Windows 11’s upgrade path is still free for qualifying Windows 10 PCs, but the process and the consequences have been reframed by a strict compatibility baseline, a set of official tools, and a lively ecosystem of community workarounds — some safe, some risky. This guide pulls the latest facts...
If your PC shows as “incompatible” but you’re determined to run Windows 11, the path forward is clearer — and riskier — than most users realize: Microsoft supplies official upgrade channels for compatible machines, and it also documents limited, unsupported bypasses; the community has wrapped...
Microsoft’s Windows 11 is still free for qualifying Windows 10 PCs, but the company’s strict hardware checks have left a large installed base officially “incompatible.” For many users the answer isn’t necessarily “buy new hardware” — there are well‑documented, practical ways to move to Windows...
ai integration
compatibility
copilot
esu migration
extended security updates
hardware requirements
hardware security
installer bypass
migration
security baseline
tpm 2.0
tpm secure boot
tpm-2-0
uefi secure boot
upgradepath
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
windows 11 upgrade
windows upgrade
Microsoft’s recent support bulletin and subsequent community reports have exposed a sharp operational edge of identity hardening: after installing October/September updates on Windows 11 (24H2 and 25H2) and Windows Server 2025, some environments experienced widespread Kerberos and NTLM...
A fresh telemetry snapshot from remote‑support sessions underscores a stark reality: as Microsoft’s Windows 10 support deadline approaches, a large share of real‑world endpoints remain on an OS that will soon stop receiving routine security patches—creating an urgent migration and...
ai privacy
alternative os
backup and migration
battlefield 3
bootable media
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chromeos linux reimaging
cloud desktop options
cloud migration
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compatibility tools
consumer esu
continuous updates
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critical infrastructure
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cybersecurity risks
data backup best practices
defender
defender updates
device migration
device security
digital divide
digital equity
domestic operating systems
driver support
e-waste
e-waste environmental impact
electronics waste
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end of life 2025
end of support
end of support 2025
endpoint security
enrollment
enrollment wizard
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esu
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esu enrollment
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government
gpu
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laptop buying guide
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msp
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onedrive backup
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risk management
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security updates
small business
small business guidance
steam survey
sustainability
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teamviewer
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third-party patches
tpm 2.0
tpm secure boot
tpm-2-0
unsupported hardware
upgrade guide
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windows
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windows 365 cloud pc
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windows end of life
windows handhelds
windows lifecycle
windows migration
windows migration planning
windows security
windows update enrollment
windows upgrade
Microsoft has published KB5054156 — a tiny enablement package (eKB) that flips on Windows 11, version 25H2 for devices already running the fully patched 24H2 servicing baseline, turning a months‑worth of staged feature binaries into an active release with minimal downtime and a single restart in...
Windows 10 will stop receiving free security fixes on October 14, 2025 — and if your PC can’t take the free Windows 11 upgrade, you have five realistic paths forward: enroll in Extended Security Updates (ESU), buy or rent a new Windows 11 PC (including cloud PCs), perform an unsupported upgrade...
22h2
active directory
admin rights
affordability
ai hardware
alternative os
august 2025
avd
azure virtual desktop
backmarket
backup
backup and migration
budget
business continuity
business it
canalys
certifiedmodels
channel management
chromebooks
chromeos
chromeos flex
cloud migration
cloud pc
cloud sync
commercial-refresh
compliance risk
consumer
consumer advocacy
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consumer reports
consumer technology
copilot
copilot platform
cpu
cpu upgrade
cybersecurity
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data backup best practices
data security
ddr2 ram
demand
deployment strategies
device eligibility
device migration
device upgrade
digital equity
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digital sustainability
diy pc
do nothing
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edge webview2
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firmware
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inventory risk
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jpr
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kb5063709
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ubuntu
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vendor compatibility
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version 22h2
virtualization
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windows
windows 10
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zero trust
Microsoft has set a hard deadline: Windows 10 will stop receiving security updates and official support on October 14, 2025, and if you’re still running Windows 10 it’s time to pick a path forward — upgrade, buy new hardware, or choose a supported workaround. The good news for most users is that...
chromeos flex
compatibility
end of support 2025
extended security updates
installation assistant
linux
media creation tool
oem drivers
pc health check
registry
rufus
rufus installer
secure boot
security updates
tpm 2.0
uefi
upgradepath
windows 10
windows 10 end of life
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
windows 11 upgrade
Microsoft’s decision to end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025 has turned a calendar note into a business‑critical deadline: organizations that continue to run Windows 10 after that date will stop receiving security patches, feature updates, and official technical assistance — and the...
cybersecurity
end of support
esu
esu program
extended security updates
hardware compatibility
migration
pc health check
regulatory compliance
risk management
secure boot
tpm 2.0
upgradepath
windows 10
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
windows 11 upgrade
Microsoft has set a hard deadline: on October 14, 2025, routine security updates and mainstream support end for Windows 10 (version 22H2) and for perpetual releases Office 2016 and Office 2019 — a coordinated sunset that forces consumers and organizations to choose between upgrading, buying...
cloud migration
end of support
enterprise it
esu
extended security updates
it governance
lifecycle
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microsoft 365
migration
office 2016
office 2019
office ltsc 2024
patch management
security updates
upgradepath
windows 10
windows 10 22h2
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
With Microsoft continuing to push AI into the heart of Windows while simultaneously shipping iterative Windows 11 updates, the question most users and IT managers are asking is simple but pressing: will Windows 12 arrive in late 2025 or early 2026 — and if so, what will it actually change? The...
24h2
25h2
ai
compatibility
copilot
corepc
developers
enterprise it
feature updates
hardware acceleration
insider
modular os
npu
on-device ai
privacy
security
upgradepath
windows
windows 11
Microsoft’s decision to stop shipping regular security and feature updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025 has escalated from a routine end‑of‑life announcement into a full‑blown consumer advocacy and cybersecurity conversation, with Consumer Reports publicly urging Microsoft to reverse...
backup and migration
chromeos flex
consumer reports
cybersecurity
e-waste
end of support
esu
extended security updates
hardware compatibility
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lifecycle policy
linux
microsoft
migration
pc health check
privacy
secure boot
tpm 2.0
upgradepath
windows 10
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
windows 11 requirements
windows 11 upgrade
Microsoft’s October deadline for Windows 10 support has arrived like a ringing bell for an industry that—by several measures—wasn’t ready: large numbers of consumer and corporate endpoints still run Windows 10, many organisations face compatibility and budget constraints, and the safety net...
2024 update
22h2
22h2 end of life
account linking
avd
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backup
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build 19045.6388
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kb5063709
kb5065429
kb5066198
lifecycle
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macos
microsoft
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small business
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virtualization
windows 10
windows 10 21h2
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windows 10 end of life
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windows 10 esu
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windows 11
windows 11 migration
windows 11 requirements
windows 11 upgrade
windows 365
windows 365 cloud pc
windows backup
windows lifecycle
windows market share
windows options
windows support timeline
windows update
wsus
Consumer Reports has formally urged Microsoft to extend free support for Windows 10, warning that tens — possibly hundreds — of millions of still-working PCs will be left exposed when mainstream updates and security patches stop on October 14, 2025. The advocacy group’s letter to Microsoft’s CEO...
22h2
advocacy
azure virtual desktop
chromeos flex
cloud backup
cloud pc
commercial esu
compliance risk
consumer advocacy
consumer esu
consumer protection
consumer reports
consumer rights
costofownership
cybersecurity
device retirement
device upgrade
digital equity
e-waste
edge updates
education
end of support
enterprise it
environmental impact
esu
esu pricing
esu program
extended security updates
forced obsolescence
hardware compatibility
hardware refresh
hardware requirements
hardware upgrade
household tech
it admin
it planning
linux
mainstream support
microsoft
microsoft account
microsoft policy
microsoft rewards
microsoft support
migration
operating system
os lifecycle
os migration
patch management
pc health check
per device cost
policy
policy debate
pricing
privacy
public safety
regulatory scrutiny
rewards
secure boot
security updates
small business
software lifecycle
sustainability
tech policy advocacy
tech regulation
tpm 2.0
trade-in
upgrade options
upgradepath
volume licensing
windows 10
windows 10 end of life
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
windows 11 requirements
windows 11 upgrade
windows 365
windows backup
windows defender
windows lifecycle
windows update
FROM Tuesday, October 14 Microsoft will end support for Windows 10, leaving machines that remain on that decade-old platform without routine security patches, feature updates or Microsoft technical support — and local repair shops such as Data Parts in Shepparton are already preparing to help...
august 2025
computer shop
data parts shepparton
end of support
esu
future-proofing
hardware upgrade
migration
pc health check
secure boot
security updates
shepparton
tpm 2.0
upgradepath
windows 10
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
windows 11 minimum specs
windows-11-minimum-hardware
Microsoft’s announcement at Ignite that an enterprise-oriented variant of Windows 10 S will be used as a lower‑cost, locked‑down deployment option for large organizations marks a pragmatic pivot in how the company is packaging security, management and price for frontline and lightweight worker...
cloud pc
device management
ems
enterprise
firstline
intune
it management
licensing
microsoft-365-f1
oem
s mode
security
tco
upgradepath
windows
windows 10
windows 10 enterprise in s mode
StatCounter’s August 2025 snapshot produced a deceptively simple headline — Windows 11 slipped below 50% of desktop Windows installations while Windows 10 regained ground — but the data behind that headline, and what it means for users and IT teams as Windows 10 support ends in October, require...
budget
cloud pc
cybersecurity
data analytics
desktop
end of support
endpoint management
enterprise it
esu
hardware compatibility
hardware requirements
it administration
migration
msp
os migration
pilot rollout
policy
regulatory compliance
risk management
rollback testing
secure boot
security updates
statcounter
telemetry
tpm 2.0
upgradepathupgrade planning
windows 10
windows 11
windows 365
windows lifecycle
Is there any way to continue using old computers with Windows on them? I have got a really old computer that is suitable for Windows 98 and a computer that's got Windows 7 hardward and one that's got Windows 10. I keep being told that they are outdate and I am not intelligent enough to get them...
compatibility troubleshooting
driver support
emulation
end-of-life software
hardware compatibility
lifecycle
lightweight os
retro computing
security risks
upgradepath
virtualization
windows 10
windows 11
windows 7
windows 98
Microsoft has confirmed what many in the PC world have been preparing for: Windows 10 reaches end of support on October 14, 2025, and that date changes the security calculus for hundreds of millions of devices worldwide. Microsoft will stop shipping routine security and quality updates for...
22h2
azure virtual desktop
cloud pc
end of support
esu
extended security updates
os migration
secure boot
security updates
tpm 2.0
upgradepath
windows 10
windows 11
windows 365
I have Windows 11 Home installed and activated.
I have purchased a Windows 11 Professional Key from Group.
How do I upgrade to Professional without doing a rebuild?
digital license
edition upgrade
home pro
license activation
license key
product key
upgrade guide
upgradepath
windows 11
windows 11 upgrade
windows activation