What are other Windows 10 users doing when support ends?

[relztrah]

(This thread may belong in another forum, so please move it if necessary.)

I’m seeing a few options such as purchasing the Microsoft extended protection or 0patch. I work for a small nonproft charitable organization and migrating to Linux is not an option because too many people are stuck in the Windows world and we have too many files in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. I use both Linux Mint and antiX at home along with LibreOffice, but those aren’t viable options for our workplace.

A few staff members have Windows 11 but there are a handful of us using older laptops that aren’t upgradable. Buying new laptops for us would be too expensive so we’ll have to look at continuing with Windows 10 and examine the options.

What are the rest of you doing? Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Digerati]

It's the same old story we've been through every time a new version comes out, and the old version is no longer supported. We have the exact same options too.

Eventually everyone will have to move to a different OS, either a version of Linux, Chromebook, or the new version of Windows.

For awhile, security software will continue to protect those systems, but at some point, they too will stop, either because it is not economically feasible to continue that support, or because some new vulnerability, not patched by MS, cannot be protected by the security software.

At that point, the obsolete Windows user becomes a threat to everyone else. NOT cool.

Note too, eventually the hardware will fail and cannot be repaired - often without notice - and you will be forced to scramble to replace it. And it will be designed to work with the latest OS. I sure hope you keep current backups.

Or some new (or updated) software you or your organization needs won't run on the older OS.

My point is, prolonging the inevitable, without preparing for it, rarely pays off.

Buying new laptops for us would be too expensive

Then don't buy new. Lots of outlets sell refurbished laptops with W11 at prices much more affordable than new.

 

[Corday]

I don't have as many options as others as I must keep the wife happy. Left to my own devices, I would have started to build my own OS many years ago.

 

[Digerati]

I would have started to build my own OS many years ago.

Considering there are over 25 million lines of code in Linux, and over 30 million lines of code in Windows, odds are, if doing by yourself, you would need many years, and still may not have enough time - unless you had a super computer at your disposal and several programmers working for you. But even then, OSes must constantly evolve to keep up with advances in hardware technologies and, of course, security threats.

 

[Ghost Protocol]

I'll just migrate to TempleOS...

Seriously, I have been a member of MANY tech forums and this question always pops up and I always say the same thing: it's a fallacy. You see, as I type this I have two, count them 2 computers running Windows 7 and connected to the Internet. I've had these computers on for years and have never magically contracted an Internet STD or got hacked by a black hoodie wearing hacker wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. To add to that unbelievably, I currently use Windows 10 (stripped down via AtlasOS) with hardly no updates and no anti-virus. Which to most people out there is like straight up blasphemy. First and foremost, anti-virus software is a joke. It really is. It's a MiTM between you and your browser, etc and so being the anti-virus company can see everything you do. Never mind how anti-virus software now-a-days is all bloated and one of which packed a crypto miner to mine coin using your computer's resources. Yeah, that's totally what an anti-virus should do...

So, how do I run my ship? I use Sandboxie classic for my browsers. This helps keep anything malicious from touching the computer like rouge JavaScript. I also use uBlock Origin to help block malware domains and whatnot in addition to NextDNS which is like Pi Hole for the cloud. Then, every stinking file I download (sometimes even images) I right click that file and using 7z's (7-Zip) SHA256 right click hashing function get the hash for that file I just downloaded and check that at VirusTotal. The general consensus is four hits and you toss. But it does depend on what it is you have there and your ability to read the Relations and Behaviors provided by VirusTotal. I would NOT trust the community input provided by VirusTotal. For one, their point system is stupid. One could vote 11 points up or down for a file based on what scalar? 9 points here, 5 points there, what is that based on exactly? LOL Never mind how some community input is waaay off and serves nothing more than to advertise their own anti-virus checking website.

On top of all that I conduct periodic full disk clones with Clonezilla. So if worst comes to worst I can restore the clone and it'll be like hardly anything had happened. After years and years of doing this I have never had to pull out a clone for restoration. And like I said, I have never contracted malware. I even do ring3 scans and other scans and whatnot just in case. I also watch my network on another screen here in my OPNsense router/appliance via Zenarmor. LOL Yeah, I'm certainly not the ordinary Windows user.

By far and away, if one is just surfing the Internet and small home office Apping, then perhaps Zorin OS or Linux Mint with LibreOffice and the LibreWolf browser would be the way to go. It's not for everyone, but we now have AI so if you have a question it'll help... Especially due to the fact Linux tech forums may not be so friendly to noobs...


Going forward I'm waiting to see what Windows 12 brings. Until then I'm sticking with 10 and I won't be touching 11 with a 10 foot pole!

 

[ET_Explorer]

what Windows 12 brings.

Probably the same as windows 11 with some minor upgrades and stricter hardware requirements.

I too will be staying windows 10 as well.

 

[Maxstar]

It's the same old story we've been through every time a new version comes out, and the old version is no longer supported.

I totally agree with this statement of @Digerati and it is at your own risk to use an OS which is not supported anymore.

@relztrah If you have the option of using the Microsoft extended protection (support), I would first check if you can use the ESU program on the clients because you'll need to reactive the install with an ESU key to receive the extended updates. And I am pretty sure that the extended updates will be blocked on systems without an ESU key.

--->

And how secure a system is, also depends on how a user handles it! Even up-to-date systems become infected! So when users are not ware of hardening systems / network environments, I can only suggest to get the clients up-to-date. If you can migrate all the software quite easily to new systems you can take a look at refurbished laptops / systems to use too!

That said, for an nonproft charitable organization it should be also possible to install a more reliable enviroment with RDP to login in an own environment which is isolated from the used client?!

--->

Personally, I also keep two systems running with Windows 10 when the support will end, because I can't easily migrate them to an newer HW/build. And these 'Home Servers' with an i7-4771 CPU @ 3.50GHz and 32 GB ram are still running, so I will leave them running in my DMZ before I will replace both systems.

 

[Corday]

What Denmark is doing: Excellent! Denmark Set to Replace Microsoft Office with Open Source Alternative

 

[Digerati]

it's a fallacy. You see, as I type this I have two, count them 2 computers running Windows 7 and connected to the Internet. I've had these computers on for years and have never magically contracted an Internet STD or got hacked by a black hoodie wearing hacker wearing a Guy Fawkes mask.

anti-virus software is a joke.

LOL

So because you never experienced it, it must be a fallacy? And A/V software is a joke? Really? Wow. And yet,

• I use Sandboxie classic for my browsers.
• I also use uBlock Origin
• in addition to NextDNS
• every stinking file I download (sometimes even images) I right click that file and using 7z's (7-Zip) SHA256 right click hashing function get the hash for that file I just downloaded and check that at VirusTotal.
• I even do ring3 scans and other scans and whatnot just in case.
• I also watch my network on another screen here in my OPNsense router/appliance via Zenarmor.

And on all of our systems here, and the dozens more I am responsible for, we do none of that. Instead, we keep our OS current. All of my systems and most I am responsible for use the integrated (and hardly bloated) Defender. And we avoid being "click-happy" on unsolicited links. And guess what? We have yet to get infected either.

Fallacy and joke? LOL Not hardly.

Yeah, I'm certainly not the ordinary Windows user.

Clearly.

 

[Maxstar]

First and foremost, anti-virus software is a joke. It really is. It's a MiTM between you and your browser, etc and so being the anti-virus company can see everything you do. Never mind how anti-virus software now-a-days is all bloated and one of which packed a crypto miner to mine coin using your computer's resources. Yeah, that's totally what an anti-virus should do...

No, no and no! And forget 'anti-virus', it's MALWARE which is more advanced than polymorphic viruses like VIRUT / Sality.... Without a behaviour blocker you will always vulnerable and an MiTM attack can only be created when a system is compromised to connect to the C&C server of the bad guys....

 

[Corday]

.... Without a behaviour blocker you will always vulenerable and an MiTM attack can only be created when a system is compromised to connect to the C&C server of the bad guys....

Windows Security has a behavior blocker. In settings:"Block Suspicious Behaviors"

 

[Digerati]

Windows Security has a behavior blocker.

Sure does, as do most anti-malware programs these days, at least those from known providers.