Looks like 1/3rd of windows gamers still on win10
From the Steam hardware survey:
Microsoft Activation Scripts has a method to activate three years of extended security updates on Windows 10 for free.
Bonus: Microsoft tech support has been repeatedly caught using these scripts to resolve support tickets for license issues. (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-support-cracks-windows-for-customer-after-activation-fails/)
Edit: If you go this route, please also see the FAQ entry here. There is currently a glitch with commercial ESU keys (which this uses) and Windows Update will continue to claim that your device will no longer receive security updates. This is also effecting W10 LTSC systems. However, you can verify that the license key is active through Command Prompt and instructions are given in the FAQ.
I went this route for now. I bought some additional storage, and once I get some time, I plan on shuffling some files around and making a Linux partition. I was considering Mint, but think I’ll try Bazzite instead.
I actually liked Windows 10 for some reasons.
I truly hate Windows 11 for numerous reasons.
I enjoy running Linux.
See you around, Windows. You broke up with me.
It is you, not me. I will not miss you much.
I have a win10 machine, mostly for gaming. Then Proton happened, so that machine hasn’t been turned on for nearly eight years now.
Tabs is file explorer is kinda the only nice thing about Windows 11, other than that after running a good script, you can make it like windows 10 in terms of bloat.
Which is still quite a lot of bloat… Lol. You had to do significant work to get windows 10 down to windows 7 levels which were, IMO, acceptable.
7 was peak for me
“This was to be the last operating system ever.”
And indeed it was (the last OS by Microsoft).
Windows 11 does not operate and I doubt Windows 12 will either.
It was. Now it’s just AI-infused spyware.
I wonder if the one guy who said that still works at Microsoft. He’s certainly given them plenty of headache.
The OS to end all OS… Mmhh, why does this sound so familiar?
Windows… Windows never changes.
And now we can’t trust them whenever they say that again.
It’s not a good solution, and I’m not recommending it, but if you absolutely have to stay on Windows 10, you can enroll in the extended security updates program to get you to next year:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows/extended-security-updates
What can happen if I just keep my old pc on win 10 without the security updates. I mean, it’s just a basic steaming / gaming and project archive computer. I already have backup of the important stuff.
You can.
Question is “why”? Because these basic things you can do with Linux. And do it better, because Linux usually uses less resources.
And you get the needed security updates.
Exploit of vulnerabilities. Hackers continually try to break things. It could be a sketchy download, but also could just be a website you visit that sends certains packets to your PC that changes state of some other thing and then they inject the malware to monitor your passwords or banking session cookie or something.
If you never use that system for critical stuff you are probably OK, but if that system gets infected then the other devices on your home network will be the next target.
Might be worth trying bazziteOS with steam one day and adjusting Proton compatibility per game to see if you get all your titles working.
Luckily my steam library is all working with Linux, but I don’t play triple A kernel anticheat games
Can also switch it to the LTSC version for 6 more years of updates I believe.
My understanding is you cannot do that without a full reinstall of Windows, wiping out all settings and installed programs. Glad if I’m wrong.
This is the supported and safest method: a full reinstall of the Operating System.
The unsafe method is for a user modifying their registry while applying an LTSC upgrade patch to 10. Windows is pretty janky so I wouldn’t recommend this.
For anyone affected by this, I recommend backing up all your data anyway. If you’re hard stuck with Windows, pick 10 LTSC and reinstall the OS. You’ll be supported for several more years with security updates. Much better than picking the temporary bandage solution of enrolling in ESU and tackling the problem again next year. If you’re not stuck with Windows, pick a Windows-like and user friendly Linux distribution like Linux Mint and you’ll be good to go. Best onboarding ramp for ex-Windows users that need the familiarity of Windows and want a stable experience that “just works”.
You can also use 0patch to continue to get security updates for Windows 10 if you find it’s still a good fit.
Just use MAS to activate ESU if you really want to keep Windows 10. It won’t last forever, though. No need to go through some third party’s update process.
Long term, it’s worth switching to Linux, though. Microsoft isn’t getting any better as a company, and Windows hasn’t been getting any better over time as a product.
Tell me more?
According to their website it’s a subscription where you let some random company patch your windows 10 instead of Microsoft
And they’re patching in memory so enjoy giving full system permission to their tool and excluding it from your security products as this thing is architecturally similar to malware.
Ah. Firmly putting that one on the “hell no” pile. Even with a pre-patched bootleg I don’t have to pay for the privilege of risking giving up full access to my computer at the very least. Thanks for the info all the same.
Lookout Linux, here we come!
I wonder just how many incentives it included to update…
