Free security updates for many editions of Windows 10 end on October 14, 2025, and a raft of new vendor guidance and vendor-priced Extended Security Updates (ESUs) means companies that can’t—or won’t—move are facing a material, avoidable bill. A back-of-the-envelope model circulated by Nexthink...
azure virtual desktop
cloud entitlements
cloud pc
device inventory
driver remediation
employee experience
end of support
endpoint management
esu
extended security updates
hardware refresh
it budgeting
licensing costs
migrationplanning
pilot testing
security risk
vendor guidance
windows 10
windows 11 migration
windows 365
Nexthink’s warning that “sticking with Windows 10 could cost businesses billions” captured headlines for a reason: a simple arithmetic model — 121 million Windows 10 PCs multiplied by an enterprise Extended Security Update (ESU) list price of $61 per device — produces a first‑year bill in the...
StatCounter’s latest tracking shows Windows 11 has climbed to roughly the halfway mark of Windows desktop installs — a milestone that reflects accelerating migration away from Windows 10 as Microsoft’s October 14, 2025 end‑of‑support deadline approaches.
The headline numbers — what StatCounter...
august 2025
desktop market share
end of support
end of support date
esu
hardware refresh
hardware requirements
it admins
microsoft
microsoft windows
migrationmigrationplanning
october 14, 2025
oem preloads
os market share
pc health check
release health
sampling bias
secure boot
statcounter
steam hardware survey
tpm 2.0
upgrade readiness
web analytics
windows 10
windows 11
windows 11 24h2
windows 11 adoption
windows 7
windows migration
windows os market share
Windows 11’s recent lead over its predecessor proved to be fragile: Statcounter’s August snapshot shows Windows 11 slipping back below the 50% mark while Windows 10 recovered some ground, yet the newer OS still holds a larger share overall after overtaking Windows 10 in July...
august 2025
desktop os market share
enterprise it
esu
extended security updates
july 2025
migrationplanning
oem shipments
os market share
statcounter
tech news
windows 10
windows 11
windows 11 adoption
windows 11 compared to windows 10
windows esu
Microsoft’s decision to stop issuing security updates for Office 2016 and Office 2019 on October 14, 2025 forces a clear choice on millions of users and IT teams: upgrade to a supported platform, migrate to Microsoft 365, or accept the operational and security trade-offs of third‑party...
0patch
compliance risk
cost comparison
end of support
enterprise it
eos 2025
it roadmap
legacy software
micropatching
microsoft 365
migrate to 365
migrationplanning
ms office security
office 2016
office 2019
patch management
security updates
software lifecycle
third-party patches
windows compatibility
Microsoft's hard deadline for Windows 10 support — October 14, 2025 — has shifted the conversation for IT leaders from “if” to how fast and how wisely to move, and the time for planning alone has passed: organisations must now execute migration plans that protect security, preserve productivity...
adoption
application compatibility
change management
cloud pc
data protection
end of support 2025
esu
extended security updates
it governance
migrationplanning
secure boot
security posture
tpm 2.0
vdi
windows 10
windows 11
windows 365
Microsoft’s long-standing upgrade loophole — where old Windows 7 and 8 product keys could be used to activate newer Windows installations — has officially been closed, and the implications ripple from consumers building DIY PCs to IT managers planning migrations. Microsoft confirmed the move to...
activation block
activation loophole
clean install
digital license
esu
it administration
licensing
migrationplanning
oem license
pc building
product key
refurbishers
security updates
volume licensing
windows 10
windows 11
windows 7
windows 8
windows activation
windows lifecycle
Microsoft's public notice about Windows 10 support is no longer just a calendar reminder — it's a deadline with real consequences for security, compatibility, and the cost of staying on an aging platform.
Background: what the missing Primedia Plus article and Microsoft actually say
The link...
alternative os
application compatibility
azure virtual desktop
cloud migration
cloud pc
copilot pc
cost of esu
cybersecurity
data backup strategy
end of life security risk
enterprise it
enterprise migration
esu program
extended security updates
extended security updates esu
feature updates
hardware refresh planning
hardware upgrade
it security
license pricing
linux alternative
microsoft account
microsoft support
migrationplanningmigration playbook
oem advisories
pc health check
privacy considerations
ransomware risk
secure boot
security updates
small business it
software as a service
tpm 2.0
upgrade planning
windows 10 22h2
windows 10 end of life
windows 10 end of support
windows 10 esu
windows 10 esu consumer
windows 11 system requirements
windows 11 upgrade
windows 365
windows 365 cloud pc
windows lifecycle
Microsoft has quietly pushed a significant tool into public preview that aims to simplify one of the messiest tasks in datacenter life: converting and migrating virtual machines from VMware vCenter/ESXi to Microsoft’s Hyper-V infrastructure using a built-in Windows Admin Center extension called...
Microsoft’s last free security updates for Windows 10 come to an official stop on October 14, 2025, but the company has quietly opened a one‑year safety valve for consumers — a short, careful bridge that lets many stay on Windows 10 while they plan a permanent migration. The consumer Extended...
cloud pc
end of support
enrollment wizard
esu
extended security updates
hardware refresh
microsoft rewards
migrationplanning
onedrive backup
secure boot
tpm 2.0
windows 10
windows 10 22h2
windows 11 upgrade
windows 365
Microsoft’s official support for Windows 10 ends on October 14, 2025 — but Microsoft has opened a one‑year safety valve for consumers: the Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. You can keep receiving critical and important security patches through October 13, 2026 by...
22h2
cloud pc
consumer esu
end of support
esu
extended security updates
hardware upgrade
licensing
microsoft 365 apps
microsoft account
microsoft rewards
migrationplanning
onedrive backup
pc refresh
secure boot
tpm 2.0
windows 10
windows 11 upgrade
windows 365
windows update enrollment
Microsoft’s official support for Windows 10 ends on October 14, 2025 — and that deadline turns a decade-old, still‑widely used operating system into a growing security liability unless you act now. 10 has been a workhorse for hundreds of millions of PCs, but when Microsoft stops shipping...
azure virtual desktop
backup
backup strategy
budget procurement
cloud pc
compatibility
compliance risk
copilot
data protection
device inventory
end of support
end of support 2025
enterprise security
esu
esu expiry
esu program
extended security updates
hardware compatibility
hardware requirements
it audit checklist
it management
it procurement
linux
lob applications
lob apps compatibility
migration plan
migrationplanning
pc health check
pilot deployment
printer compatibility
ransomware
risk management
secure boot
security
security compliance
south africa
south africa it
staged refresh
tpm 2.0
upgrade checklist
upgrade vs replacement
vbs
vdi
vdi windows
windows 10
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
windows 11 migration
windows 11 requirements
windows 365
Microsoft’s slow, staged rollout of the Windows 10 Enroll now (ESU) wizard means the extension lifeline Microsoft promised for legacy PCs is available — but not instantly visible to everyone, and it comes with conditions and caveats that every Windows 10 user should understand before relying on...
22h2
3-2-1 backup
backup practices
backups
cloud pc
consumer esu
domain-joined
end of support
end of support 2025
enroll now
enrollment
enrollment options
enterprise activation
enterprise esu
esu
esu enrollment
esu program
ewaste
extended security updates
kb5063709
lcu
license terms
licensing
linux migration
local account
mak keys
mdm enrollment
microsoft account
microsoft rewards
migration plan
migrationplanning
msa
multi-device license
one drive backup
onedrive
patch management
patch rollout
phased rollout
privacy
privacy and telemetry
privacy concerns
rollout
rollout chaos
secure boot
security patches
security updates
security updates only
servicing stack update
ssu
support guidance
tpm 2.0
upgrade to windows 11
windows 10
windows 10 22h2
windows 10 rollout
windows 11
windows 11 upgrade
windows 365
windows lifecycle
windows update
Microsoft’s push to move Windows 10 users onto Windows 11 has stepped up a gear: as August’s Patch Tuesday rolls out, an increasingly persistent, full‑screen end‑of‑life banner is appearing on many Windows 10 machines urging immediate action — and in some cases the prompt returns again and again...
consumer esu
copilot
device compatibility
device migration
end of life
end of support
end of support 2025
enterprise it
eol
esu
extended security updates
full screen banner
full-screen banner
hardware requirements
in os banners
in-os advertising
lifecycle
microsoft
microsoft policy
microsoft rewards
migrationplanning
patch tuesday
patch tuesday august 2025
secure boot
security updates
system upgrade
tpm 2.0
update management
upgrade path
upgrade planning
upgrade prompts
user experience
user experience ux
windows 10
windows 10 2025 updates
windows 10 end of life
windows 10 end of support
windows 10 esu commercial
windows 10 esu consumer
windows 10 prompts issue
windows 11
windows 11 upgrade path
windows 11 upgrade prompts
windows 24h2
windows backup
windows latest
windows update
Microsoft has set a firm, public timetable to make its entire product and service portfolio resilient to the quantum threat — committing to enable early adoption of quantum‑safe capabilities by 2029 and to complete a full transition to post‑quantum cryptography (PQC) across Windows, Azure...
I’ve been putting off the full switch to Windows 11 — and I’m not alone: recent developments from Microsoft have made it rational for many users to stay on Windows 10 for now. The vendor’s rollout of a consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) option, growing reports of performance and stability...
24h2
blue screen
driver updates
end of support
esu
extended security updates
file explorer
firmware update
microsoft rewards
migrationplanning
nvme
onedrive
pc health check
performance
privacy concerns
ssd
stability
upgrading windows
windows 10
windows 11
A subtle but dangerous bug in Windows Server 2025’s Schema Master FSMO role is causing duplicate schema entries that can break Active Directory replication and trigger schema-mismatch errors on older domain controllers — the issue is being discussed by administrators and reported in the field...
active directory
ad replication
adprep
adsiedit
backup and recovery
domain controllers
event id 1203
exchange schema
field reports
fsmo roles
ldifde
microsoft support
migrationplanning
release health
replication issues
schema master
schema mismatch
troubleshooting
windows server 2025
Microsoft has given Windows 10 users a one-year safety net — a broadly accessible Extended Security Updates (ESU) program that keeps crucial security patches flowing after the official end-of-support date, but the offer comes with strings attached and hard choices ahead for millions of PC...
consumer esu
cost analysis
data backup
end of support
enrollment options
enterprise esu
extended security updates
hardware compatibility
lifecycle
microsoft rewards
migrationplanning
onedrive sync
patch management
privacy trade-offs
secure boot
security updates only
tpm 2.0
windows 10 esu
windows 11 upgrade
windows update
Microsoft has issued a fresh, time‑sensitive reminder: multiple Windows releases are reaching the ends of their servicing windows within the next few months, and the transition clock is now counting down in plain dates — not vague warnings. For millions of Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education and...
compliance
device inventory
end of servicing
enterprise it
esu consumer enrollment
extended security updates
hardware refresh
home users
microsoft support policy
migrationplanning
os lifecycle dates
patch management
secure boot
security updates
tpm 2.0
windows 10 22h2 end of support
windows 11 22h2 end of updates
windows 11 23h2 end of updates
windows 365 cloud pc
windows upgrade paths
Microsoft’s August cumulative for Windows 10 — KB5063709 — is a small download with an outsized purpose: it lays the technical groundwork that lets consumer PCs enroll in Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates (ESU) program and receive security updates through October 13, 2026, even after...