Windows 10 End of Support: What Your Business Needs to Know

The end cometh! After 10 years, Microsoft is ending regular support for Microsoft Windows 10 in October. If you’re still using Windows 10 at home or in your organization, it’s time to start planning your next steps. In this blog, we will review some of the options available to both individuals with home computers on Windows 10 and organizations.

Upgrading to Windows 11

When Windows 10 was introduced in July 2015, Microsoft made a point of highlighting that Windows 10 would support any computer that could run Windows 7. After the disaster that was Windows 8 and the lukewarm reception of Windows 8.1, Microsoft really wanted folks to move from 7 to 10. Unfortunately, Windows 11 has greater hardware requirements than Windows 10, so “just upgrading” the operating system (OS) is often not a good option. If a computer has an Intel 8th-generation core CPU or an AMD Ryzen CPU and a TPM 2 module, the computer should work with Windows 11, and an upgrade is a good choice.

• For specific requirements for Windows 11, please take a look at this link. 
• Detailed CPU support is available here. 

How to Upgrade

If you are supporting a number of systems, upgrades can be configured to be automatically installed with a host of different device management platforms, like Microsoft Intune, or simply pushing registry changes.

• The required registry settings are outlined in this Microsoft Document. 
• It can also be installed manually, going to START – SETTINGS – Windows Update
  
  

My Computer isn’t Supported by Windows 11!?!

There are still many computers, some very nice ones even, that don’t meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11 for one reason or another. This is a more difficult path, but still, there are options.

• If you are a business or school, you can purchase Extended Security Updates for Windows 10 for up to three years. Information about the program is available here. 
• For consumers, there is a one-year program, and details are available here.
  

Giving Up on Windows

This author is planning on installing Linux on unsupported systems that have Windows 10 today, but that is often not the best solution for folks needing specific application support. There are a few Linux distributions that can be made to look and behave similarly to Windows, but the concern is for applications that are likely not to run properly, if at all.

Windows 11 on Unsupported Hardware

It is also possible to install Windows 11 on non-supported hardware, and many sources on the Internet provide guides for this. The authors' first-hand experience with this approach has generally been positive; however, drivers are often a challenge.

In my specific case, the computer is a Dell XPS 15 from 2017 with a non-supported 7th-generation Intel Core i7 CPU. All other specifications of the system meet the minimum Windows 11 standards. The installation went smoothly, but the system would quickly have a blue screen error on the video driver. Downloading an updated driver from Intel directly solved the blue screen problem 100%, and there were no other issues. However, every monthly update of Windows 11 would revert the driver, and the blue screen errors would return. A reinstallation of the Intel drive would solve this every time, but it was a nuisance.

Non-supported systems are also getting old, in many cases older than five years, and for businesses, purchasing new computers may make the most sense. The advantage of purchasing computers now is that there is still some time to deploy them in a non-rushed manner, and staff have the “safety blanket” of their Windows 10 system for a few months.

As a Microsoft Cloud Service Provider, iuvo is able to sell the extended support options from Microsoft. We can also provide guidance on purchasing new computers, coming up with upgrade plans for existing computers, or finding additional solutions as needed.

If you’re unsure what the right next step is for your organization, contact us. We’re happy to help you navigate the transition.