a newer system. Not a lot of people know how to open their computer and perhaps study their motherboard to see whether or not it could be upgraded because my second computer the motherboard is compatible but you have to buy an external device which appropriately named is called a TPM module. They’re very very in expensive nonetheless there’s going to be a lot of waste from this changeover and I think that should be the bigger concern on everyone’s minds.

    What is going to happen to all the waste? This is something people should think of when they get a new phone where is this going. And how much landfill is this going to contribute to and how can I do what’s best to minimize the impact to the earth and the climate and the trash and the junk that continues to take over.

    But most consumers don’t have time to think about that because all anybody ever ever really really wants is new toys. Companies should take better responsibility in making their products last longer rather than shorter and then contributing to more waste all of the time.

  93. Brent R Jones said on January 30, 2022 at 3:22 pm
    Reply

    I turned 71 in December. I wonder if I will still be using Microsoft products for the rest of my life. I started with DOS 1.1, eventually got to Win 3.23, Windows 95 (got certified!), and on and on to be on Win 10. But my 3-year-old powerful Dell laptop is unsuitable for Win 11. Maybe under pressure, MS will extend the extinction date.

    I have tried multiple Linux distros, but do not find them compelling. SW and HW can have problems.

    I have stayed away from Apple because I will not pay the 30% extra cost. I’m glad they are around and are an American company. Too bad they hold lots of cast outside the USA and avoid taxes.

    1. Rolling Stone said on January 31, 2022 at 1:48 am
      Reply

      An ‘American’ company doesn’t mean a thing when they’re using child labour like Apple, and all their products are built in China. If they were manafactured in the USA, that would be another story, but we all know that isn’t the case, and never will be.

    2. ULBoom said on January 30, 2022 at 3:52 pm
      Reply

      Newer vintage but similar story. Ubuntu based distros tend to have decent graphics (Nvidia) support but nothing like the Control Panel in Windows.

      The amount of work developers continue to do is really amazing; even so, if you like to play with different programs in Windows, Linux is very limited in scope. If you’re OK with what’s available, and there are some top notch apps available, no problem. Linux is free, so the community gets a pass from me; Windows does not.

      The only Apple device we have is an iPad because most other tablets are not very good. For an excellent approximation of MacOS desktop, Ubuntu Budgie is very nice.

      1. TelV said on January 31, 2022 at 1:04 pm
        Reply

        The Pro version of Zorin OS seems to have a Windows 11 style CP judging by the screenshots:
        https://zorin.com/os/pro/

        Not free, but only €39 + VAT in the EU.

  94. Snickers said on January 30, 2022 at 3:15 pm
    Reply

    It’s too early to call on this.

  95. Joe said on January 30, 2022 at 2:34 pm
    Reply

    Microsoft lied again. When windows 10 came out they said it was the last version of windows they would make. Only updates would follow.

    1. Plan 9 from Outer Space said on February 1, 2022 at 6:15 am
      Reply

      @Joe

      It’s no matter what they called it, as we would still have the same thing we have now.

      Also, they said that as they are testing us to see how mentally unstable some of us are. It’s all part of the plan.

      Just relax and go with the flow.

    2. Rick said on January 30, 2022 at 6:39 pm
      Reply

      Only one low-level roadshow guy said that. MS didn’t correct him though, probably because they weren’t able to read the future and didn’t know.

      One thing we can be pretty sure of is that 2025 will not be the end of of W10 updates. First of all, LTSC goes until Jan 12, 2027, so they obviously will exist. Second, there will be too many tens of millions (maybe hundreds of millions) of W10 users remaining to ignore. MS will either extend 2025 (for everyone) or make a paid option like they did for W7. Another possibility: they will lower the upgrade bar even more so that the common person doesn’t have to jump through any hoops (like making an ISO and using a Registry key, the case now).

  96. Tom Hawack said on January 30, 2022 at 1:27 pm
    Reply

    The idea as I get it is that a PC’s EOL is increasingly dictated by the OS’s EOL.
    I’m still running Windows 7, installed 2013-08-28 (3073 days ago, we were young(er)!) on what was then a new computer with the same date. No problems.

    One day I’ll have to buy a new PC; if it’s with Windows 11 (unless it be 12, who know by then?!) this will mean that I’ll likely be obliged later on to buy a new PC once Microsoft will have decided that the PC no longer meets the upgraded Windows prerequisites. Even if my PC is totally healthy!

    This deeply participates to my hesitation to switch to Linux rather than to Windows 11(+) the day my PC and/or Win7 will no longer allow me to surf with at least a 99% potential (I haven’t met any site requiring Windows 10/11 up to now).

  97. John G. said on January 30, 2022 at 12:40 pm
    Reply

    They still don’t know how fortunate they are! :]

  98. Lawrencetheghostwriter said on January 30, 2022 at 10:21 am
    Reply

    I have already been experimenting with Linux. Users who don’t know which distros to try should consider Ubuntu or LUbuntu (Light), Zorin os, or Mint.
    So far I have been using Both Ubuntu and Zorin. And, I am happy with both. I slightly favour Zorin as it is more familiar to people who have been using Windows since forever. Furthermore, I have been hearing good things about Mint.
    To those people who tried Linux in the past and didn’t like it. I would say “Try it again. It has come a long way over the years.” If you want to try a Linux distro without commitment. You can run the above from a bootable USB. If you decide to install a Linux distro, you may install it alongside Windows and chose from a menu when you boot up, whether you want to boot Windows or Linux. But please make sure you have sufficient space on your hard drive.
    The above distros are available from Canonical and come in both free or paid for versions. The paid version is about 50 quid and offers more features and more support. All come with a suite of software for office and internet use. The default browser is Firefox but you can also have Chromium or other browsers. So you’ve nothing to loose by giving it a try. But what if you want to go back to Windows? If you installed Linux alongside Windows, no problem, except that you will have lost some of your hard disk space to Linux. But if you want to delete Linux, you can restore your HD, using something like Partition Magic. Always make a backup of your important data.
    As has been said, you do not have to learn the command line. But why wouldn’t you? It may come in handy. But just be careful what you do in super user mode.

  99. beemeup5 said on January 30, 2022 at 10:09 am
    Reply

    Currently reading this on Windows 7. XD

    If Windows 10 users can do everything they need to do right now with their current system, then not much will change if they decide to just stick with it. Windows 7 is much older and yet I can still do 99% of everything I need / want to do, and often with less hassle too! ;)

    B-b-but what about security?!! No f**k that. The best security is an educated user. No software can fix PEBKAC vulnerabilities.

    1. Anonymous said on January 30, 2022 at 2:54 pm
      Reply

      TIL

      “PEBKAC” – Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair

    2. Dumbledalf said on January 30, 2022 at 11:51 am
      Reply

      The problem with Windows 7 is that newer hardware doesn’t support it. My CPU refused it when I tried to install it. The other problem is that newer software, mostly games intentionally don’t support it. So if I want to be 100% sure that the games I want to play will work, I have to use at least Windows 10.

      I distinctly remember during the days when Windows XP and Windows 7 were the most popular versions, the restrictions weren’t that hard. I certainly don’t remember games that required Vista or 7, they easily ran on XP without any issues.

      But since 2012 and Windows 8, the trend has been to make damn sure that users are being forced to comply with what companies want, there is less and less freedom of choice.

      I would have been at least OK with this if Windows 8, 10 and 11 had the visual customization freedom of Windows 7 so I can make them look like Windows 98 or XP or whatever I want. That way at least they will look however I want and under the hood they can do whatever the companies want. But now we have to put up with the ugly looks of Windows 10 and 11 – where 10 looks like a flat, rectangular concept that came out of Alpha even 7 years after it was launched and doesn’t even have proper Dark Mode support. Windows 11 is just as bad – the Dark Mode is nowhere near complete and the white theme is blindingly bright.

      1. Pootie Tang said on February 7, 2022 at 5:08 am
        Reply

        @Dumbledalf

        > “I certainly don’t remember games that required Vista or 7, they easily ran on XP without any issues.”

        Halo was not supported on XP. MS simply used that as a tactic to get us to use Vista or Xbox.

        TIP: best to not talk about things you don’t remember.

      2. nonw00t said on January 30, 2022 at 8:36 pm
        Reply

        “I certainly don’t remember games that required Vista or 7, they easily ran on XP without any issues.”
        Well Just Cause 2 was one of the first games to require DirectX 10, only available on Vista at the time, so I remember having to wait until finally got 7 to play it. lol

      3. EmbyDDL said on February 3, 2022 at 5:03 pm
        Reply

        Also Halo didn’t run on XP. Halo was first released on Vista and Xbox; but not XP. XP users were mad, as the OS was still supported for many years after that.

        Hackers soon released a free version of Halo for XP.

      4. Private said on January 31, 2022 at 5:48 am
        Reply

        Lucky you, never had a gaming pc at 8, always had to have consoles.

      5. beemeup5 said on January 30, 2022 at 1:57 pm
        Reply

        @Dumbledalf

        I know that Windows 10 won’t work on really old processors like the Pentium III due to lacking SSE2 (Windows 7 will still work but only if you don’t install any updates released after 2017), but I’ve never heard of a CPU being able to block an operating system installation. Are you sure you didn’t mean UEFI? Which CPU are you referring to? Generally to install Windows 7 on newer platforms requires enabling Legacy/CSM Boot in the UEFI BIOS. Booting from an M.2 NVME drive also requires certain patches to be applied to the Windows 7 image.

        But it’s true there are some things I can’t run on Windows 7, which is why I said “99%” of things I want to do work in Win7. Newer games not working is a given. Nvidia and AMD have already dropped support for Windows 7 so the Geforce 30-series and the Radeon RX 6000-series graphics cards are the last generation to support Windows 7. But aside from GPU-dependent software like games, the only other application I’ve come across that explicitly requires Windows 10 is TurboTax. It simply refuses to install on Win7.

        As far as customization goes, Win8 /10 are still doable with things like Simple Classic Theme:
        https://winclassic.boards.net/thread/456/reversibly-enable-disable-classic-simple
        There are also commercial options like Stardock WindowBlinds.

        Windows 11 is a lost cause. I’d switch to Linux before touching W11. I remember Windows 10 has some early problems too, but they were nowhere near this bad.
        Right now all my hardware is Haswell generation or older so I don’t really have an urgent need to upgrade operating systems, but when I do, I have a fully customized image of Windows 10 LTSC 2021 ready to deploy. Unless Windows 12 is a drastic return to sanity, Windows 10 may very well be the last Windows I use.

  100. Dumbledalf said on January 30, 2022 at 10:03 am
    Reply

    What happens is Microsoft releases one final update that after October 14, 2025, the update triggers a short circuiting and fries the Motherboard, CPU, GPU, RAM and Power Supply.

    1. Mikael said on January 30, 2022 at 6:57 pm
      Reply

      Oh, Microsoft updates already do that. Mostly. Sort of. It is very risky to update your Windows, I just had to reinstall a system ruined by a recent Windows update. My Ubunty systems, strangely enough, have run for 10 years through dozens of release upgrades without ever becoming unbootable once. Those guys at Microsoft really know how to NOT make software!

      1. Fancy Bear Hunter said on February 3, 2022 at 6:57 pm
        Reply

        @Mikael

        > It is very risky to update your Windows

        Hmm.. It sounds like you are cursed, or worse. You should seek help from an exorcist.

  101. Sampei.Nihira said on January 30, 2022 at 9:53 am
    Reply

    In addition to the 2 options there is a third one, continue to use W.10.
    I continued to use my pc with Windows XP from 2014 to summer 2021 when it unfortunately died,without any problem.
    My last security configuration:

    https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/what-is-your-security-setup-these-days.111264/page-1637#post-2979834

    1. Private (I’mnotspam) said on January 31, 2022 at 5:51 am
      Reply

      Best part is that Dell and Microsoft, will make your system slower overtime, slow to a point that you will be allowed “buy a new pc”.

      1. Marti Martz said on January 31, 2022 at 10:25 am
        Reply

        I can’t attest to every Dell but the one I’m currently working on is a Alienware 17 R5 and I decided to try Windows 11 on it. Not a good thing.

        1st, Dell says it absolutely does NOT support Windows 11 on this machine in a very large warning type banner on their site.

        2nd, the clients Bluetooth has gone missing… that’s kind-of important usually. I’ve confirmed there are at least two or more hand-fulls of unknown devices. I’m not willing to see if a Win 10 driver works on Win 11… been down that road before with all kinds of fun bugs on many platforms… and don’t even get me started on third party driver applications.

        So much for 8th Gen being supported. Microsoft driver detection tried its best but there’s just so much proprietary hardware that they can’t cover… and if Dell demands you to buy another several thousand dollar laptop by George you WILL. NOT!!!

        His hybrid (SSD/Magnetic) drive died but it does support M.2 NVMe so he’ll at least get that boost. Glad I never recommend hybrid drives. So I guess that could qualify as slower over time. ;)

        I’m afraid that I’m going to have tell this client that he HAS to go back to Windows 10 in order to have 100% use of the hardware that is in it… or hobble along with Windows 11 in a physically challenged machine.

        Btw his system is late to 2018 according to the original BIOS and the service tag which of course was just updated in December of 2021 by them.

        Things that make you go “Hmmmmm”.

      2. Dave Elick said on June 11, 2022 at 10:00 pm
        Reply

        My current Intel I7 cpu meets the minimum requirements for Windows 11 (1 Ghz or faster with 2 or more cores) yet is not listed on the list of approved cpus. What is Microsoft excluding or hiding from their minimum requirements for Processors/CPUs. Seems they are now demanding what the consumer needs to use their new operating system. Also have to wonder how many iterations of Windows 11 (beta versions) will be offered to the public before it actually becomes a stable platform.

  102. aaa said on January 30, 2022 at 9:46 am
    Reply

    Donate your old hardware to me instead, I would give them home.

  103. Anonymous said on January 30, 2022 at 9:27 am
    Reply

    My desktop machine remains on Windows 7 and probably will not handle 10 without some minor changes, let along 11. Currently it is LAN-connected to my Windows 10 laptop, which is 11-compliant. Other than that, activity carried out with the desktop machine is as low risk as possible. There’s no rush to upgrade the laptop. Maybe I’ll move to 11 when 21H1 approaches EOL. I not then, sometime well before 10 reaches end of days. It is hard to imagine MS will dedicates its better programmers to continued support of a system due to hit the wall in a few years. My expectation is Win10 will suffer increasing problems.

  104. Yuliya said on January 30, 2022 at 9:26 am
    Reply

    W10 LTSC

    1. bob said on January 30, 2022 at 8:27 pm
      Reply

      LTSC support runs out in 2026 (I think). If you have the IoT version installed, then you get 10yrs support (so, 2031).

      1. Gerold Manders said on February 1, 2022 at 1:56 pm
        Reply

        LTSC that came out in 2021 is supported till 2026. That is true.
        LTSC that came out in 2019 is supported till 2029. Also true.

        Microsoft making a mess of naming Windows versions. Very true!

      2. Steve said on February 3, 2022 at 9:44 pm
        Reply

        We deploy Enterprise LTSC…currently deploying LTSC 2019 version 1809 which is technically no longer supported (we do receive Security patches from Microsoft through 2029).,.however we have been recently seeing some Hardware not being compatible with Win10 Enterprise LTSC 2019…so therefore we are deploying 2021 as the new standard for new hardware.

      3. Yuliya said on February 1, 2022 at 9:48 pm
        Reply

        LTSC 2021 will be supported until 2031. The IoT version will, and the non-IoT version will be able to install the cumulative update pack manually if not offered automatically.

        If history is anything to go by – see Windows 8 (not 8.1) being up-to-date by using Server 2012 updates, which are the same; this will be possiblem.

        Or, who knows what the next LTSC will be like. Maybe it will be good. We’ll see.

  105. Squuiid said on January 30, 2022 at 9:23 am
    Reply

    Martin, I usually agree with you on almost everything I read on your excellent site, but I just can’t with this. Particularly the second half of this sentence. This is NOT a valid scenario and should not be encourage nor condoned.

    “ Continuing to use Windows 10 after October 2025 may still be a valid scenario, for instance if the PC is not connected to the Internet, or if the security setup blocks most attacks before they can do any harm.”

    1. DDS said on January 31, 2022 at 2:40 am
      Reply

      Enterprise versions will probably be supported for longer. If you are willing to risk buying from the grey market, grabbing an enterprise edition key like LTSC is also an option.

  106. Xyxcs said on January 30, 2022 at 9:00 am
    Reply

    So, martin , what are those beginner friendly Linux distros. Pleas make an article on that too

    1. NM Bayu said on February 2, 2022 at 7:07 am
      Reply

      I have AMD A8 7410 who have TPM 2.0 and secure boot activated, I can install windows 11 without bypass, and everything smooth and I have update from Microsoft, even before that I joint in to insider program, I can get windows 11 release preview not only the beta, I think only the name of my CPU is only not in the list, but in the kernel is there are exist

    2. Torin Doyle said on January 31, 2022 at 10:16 am
      Reply

      * Linux Mint
      * MX Linux
      * Peppermint OS
      * Ubuntu MATE
      * Xubuntu

    3. Linuxuser said on January 30, 2022 at 5:27 pm
      Reply

      Articles and short tests in German:
      https://gnulinux.ch/search/Einsteigerlinux

    4. ULBoom said on January 30, 2022 at 3:35 pm
      Reply

      Mint Cinnamon or Budgie Ubuntu. KDE Plasma’s the simplest (roll your own) Plasma desktop distro.

      I’m using Budgie currently but have tried a number of distros from the three main branches. It’s very untrue that “Linux will run on anything,” if you have an older computer, you may have to experiment. Newer machines should have no issues.

    5. aaa said on January 30, 2022 at 2:35 pm
      Reply

      AntiX Linux – the lightweight Linux distro for old & new PCs. Beginners and advanced users.

    6. disqusted-by-sheeps said on January 30, 2022 at 1:36 pm
      Reply

      PopOS has the worst update scheme out of all of these. It bundles way too much software into a single update and as such it’s extremely easy to bork your installation by just using it normally.

    7. beemeup5 said on January 30, 2022 at 12:19 pm
      Reply

      For beginners who are new to Linux, most recommend Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or Zorin OS. Hard to go wrong with those, especially Zorin which may be more familiar to users coming from Windows.

      Personally, as a diehard Windows user, my first Linux choice would be EndeavourOS (with KDE Plasma desktop environment). Fedora would be my second choice, and it’s an especially great option for users who want their hardware to “just work”.

      1. Tom said on January 31, 2022 at 12:26 am
        Reply

        Unplug my old PC from the internet. My new one will work much better. This had to happen at some point.

      2. nonw00t said on January 30, 2022 at 8:33 pm
        Reply

        What is the absolute best most compatible and least problematic one for running major Windows games? That’s all I care about. lol

      3. beemeup5 said on January 31, 2022 at 3:53 am
        Reply

        @nonw00t

        If gaming is your focus, the best Linux option is probably SteamOS running on the upcoming Steam Deck. For desktop Linux gaming, Pop!_OS is probably the best for gamers out-of-the-box.

      4. DrKnow said on January 31, 2022 at 12:46 am
        Reply

        The most compatible is Windows

        Linux can’t run most of the multi-player games due to lack of anti-cheat. These are the good ones!

        You’ll end up running a windows emulator in Linux like most have to.

      5. Zaat said on February 3, 2022 at 6:37 pm
        Reply

        @DrKnow

        Use Linux as your desktop, and buy a gaming console.

        I’ve been a Windows gamer since DOS, but then back in 2018 I bought a refurbished Xbox One for $200 and have spent about $300 on games. I also bought a used Xbox 360 with 60+ top games for $200. I’m very happy with this choice.. I don’t plan on dumping any more money on Windows gaming, except for Xbox.. I still have an older Windows 10 gaming PC that I will take off line when support ends, as I have many games for it that play off line.

        My old Windows 7 PC has been on Linux (Zorin OS) for several years now.

        When support for 10 ends, I will likely buy a used Windows 10 PC and put Linux on it. I expect a lot of used Windows 10 PCs will hit the market in circa 2025, and for me, that’s a good thing!

        I have no complaints. I think most all these folks complaining here are entitled brats, or worse.

      6. Eskir said on March 16, 2022 at 1:09 am
        Reply

        Eww. No.

      7. Anonymous said on January 30, 2022 at 2:31 pm
        Reply

        There is also LinuxFX, which is not free but modestly priced.

    8. disqusted-by-sheeps said on January 30, 2022 at 10:25 am
      Reply

      Linux Mint and ZorinOS are the most beginner friendly currently.

      1. TelV said on January 31, 2022 at 12:39 pm
        Reply

        Just noticed something interesting on the Zorin OS site. It says, “If you install Zorin OS alongside Windows, you can access the files on your Windows drive partition from within Zorin OS”.

        That makes it sound like an extension of an expired Windows OS although it’s not intended to be like that obviously.

        But it would certainly save having to migrate all my apps to a Linux distro. https://zorin.com/os/

      2. Gerold Manders said on February 1, 2022 at 1:51 pm
        Reply

        Access files == reading files. Something that all Linux versions have been able to do for many, many years already. The NTFS filesystem is very readable under Linux.

        Writing on a drive that uses the NTFS file system is the tricky part. But even that is very reliable nowadays. Are you still using the FAT32 file system? That has been fully supported for even longer in Linux.

  107. Gluon said on January 30, 2022 at 8:52 am
    Reply

    I think that many states and companies will not have the money to buy new PCs. So Microsoft will be forced to maintain security updates for a long time.

    Personally I have an Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700 CPU @ 3.60GHz that is not compatible. I can play Cyberpunk 2077 with no problem so I clearly have no intention of buying a new pc.

    1. Anonymous said on January 31, 2022 at 5:57 am
      Reply

      My business has 6 computers. No way we can buy new ones because of a software issue. We will be moving to mint.

      1. Todd said on February 1, 2022 at 4:24 pm
        Reply

        > We will be moving to mint.<

        Neither will we.

    2. Anonymous said on January 31, 2022 at 2:12 am
      Reply

      What the hell are you saying ?

    3. Ester said on January 30, 2022 at 10:03 pm
      Reply

      Bro, Messoft is bit of twart these days, lots of politics and commercial regime, little advancement. Win11 is super lame and basically very interested in your children all day everyday. Stay away from them.

    4. Matthew said on January 30, 2022 at 8:08 pm
      Reply

      PC based industrial equipment will be getting built with Windows 10 for another decade. We just stopped building systems based on Windows 7 last year – and only because we literally couldn’t buy supported motherboards anymore. Industrial clients are extremely conservative on OS changes. OS upgrades then require upgrades to a range of hardware and software – and extensive testing to ensure stability. It can easily be $50,000 to upgrade the OS on an industrial system.

      1. Mike Olszanski said on February 2, 2022 at 12:38 pm
        Reply

        Microsoft Sucks! Period!

    5. Nutrynion said on January 30, 2022 at 3:21 pm
      Reply

      It’s not the cpu that’s not compatible. Lol It’s fast to do with the motherboard. In it is a type of module called a TPM module. It basically provides the things to run windows 11. Some motherboards allow an external device to connect internally. It’s very small. But not all motherboards allow even that. Anyway the compatibility has nothing to do with the cpu.

      1. Khelban said on February 2, 2022 at 7:49 am
        Reply

        It is the CPU. I have an AMD A6-9225 Radeon R4 and when I checked to see if I could upgrade everything checked out except the CPU.

      2. Harro Glööckler said on January 31, 2022 at 8:26 pm
        Reply

        @Nutrynion: It’s not TPM, it’s hardware support for MBEC/HVCI. I’ve bought one of those expensive and rare TPM 2.0 modules for my 5820k and Win11 still refused to install.

      3. Yahya Atiya said on January 31, 2022 at 6:49 am
        Reply

        CPU incompatibility is most definitely an issue, since MS only supports Ryzen 2 upwards. The TPM can be CPU based, and is present in older CPUs. Windows compatibility tool even OKs it. So, no, your statement is factually incorrect. The CPU is most definitely a limiting factor for upgrading.

      4. north wiebesick said on January 31, 2022 at 6:45 am
        Reply

        Technically yes, it actually does have to do with compatible CPUs… Will older CPUs work on windows 11, yes they will, but only unofficially, as Windows 11 has stopped supporting them, which, if not at the current moment, probably sometime in the future, will turn into the CPUs being locked up so they are unable to be used on windows 11, because they don’t meet the OS requirements… How likely is it that it will happen, well, I would hazard it’s a 50/50 shot either way, judging by Microsoft’s hard-line stance they’re going for…

  108. Jojo said on January 30, 2022 at 8:49 am
    Reply

    2025 is three years from now. Covid may have killed everyone by then or rising sea levels may have sunk all dry land or the aliens from outer space may have landed.

    Don’t worry, be happy!

    1. B Tschacher said on March 18, 2023 at 10:22 pm
      Reply

      Personally I think the way the same as many others that it stink beyond description how Microsoft is treating and has treated the public with its service such as forcing people to upgrade and replace tech. I realise tech advances and new development brings better products. The issue is not staying with support services to keep older tech, particularly OS’s.Sure, who is or wants to stay with W95 or ME but there are still people using XP, and now we are looking at being forced to basically throw away so much equipment that is running Win10 for new equipment that can support 11 which as has always shown to be the case, in so many years will be required to do again when Microsoft decides to stop supporting this new coming system, which has already been leaked as 12 coming in the near future.

    2. notyoongi said on July 26, 2022 at 6:57 am
      Reply

      I refuse to let my old computer die just like that, I’ll buy a new ssd and change to Ubuntu in a few years

    3. Tanya said on July 2, 2022 at 3:37 am
      Reply

      HA, I was using Windows XP SP3 until October of 2021 and it worked fine. I still have the computer! Still works fine but I don’t get on the internet with it anymore. All the programs I had on there work fine but will NOT work on Win10. Up until then well, I couldn’t update things like browser and if that was not up to date, I couldn’t do things. So I got windows 10 and it is version1607 in a refurbished computer, Dell T1700 and it is gonna stay there. It keeps failing on updates and who cares. I found a way to REALLY disable the updater pest. I never got a virus or anything like that because I don’t do stupid stuff.

    4. HK said on February 16, 2022 at 9:54 pm
      Reply

      Or many governments who adopted Microsoft Windows decide to switch to Linux and start small courses to train people to used it. I know for fact if half of the European governments do that leave alone us and Canada Microsoft will end as third rate company with sloppy Windows system that is losing customer base fast. Needs politicians who understand the issue with some guts to give Microsoft a taste of its own medicine+++. We live in hope

    5. Amin Sheykhzadeh said on February 2, 2022 at 8:59 am
      Reply

      Nice idea, but anyway I still hate Microsoft.
      Every day more than yesterday..!

    6. John said on January 31, 2022 at 6:38 pm
      Reply

      I have used Microsoft Windows from the dawn of time with windows 95,98,ME,XP, Win7, and now 10 and I still can use Office 97, 2000, Including the Access database function which hasn’t been included in software programs after 2000. I Also still use all the Adobe products from that same timeframe as well as GIS mapping software without using Windows Defender but a 3rd party security system. So Windows 11 you will not get my business mainly I dont need a glorified gaming system.
      Never have trols or malware invaid my system and when and if I do I will also be switching to Linux

    7. Ester said on January 30, 2022 at 9:56 pm
      Reply

      This article is full of nonsensical statement until you come along shifting all the unhelpful knowledge. I salute you, MAN.

    8. KMacK said on January 30, 2022 at 7:49 pm
      Reply

      And there is always Apple. If you’re going to need either a new machine or new equipment in an older device, there is always Micro$oft’s Competition.
      While I can see Micro$oft’s angle on this, the sheer gall and arrogance involved is off-putting to a large degree. A service industry (which is what Micro$oft is), is now dictating equipment and what is run on that equipment (forcing Edge on users).
      I suspect Micro$oft is going to regret this as the Government may become involved (Anti-trust suits). But then Micro$oft seems to think it’s superior to all that, so…

      1. Asif Shamsi said on December 26, 2022 at 9:15 am
        Reply

        There are billions of incompatible devices running Windows 10. There is a chance Microsoft will have to extend support for Windows 10 for few more years to not to disappoint it users

      2. Jlo said on February 2, 2022 at 9:47 pm
        Reply

        If you get a Mac today, I can guarantee it will be “no longer supported by” 2025. That is how Apple rolls. Don’t believe me.? How is your iPhone 6 doing?

      3. StrangerOnTheInternet said on March 26, 2022 at 5:05 am
        Reply

        I saw this and had to say something, because my iPhone 6 (ok, it’s a 6S) is doing *great*.

        Runs about like the day I got it. Zero complaints and 100% reliable. Doesn’t lock up, doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t need to be rebooted constantly, none of that. I’ve never felt a need to replace it so if I break the screen I get a new one on Amazon for $25, install myself, good to go. Same deal with batteries (on my 3rd).

        So… while I agree with you that sometimes Apple is harsh when it comes to self-righteously forcing people to “have the courage” to ditch perfectly good equipment / technologies (i.e. headphone jack!), this particular device was a bad example to pick on :)

      4. Ernest N. Wilcox Jr. said on February 2, 2022 at 6:48 pm
        Reply

        KMak, every time Apple releases a new version of a device, they update the hardware requirements for its OS, and they make older versions obsolete after a few years (usually two, give or take). They are also a service-centric corporation. What they do as a matter of course is no better than what Microsoft is doing with Windows 10, except that Windows 10 has been around for a decade, not a few years as noted above, and Microsoft is providing a four-year advanced notice of Windows 10’s End of Live (EOL). I don’t know what Apple’s policy regarding an OSs end of life is, but it does not seem to be consistent across all versions since new version releases do not seem drop on a consistent schedule and AFAIK, they do not provide a four-year advanced warning notice for their users, not to mention that they have never supported an OS version for a decade. Admittedly, Microsoft has released updated versions of Windows 10, but they were ALL still Windows 10, and any hardware that was supported in 2015 when Windows 10 reached general availability is still supported today and will remain supported until Windows 10 reaches EOL in 2025.

        My2Cents,

        Ernie

      5. S Sadler said on February 2, 2022 at 6:29 pm
        Reply

        How does switching to Apple do anything for the existing machine that are working perfectly fine? I’ve got 10+ machines that run Windows 10 and only 2 are ‘compatible’ with Windows 11. Luckily for me, I’ve been dual booting with Linux since Windows 8 came out (didn’t like the direction MS seemed to be heading) so I’ve got enough knowledge to transition my ‘incompatible’ PCs to Linux. Linux is more than capable of handling the job these computers are doing and the ‘upgrade’ is free.

      6. MB said on February 2, 2022 at 5:32 pm
        Reply

        “Microsoft says that if Apple isn’t stopped now, its antitrust behavior will just get worse”
        Ha ha ha. These companies are all so full of @#%$

      7. zarmanto said on February 2, 2022 at 2:05 pm
        Reply

        “… But then Micro$oft seems to think it’s superior to all that, so… ”
        Minor correction: Microsoft seems to *have proven* that they are superior to all that.

      8. JNJ said on January 31, 2022 at 7:29 pm
        Reply

        Do you really believe that people woho haven’t upgraded to a new system in so many years, have the funds to buy shuch a overpriced piece of technology?

        Man you must really live in a dream world.

      9. Sergio said on February 6, 2022 at 6:26 pm
        Reply

        Linux as consumer OS. Nice one…

      10. Jake Sinclair said on February 8, 2022 at 5:19 pm
        Reply

        My now 87 years old grandmother has been using linux since she was 81.

      11. L. Duvall said on January 31, 2022 at 5:50 am
        Reply

        Sure, there is always Apple – learn a new way of doing things (similar to learning Linux), overpriced hardware, overpriced software (WIndows programs don’t run under Apple). It would probably be a lot cheaper just to buy a new Windows 11 machine and migrate existing software over.

        or

        Continue to use the old hardware, figure out how to install Linux, or have a tech-savy friend set Linux up for you. Download the FREE Linux equivalents to the Windows programs that you are used to using. For example Libreoffice is a nice replacement for overpriced and ever changing MS office. There are many programs that run on both Windows and Linux – office suites, photography related software, music related software. (Even Office 365 is available free, at http://www.office.com, and runs under Linux, if one can’t bare the thought of giving up on Office – at least http://www.office.com is (currently) free.

        I personally think MS is doing Linux a favor with their latest gambit.

      12. Joe said on February 1, 2022 at 3:48 pm
        Reply

        “figure out how to install Linux” ???

        google search for ubuntu linux or mint linux, download the .iso, burn it to a DVD, boot with that DVD and install Linux. It’s that easy. Linux has come a LONG way since late 90’s early 2000’s. If all you need is something for browsing the web, sending emails, watching netflix/hulu/amazon/youtube videos, Linux is all you need. It does not have many many games that the Windows OS supports, but it does have Steam now and games are slowly being ported to Linux. Linux is not anywhere as challenging to learn as it used to be.

      13. Keyser Soze said on June 5, 2022 at 1:16 am
        Reply

        Steam. https://www.protondb.com/

        The war is over. Thousands of Windows only Steam games now work on Linux.

      14. Steve said on January 31, 2022 at 7:21 pm
        Reply

        You can’t say the hardware is always overpriced. If you look at Windows computers that perform as well as the entry level M1 Macs, they are around the same price and often even more expensive. Then they make more noise, generate more heat, have less battery life, and/or weigh more. The problem is that Apple doesn’t offer low-end computers, so it’s like only having the option to buy a premium Windows computer. Granted, the upgrade costs for Macs are ridiculously high, but most people only need the entry level model.

        I’ve always been a Windows and Linux user and a Linux developer. About a year ago I bought a M1 Mac Mini for just under $600. The hardware is pretty amazing. It’s silent, generates very little heat, and it performs very well. I can’t buy a Windows computer with these attributes unless I pay more, and then it’s not as quiet.

        I also bought an inexpensive Lenovo laptop this year. At just under $500 it cost significantly less than the entry level MacBook Air (currently $830 in my area), but its battery life is only about a third of the Mac’s, the screen is nowhere near as good, it’s not as powerful, it has a fan which can be quite noisy, and it’s made from plastic instead of metal. The power supply is kind of cheap looking/feeling and doesn’t have the nice magnetic connector. I like the laptop and would buy it again, but it simply is not in the same class as the MacBook Air. For most people, assuming they like MacOS, the MacBook is a better machine. Of course if you want a Mac laptop with a larger screen, the costs go WAY up.

        On the software side, I have to say that I still prefer Windows and Linux, but I’m probably not the typical user. I like tinker and work with open source software. With MacOS I encounter a lot of obstacles. I also think the keyboard shortcuts on MacOS are less productive and less intuitive.

      15. patrick donegan said on February 21, 2023 at 6:54 am
        Reply

        yup – facts~!

      16. KokoVin said on January 31, 2022 at 4:02 am
        Reply

        Apple as a business machine? Apple is good for arts related work. It’s not mean to replace business intensive work. People that I know still install windows emulator in their Apple laptop to do serious work. This issue may cause some Windows users to consider switching to Apple but for big corporations with thousands of pc running windows, a realistic choice is still to upgrade to a newer windows laptops. Apple products are simply to expensive to implement.

      17. Psyllicon said on January 31, 2022 at 4:00 am
        Reply

        Pardon me, but the ‘incompatible’ issue with regard to the next version of Micro$haft is simply Channeling Apple to begin with~ MULTIPLE iterations of iOS have Required that the hardware change also.

      18. Younus said on June 20, 2022 at 2:31 am
        Reply

        2022 monday. June 19 pm 09 50

      19. nkaiser said on January 31, 2022 at 1:46 am
        Reply

        I still find it very frustrating that Windows 10 is almost entirely structured as a challenge to the antitrust lawyers to take them back to court. If the anti competitive behavior that crossed the line to be illegal was bundling Internet Explorer, then Windows 10 is illegal in nearly every aspect of the interface.

        The support pages even boldly say that uninstalling Edge is not possible.

        Why can’t Microsoft allow users to choose to only participate in the Windows Operating System and Microsoft Office? Those have been cash cows for years. People are willing to pay for them.

        I don’t want an operating system or productivity suite from Google. I do want Gmail, YouTube, News, Search, Calendar, Android device integration and a lot of other Google features that Microsoft forcefully blocks me from having my choices fully integrated with the GUI.

      20. Dzaky said on January 31, 2022 at 9:07 pm
        Reply

        Android for PC hmmm…..

      21. David Rose said on January 31, 2022 at 12:52 pm
        Reply

        The support pags say that uninstalling edge is not possible.
        They lie – there are plenty of sites which tell you how to do this, certainly in Windows 10
        Incidentally I have a very small storage capacity and microsoft keep telling me – 2 or 3 times daily to get more storage
        Not bloody likely.
        Now 2O25 I am 84, with a lifetimes computer experience ( first computer was an English Electric deuce in 1962) so , with some reluctance I am going to buty an USB which can be used to run Unix and , having researched the lternatives get a good UNix version and gradually transfer my work – yes work – to it.
        I have never brought or acquired any computer games except Sid Meirs ‘Railroad KINg’ Unfortunately the updated version demands you compete with other railroads – the old one let you built lines in peace
        I also refuse to use any social network – I take the voew that my private life and likes are my buisness not a mob aof advertisers. I use Brave brwser which has jjust added a TOR option – super

        David Rose

      22. the ground is flat said on February 3, 2022 at 6:05 pm
        Reply

        @David Rose

        That reminds me..

        Ford said I can’t put vodka in the tank of my F-250.
        They lie, as I did it and it worked; well, until it didn’t.

      23. Rolling Stone said on January 31, 2022 at 1:41 am
        Reply

        LoL There’s always gotta be an apple fanboy. This is regarding windows, go push your garbage OS elsewhere. People don’t want to be under the foot of Apple, let alone the fact it’s a DISMAL platform for software options, let alone gaming.

      24. Chapman8tor said on January 31, 2022 at 1:16 am
        Reply

        Guess how long Apple supports their computers! Did you know it’s only 6 years? I suppose the days of installing a consumer OS on a 10 year old computer will forever be behind us – and don’t you dare call Linux a consumer OS.

      25. Erin Jackson said on January 30, 2022 at 9:35 pm
        Reply

        Nice try but Crapple does the same thing

    9. Anonymous said on January 30, 2022 at 4:45 pm
      Reply

      Nice one, Jojo :)

    10. RogerW said on January 30, 2022 at 1:46 pm
      Reply

      Fourth paragraph, second line:

      “Millions of devices will still be in use by 2025, and these can’t be upgraded to Windows 11 officially, as Microsoft won’t just chance the system requirements of the new operating system. Some users may upgrade to Windows 11 bypassing the restrictions.”

      Shouldn’t it be ‘change’ instead of ‘chance’?

      While chance might work in some instances like remember that scene from Jurassic Park where after the T-Rex encounter Ellie and Muldoon finds the injured Jeff Goldblum’s character Malcom.

      Ellie: “Should we chance moving him? ”
      Malcom (hearing the T-Rex roar afar): “Please, chance it.”

      I’m thinking of a somewhat similar scenario in a post apocalyptic 2025 where a world populated by denizens of Covid zombies (who kill you if you don’t wear a mask) and remaining human population immune to Covid descend upon the Microsoft headquarters

      Bill Gates runs into the Microsoft board room to find the board members cowered behind the toppled table.

      Bill: “Should we chance altering the system requirements?”
      The Microsoft board members in unison: “Please, chance it.”

      1. Joe said on December 12, 2022 at 7:44 pm
        Reply

        End of Life means end of support. Microsoft needs to make money so they plan obsolescence into their products so they are no longer safe to use past their expiration date. A lot of the previous operating systems such as Windows XP and Windows 7 handled the job just fine and for a lot of us we did not want to upgrade. We were pretty happy with what we had.

        Maybe Microsoft should switch to a subscription model like Netflix, pay a user fee of $10.00/month, for example, and leave us the hell alone with the upgrades unless we want it. Then leave it up to the customer to decide whether they want to upgrade or simply stay with the tried and true.

        The thing is Windows is at a point of development such that more innovation does not translate into more usability. Most of the features that are added to later Windows versions are not even used. The point being, if Bill needs more money, then he needs to provide a product of service that we want, not shove whatever he feels like down our throat.

      2. Matthew Dudek said on January 14, 2023 at 7:28 pm
        Reply

        Linux is a very valid option now, it has become a mature, stable system that is easy for even the non-IT types to use. I have been installing Linux (Xubuntu and Mint Cinnamon) on many systems, and used Xubuntu as my daily driver for years.

      3. Nathan Gray said on November 13, 2023 at 9:01 pm
        Reply

        Not a valid option if your USB WIFI or printer is not supported by whatever flavor of Linux you are going to waste your time with, because that’s the dirty ugly secret – how poor hardware support is for WIFI and printers. Linux is great for supercomputers. Linux is great for grandma who only watches YouTube and reads emails. It is TERRIBLE for the average user. Years and years of Linux history shows that is true, no matter what the fan boys claim and say.

      4. Joshua said on June 6, 2022 at 3:29 am
        Reply

        Very nice and lolish

      5. Chief Nd Duroha said on February 5, 2022 at 11:53 am
        Reply

        All these are based on the assumption that a new company would have arisen by then and swallowed up Microsoft by ‘chance’

      6. Anonymous said on January 31, 2022 at 2:10 am
        Reply

        What??

      7. Anonymous said on January 30, 2022 at 2:29 pm
        Reply

        lol

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