Microsoft Offers No-Cost Windows 10 Lifeline (straitstimes.com) 43
Microsoft on Sept 24 announced new options for US and European customers to safely extend the life of the Windows 10 operating system free of charge just days before a key deadline to upgrade to Windows 11. From a report: The US tech giant plans to end support for Windows 10 on Oct 14, a move that has drawn criticism from consumer advocacy groups and sparked concerns among users who fear they will need to purchase new computers to stay protected from cyber threats.
Users who are unable to upgrade or choose to forgo the extended security updates will face increased vulnerability to cyberattacks. In response to these concerns, Microsoft informed European users that essential security updates will be extended for one year at no additional cost, provided they log in with a Microsoft account. Previously, the company had offered a one-year extension of Windows 10 security updates for $30 to users whose hardware is incompatible with Windows 11. In the US, a similar free option will allow users to upload their Windows 10 profiles to Microsoft's backup service and receive security updates for up to one year.
Users who are unable to upgrade or choose to forgo the extended security updates will face increased vulnerability to cyberattacks. In response to these concerns, Microsoft informed European users that essential security updates will be extended for one year at no additional cost, provided they log in with a Microsoft account. Previously, the company had offered a one-year extension of Windows 10 security updates for $30 to users whose hardware is incompatible with Windows 11. In the US, a similar free option will allow users to upload their Windows 10 profiles to Microsoft's backup service and receive security updates for up to one year.
Sounds like (Score:5, Insightful)
Extortion. Benefit through coercion.
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Whoops, bad moderation.
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wonder if the company is based on the idea of capitalism... ah yes.. it is.
surprised pikachu face.
AI written article (Score:5, Insightful)
Note the article says it is AI written.
It also shows no link to Microsoft. Nothing supporting it's claim.
Nor a link to let you sign up for the claimed service.
Not saying it is definitely a hallucination. Just saying that if it is not a hallucination, it is typical of what bad writing looks like. A competent human would have put some link to Microsoft in the article.
Not AI-written Re:AI written article (Score:1)
The "AI generated" refers to the 3-bullet-point summary at the top.
There is no particular reason to think the body of the article is AI-written.
There is a similar article on Tech Xplore [techxplore.com].
I will concede that neither the TFA nor the Tech Xplore version have a link to Microsoft to confirm the announcement.
Re:AI written article (Score:4, Informative)
It's kind of old news.
Microsoft has several options for Windows 10 ESR
* $30 for ESR support (well known)
- Free if you enable settings backup to your Microsoft account
- 1000 rewards points (about $1)
The latter two are options that were announced weeks ago. 1000 rewards points can be obtained within a couple of weeks by doing things like searches and such, or quicker if you had signed up for Xbox Rewards.
To sign up, you do it from the Windows Update dialog - it has a little link you can click to enable extended support.
Requires a Microsoft account (Score:2)
That will probably foil my plan to use a VPN to look European.
I wonder how long it will be before someone figures out how to get the update package, unpack it, then re-build it into a package anyone can use. Of course, they will have to do everything in a country that is out of reach of Microsoft's copyright lawyers, AND they will have to somehow earn the trust of people to not infect the "freed update" with malware or other vulnerabilities. Proving you are to be trusted and hiding from Microsoft's lawyer
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It won't take long, but really ...is anyone really that desperate to use Windows ?
Most people use Windows because they cannot be bothered to / have no idea they can install something else. Most people do not see the operating system and hardware as different things. No more than one typically things of a digital wristwatch and the firmware running on it as separate things.
I was hoping that Microsoft saying "No more Windows until you jump through hoops" would get people motivated enough to figure out that th
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I use Windows because I play games.
And Linux won't cut it, at least yet. I know that some games already run on Linux, but not all of them, and some that runs require messing with compatibility stuff, and that's pretty much deal breaker for me.
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Have you looked lately? I got my laptop last year and put Pop on it. Uses the 4070 out of the box and I was playing the second Horizon game on Steam on release day. The huge tons of effort put into getting AAA games running on the Steam Deck has really paid off. I'm currently playing Uncharted 4 on it.
I do still have two desktops running Windows, but finally migrated my daily driver laptop last Black Friday.
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>It won't take long, but really ...is anyone really that desperate to use Windows ?
I'm kinda desperate to keep my 85 year old father on Windows 10 rather than moving him over to Windows 11 or Linux.
I've already set up a new laptop with Debian Trixie for him that looks 99% like his Windows 10 setup, and I'll bring that to him later this year when I next visit, but I see about a 50% chance that he won't like it or feel overwhelmed by the remaining differences and will want to go back to Windows 10. And I e
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It won't take long, but really ...is anyone really that desperate to use Windows ?
Everyone corporate who is looked into Microsoft Office and similar applications.
Login to MS Account! (Score:4, Insightful)
no thanks (Score:4, Informative)
I'm going to be logging in to my local computer with a local account. I don't want a microsoft account. Never have. Never will. For me at least, Oct 14 is going to signal the beginning of the year of the Linux desktop.
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I'm going to be logging in to my local computer with a local account. I don't want a microsoft account. Never have. Never will. For me at least, Oct 14 is going to signal the beginning of the year of the Linux desktop.
I mean... if the grass really is greener over there, why are you waiting until October 14th?
Microsoft is starting to panic (Score:5, Interesting)
Nobody is moving over to Windows 11 anymore and Microsoft is certainly aware of the campaigns which try to save computers which don't support Windows 11 by installing ChromeOS Flex or some Linux Distribution. Microsoft wants to prevent this, and so they make it easier to extend support.
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No cost? (Score:5, Insightful)
It'll only cost you your personal data.
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Don't worry, Microsoft already *has* all your personal data.
That's not no cost (Score:2)
Hmm... (Score:4, Insightful)
essential security updates will be extended for one year at no additional cost, provided they log in with a Microsoft account
So, the overly simplified choices seem to be:
(a) Definitely give MS even more access to, and possible control over, your data, for undetermined concrete benefit.
(b) Risk a possible security incident, that may happen anyway or never.
Depending on how one feels about having a Microsoft Account, could be a tough choice, especially w/o knowing what security updates will mitigate what issues, that you may not even encounter. Microsoft isn't doing this for free out the goodness in its heart (if it has one), or even potential good press/karma, so they're getting (or think they're getting) something they perceive as "value" out of this, other than money.
My understanding is that if you have Office and a logged-in MS account, Office is going to try to use One Drive unless you disable things, and keep re-disabling them after updates -- and they'll nag you about that. Who knows what else they'll nag you about.
Windows 10 still nags me to "upgrade" to Windows 11 even though (a) I've disable it in the registry and (b) the Windows PC health Check utility says my system can't be upgraded because the CPU is too old and there's no TPM. So annoying.
Last option:
(c) Switch to Linux. [X]
Provided (Score:2)
>"provided they log in with a Microsoft account."
Gross. We see what you are doing, there.
>"whose hardware is incompatible with Windows 11"
Translation: "For those whose hardware probably IS compatible with MS-Windows 11, but does not meet our artificial requirements."
Thank goodness I don't have any MS-Windows machines to deal with.
Alternative no-cost lifeline for Win10 refugees (Score:5, Informative)
Try Linux Mint [linuxmint.com]. It works very well fresh out of the box - no futzing around required.
Not no cost (Score:3)
The cost is your privacy, by making you upload all your profile to Microsoft so it can use it for AI and spying on you.
Caught it! (Score:2)
Thanks.
Hey! There's an anchor tied to the other end. And it says Windows 11 on it.
Rufus (Score:3)
All you have to do is download the Win 11 ISO from MS then use Rufus to create a bootable flashdrive installer that bypasses the hardware check and creates a local user account. I just installed Win 11 on my unsupported Ryzen 2200u laptop, no problems.
https://rufus.ie/en/ [rufus.ie]
https://www.microsoft.com/en-u... [microsoft.com]
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Yeah, ok, but it's still Windows 11. Yuck.
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Are you receiving security updates?
Re: Rufus (Score:2)
Yes
It's not free if... (Score:2)
You have to get a Microsoft account.
No thanks.
Or... (Score:2)
Windows 12 will be even worse (Score:3)
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Oh Really? (Score:2)
"Users who are unable to upgrade or choose to forgo the extended security updates will face increased vulnerability to cyberattacks"
Windows 7(*) being my daily driver: Oh Really?
*: SP1+updated certificates+firewall+NoScript
MS just set-up this up...only $30 more... (Score:2)
US and European only? (Score:2)
I guess the rest of the world does not get this?
In a way it's good - at least you will be forcing half the world to look into Linux and other options seriously.