As most of you know, Microsoft quit supporting Windows 10 last October and the one year of extra support they offered is about to end also. Hopefully most of us have purchased a new computer that is Windows 11 compatible by now.
If you are one of the people that is still using an old Windows 10 computer here are some things to consider.
- Security holes stop getting fixed – Microsoft is constantly battling against bad actors to ensure there are no vulnerabilities or holes in their operating systems. Windows 10 machines won’t get those fixes and can become more vulnerable to malware, ransomware and attacks.
- Some programs might quit working – Some software will also stop getting updates since many software makers follow Microsoft as far as the versions they support. You might not be able to upgrade to a new version.
- Browsers will stop going to certain sites – Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and others won’t support Windows 10 forever. Once browser updates stop, banking, shopping, email, and other websites can become both less secure and less compatible. Many sites will just stop loading.
- New hardware might not work – Newer printers or other devices might not come with a driver for Windows 10.
- Security software can’t completely protect your computer – Anti-virus and security patches protect you in different ways. To stay protected you need both.
Your computer isn’t going to just stop working. This “end of life” doesn’t mean that your computer will just stop working one day. It means that each day you use it you are working with less protection and the chance of an issue will increase. Eventually your browsers will refuse to connect to sites that need more security like banks and financial institutions and even paying your bills.
Also, if you are still using a Windows 10 computer your computer is probably more than 5 years old. In those five years processing power and memory have increased by leaps and bounds. You will be happily surprised when you upgrade to a new computer. You will find that things that used to take a long time to load will now load instantly.
Many websites are configured to take advantage of the newest hardware, this is why some websites struggle to load on your current computer. There are also many new features in Windows 11 that might also save you some time.
As always, I am available to help you through the process of finding and setting up a new computer.
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