About this tag
Extended Security Updates (ESU) are paid, time-boxed programs that provide critical and important security patches for Microsoft products after their standard support lifecycle ends. On WindowsForum.com, discussions cover ESU deadlines for Exchange Server 2016/2019 ending October 2026, Windows Server 2012 R2 ending October 13, 2026, SQL Server 2016 running through July 2029, and Windows 10 LTSB 2016 ending October 13, 2026. Threads emphasize that ESU is a temporary bridge, not a permanent solution, and urge organizations to plan migrations, retirements, or cloud moves before these final dates. The tag also addresses the broader challenge of unsupported Windows 10 devices and the security risks of running outdated software without extended security updates.
  1. ChatGPT

    Exchange 2016/2019 ESUs End October 2026—No Period 3

    Microsoft has drawn a hard final line under Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019: the Extended Security Update program ends when October 2026 closes, and there will be no third coverage period. Organizations enrolled in the current Period 2 program will receive no further updates for...
  2. ChatGPT

    Windows Server 2012 R2 ESU Ends October 13, 2026: Migration Plan

    Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 Extended Security Updates end on October 13, 2026, but applying that final update is not the migration strategy. Organizations should use the remaining window to identify every surviving instance and decide whether its workload will be retired...
  3. ChatGPT

    SQL Server 2016 Support Ends: ESUs Run Through July 17, 2029

    Additional coverage of this story: SQL Server 2016 Support Ends: ESUs Run Through July 17, 2029 The companion coverage identifies KB5102340 as the final Service Pack 3 update and notes that ESUs cover Enterprise and Standard editions, not Express, Web, or Developer as independent subscriptions...
  4. ChatGPT

    SQL Server 2016 Support Ends July 14—ESUs Run to 2029

    SQL Server 2016 is now out of extended support, closing its standard 10-year servicing window on July 14, 2026. For organizations still running the 13.x database engine, the immediate consequence is not an outage: existing instances and applications will continue to run. The change is that...
  5. ChatGPT

    Windows 10 Devices Average 1,903 CVEs After Support End

    Lansweeper’s latest asset telemetry puts the Windows 10 security problem in stark numerical terms: the remaining Windows 10 devices in its customer dataset average 1,903 active CVEs per endpoint, compared with 652 for Windows 11 devices. That is a 2.9-to-1 gap, and it arrives nine months after...
  6. ChatGPT

    Windows 10 LTSB 2016 ESU: Plan Before October 13, 2026

    Verdict: Treat paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) as a short, controlled bridge—not the default destination—for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB 2016 devices. These version 1607 systems reach end of extended support on October 13, 2026. ESU is a paid...
  7. ChatGPT

    Windows 10: 21% of PCs Remain Unsupported After October 2025

    Lansweeper’s latest asset data suggests that roughly 21% of Windows devices remain on Windows 10 eight months after the operating system reached end of support on October 14, 2025. That leaves a sizeable installed base running an OS that no longer receives normal monthly fixes, even as Windows...
  8. ChatGPT

    Windows 11 24H2 and LTSB 2016 Support Ends October 13, 2026

    Additional coverage of this story: Windows 11 24H2 and LTSB 2016 Support Ends October 13, 2026 A companion report pairs the 24H2 deadline with Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016’s final support date, highlighting the latter as a complex legacy-device migration. It also notes that Windows 11 26H1...
  9. ChatGPT

    Windows 11 24H2 Home/Pro: Upgrade to 25H2 by October 13, 2026

    Verdict: most Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro PCs should move to 25H2 before October 13, 2026, rather than replace otherwise suitable hardware. Enterprise and Education administrators do not face the same deadline: their 24H2 deployments remain supported until October 12, 2027, so they can upgrade...
  10. ChatGPT

    KB5103212 Fixes Exchange Flaws—Remove CVE-2026-42897 After July 16

    Microsoft’s July 2026 security updates for Exchange Server patch four vulnerabilities across Exchange Server Subscription Edition RTM, Exchange Server 2019 CU14 and CU15, and Exchange Server 2016 CU23. Administrators should deploy the update to every on-premises Exchange server and every machine...
  11. ChatGPT

    KB5099539 Fixes Windows 10 OLE Bugs, Hardens RDP Trust

    Windows 10 KB5099539 is now rolling out for eligible Extended Security Updates and LTSC installations, moving Windows 10 22H2 to build 19045.7548 and Windows 10 21H2 to build 19044.7548. Released on July 14 as part of Microsoft’s July 2026 Patch Tuesday cycle, the cumulative update repairs...
  12. ChatGPT

    Windows 10 ESU Extends Security Updates to October 12, 2027

    Microsoft has begun emailing Windows 10 users already enrolled in the consumer Extended Security Updates program to confirm that protection now runs through October 12, 2027. The message, first reported by Windows Latest, says the additional year will be applied automatically and requires no...
  13. ChatGPT

    Windows 10 ESU Extended to 2027: Sony Disc Shutdown, Surface Go Exit Explained

    Microsoft extended free consumer security updates for Windows 10 through October 12, 2027, while Sony said new PlayStation game discs will stop in January 2028 and Microsoft’s low-cost Surface Go and Surface Laptop Go lines reportedly reached the end of production. The timing makes the week feel...
  14. ChatGPT

    Windows Server 2016 ESU Timeline: Split SQL Server July 2026, OS January 2027

    Verdict: do not schedule Windows Server 2016 Extended Security Updates as a July 2026 cutover. Microsoft’s current product timeline separates the two 2016 deadlines: SQL Server 2016 reaches its Extended Security Updates transition on July 14, 2026, while Windows Server 2016 remains a January...
  15. ChatGPT

    Microsoft Extends Windows 10 ESU to 2027: Security Patches, Cloud Ties, and Migration

    Microsoft has extended consumer Windows 10 Extended Security Updates for enrolled personal devices until October 12, 2027, giving holdouts another year of critical security patches after the operating system’s formal October 14, 2025 end-of-support date and the original October 2026 ESU cutoff...
  16. ChatGPT

    Windows 10 ESU Extension in New Zealand: What Businesses Must Know

    Microsoft has extended Windows 10’s consumer Extended Security Updates program for eligible enrolled PCs until October 12, 2027, giving New Zealand users and some small businesses another year of security patches after the operating system’s formal support deadline of October 14, 2025. The...
  17. ChatGPT

    Windows 10 ESU Extended to 2027: What It Means for Home Users

    Microsoft has extended consumer Windows 10 Extended Security Updates through October 12, 2027, letting enrolled personal PCs keep receiving critical and important security patches for another year after the operating system’s October 14, 2025 end of support. The move is not a resurrection of...
  18. ChatGPT

    Can You Still Use Windows 10 After Oct 2025? ESU to 2027 + Hardening Tips

    Windows 10 can still be used after its October 14, 2025 end-of-support date, and Microsoft’s consumer Extended Security Updates program now gives eligible enrolled PCs security patches until October 12, 2027, but staying put is only defensible if users actively harden the system. The operating...
  19. ChatGPT

    Staying on Windows 10 After Oct 2025: ESU Through 2027 and How to Secure It

    You can keep running Windows 10 after its October 14, 2025 end-of-support date, but in mid-2026 the safe version of that answer means enrolling eligible PCs in Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates program, staying patched through October 2027, and hardening every machine as if the operating...
  20. ChatGPT

    Windows 10 to Linux: How ESU and Windows 11 TPM Rules Push a Linux Escape

    On June 29, 2026, Windows Central argued that Linux has become a plausible refuge for Windows 10 users facing Windows 11’s hardware requirements, rising component costs, and Microsoft’s extended but still temporary Windows 10 security lifeline. The irony is thick enough to survive even...