As many people are probably aware, Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. This has created a great deal of confusion about what will happen on October 14th and what the average home computer user should do about it.
First, if you have Windows 10, you can be assured that your computer won’t stop running on October 14th. What will happen is that Microsoft will stop sending out security updates to your computer. As time goes on this will make it increasingly vulnerable to attacks, but this will not likely impact a typical computer user for several months.
Microsoft has been offering a free upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 for quite some time, BUT Windows 11 requires newer hardware that is not available on machines made before 2017 (i.e. the Trusted Platform Module 2.0).
Therefore, this requirement technically means users of older computers can’t upgrade, despite these machines still being useful and despite them having sufficient performance to run Windows 11. However, all is not lost.
Options
There are multiple options which you can choose from to keep or replace your computer after October 14:
- Windows 11 Upgrade (Computer manufactured after mid-2016)
- Windows 10 Extended Support (Computer older than mid-2016)
- Non-standard Windows 11 upgrade (Computer older than mid-2016)
- Buy a new Windows 11 computer and start from scratch
- Buy a new Windows 11 computer and transfer the entire contents of your old Windows 10 computer to it (Computer older than mid-2016)
- Switch to Linux
1. Windows 11 Upgrade (Eligible for computers manufactured after mid-2016)
If you have a machine that is less than 9 years old, the easiest option is to upgrade to Windows 11.
At Country Road Computer Services, we’ve made this option safer by taking precautions before upgrading, such as checking for adequate or failing hardware, fixing integrity issues, and backing up the entire system before the upgrade (in case the upgrade breaks the system). We also ensure upgraded machines are fully protected and functional. The cost for this service is $160+GST.
If you’d like assistance with this option or have questions about this option, please contact us today.
2. Windows 10 Extended Support
Due to a public outcry over the forced obsolescence of over 600 million PCs worldwide, Microsoft compromised by offering extended support for Windows 10 until October 14, 2026, under two conditions:
- If you pay them $30
- OR If you sync your PC settings using a Microsoft account.
This options will buy you an additional year of use for an older computer, but you’ll ultimately have to save around $700 to $1500 for a new computer in 2026.
This option works for owners of older computers, especially for those on a tight budget who cannot afford a new computer at this time. We can provide assistance with this option, and will perform integrity checks/fixes to your computer, ensure it is up to the latest Windows 10 22H2 version, and enroll it in the ESU program for a fee of $80+GST. Contact us today if you would like our help or have questions.
3. Non-standard Windows 11 upgrade (Computer older than mid-2016)
Country Road Computer Services is offering another alternative to the Windows 10 ESU program. While more costly up front ($160+GST), this option will get you onto Windows 11, which using the latest build (24H2), provides security updates for roughly two years, and an easier path (i.e., lower cost) to transfer your old computer to a new one in 2027.
We will check your older computer for adequate or failing hardware, fix integrity issues, back up the entire system before the upgrade (in case the upgrade breaks the system), and ensure your upgraded machine is fully protected and functional.
If your machine is not adequate to upgrade to Windows 11 following our hardware and integrity checks/fixes, we will update your machine to the latest Windows 10 22H2 version and enroll your computer in the Windows 10 Extended Support program. The cost for this service is $80+GST.
Contact us if you’d like our assistance with this option, or if you have questions.
4. Buy a new Windows 11 computer and start from scratch
This option will get you onto a new computer with Windows 11 with all the benefits of having a new warranty. However, there is a downside. The apps and data on your old computer (i.e., programs, photos, documents) must be transferred to the new machine for you to continue working as you did with the old machine.
Microsoft has recently beta-tested a migration tool for bringing data and some apps from an older Windows 10 machine to a new Windows 11 machine. However, this tool does not transfer all apps, and relies upon Microsoft’s cloud service called OneDrive to transfer the data, which although it offers good collaboration, takes considerable time and has the possibility of failure. That Microsoft waited until a short while before end-of-support for Windows 10 to introduce this tool is also troubling to us.
Therefore, in our opinion, this migration tool appears not to be an optimal way of achieving the desired result, at least at this time.
Country Road Computer Services offers two alternatives:
- Manually transfer data from the old computer to the new, configure e-mail and accounts, and if need be, reinstall missing applications. We can provide this transfer and installation service if you’d like. Usually the cost is 1-2 hours of our time ($80-$160+GST) for basic machines that are used to surf the internet or check email, but can require 3-4 hours ($240-$320+GST) for the re-install/testing of larger sets of applications. Contact us if you’d like to discuss this option.
- For superusers, farms, or other small businesses, we can transfer the entirety of the old computer to the new, retaining all applications and their data while at the same time upgrading the old computer to Windows 11 (see option #5 below)
5. Buy a new Windows 11 computer and transfer the entire contents of your old Windows 10 computer to it (Computer older than mid-2016)
For people who have a substantial investment in their old computer (i.e., bookkeeping software, specialized agriculture or industry apps for doing business, or have a lot of applications that are older), the best option in our opinion is to transfer the entire old machine to the new. This provides the least interruption and is effectively like upgrading and testing everything at once.
As with our other options, we back up the entire system before the upgrade (in case the upgrade breaks the system), and ensure your new machine is fully protected and functional, including removal of apps specific to the old machine’s brand. The cost for this service is usually between $240 to $320+gst, including the purchase assistance (see next section below). Contact us if you’d like to pursue or discuss this option.
Purchasing a New Computer
If you are looking to purchase a new computer and want to get maximum value for your dollar, we can help you find the best computer, at the best possible price, based on your needs and requirements, from a variety of sources.
If you are interested in using our purchase assistance service, please contact us. We charge a flat, transparent $80 +GST fee and therefore have no profit motive, brand bias, or pressure to clear out old stock in the machine we find for you—it’s a win-win.
6. Switch to Linux
There is an alternative to Microsoft Windows that ought to be mentioned. It’s called Linux, and it comes with a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that looks and works remarkably similar to Windows.
The upsides are actually quite a few:
- Linux is more secure. In fact, Apple’s MacOS is essentially a flavour of Linux, which has been lauded for its natural anti-virus design.
- Linux is open source, meaning thousands of developers contribute to finding and closing security holes, which makes it even more robust. It also means one big corporation doesn’t control your choices.
- Linux is free, and some distributions even include an easy-to-use app store where you can quickly find and install free apps.
- Linux can run many native Windows apps via something called WINE (Wine is not an emulator).
- Linux includes complete highly Microsoft Office-compatible office suites such as LibreOffice and OpenOffice, both of which are free.
The downsides for many folks are that:
- It does not look or work identically to Windows, making it more difficult for users who are used to a wide variety of Windows apps, the “C:” drive, and the “Microsoft” way of doing things.
- Users of Linux generally have to find replacements to Windows apps they are used to, and change behaviors to match these apps.
So who would benefit from Linux?
- Users who only surf the internet and check email, and perhaps compose documents or spreadsheets on occasion. We have installed both Chrome and Edge browsers and tested them. We have also installed and tested email (Thunderbird) and the LibreOffice suite. If your needs are basic, Linux can work well.
- Users who need more than basic apps and are willing to learn a new way of doing things, and who aren’t bound to Windows-only features.
If you are interested in breaking free from Microsoft, contact us to discuss this option. We can install Linux on your computer, migrate documents, photos, and email to Linux for you to get you going, for between $160-240 depending on your application and data migration needs. We always image your Windows machine before changing over to Linux, as a means to allow you to revert back to one of our other options above.