Pricing for Windows 10 Updates Post-Expiration in 2025

[ThatPlace928]

First year is not so bad but then it doubles the next year and doubles again the next year. Most of my customers are seniors and will undoubtedly balk at the pricing. Maybe not so much the first year but, after that, I'm sure they will.

"Recently, Microsoft revealed how much it would cost commercial customers to continue to receive security updates for Windows 10 after the support cutoff. Pricing starts at $61 per device for the first year but goes up rapidly after that. It will cost $122 per device to get security updates for a second year and then $244 per device for a third year. Microsoft will share how much it will cost individuals to continue to get security updates for Windows 10, but it's not expected to be cheap."

After over two years, Microsoft will let these PCs upgrade to Windows 11

Microsoft has lifted a compatibility hold that stopped some PCs from upgrading to Windows 11 for over two years.

www.windowscentral.com

 

[britechguy]

This is no shock. MS is trying to finally drive out hardware that can no longer be adequately secured.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I've never seen "home users" go sign up for these.
The extended support is usually subscribed to by...businesses/services with some rather unique computers in production, for example, ATM machines, manufacturing control machines, etc. They'll often already be running "LTSC" versions of Windows...Long Term Service Channel.

 

[ThatPlace928]

I've never seen "home users" go sign up for these.
The extended support is usually subscribed to by...businesses/services with some rather unique computers in production, for example, ATM machines, manufacturing control machines, etc. They'll often already be running "LTSC" versions of Windows...Long Term Service Channel.

That's why I said most of my customers are seniors. I believe some will do it the first year but probably not after that. Most of them are pretty adamant about staying on Windows 10 and don't want 11 at all. So I'm not sure what they will do, if they are forced to upgrade should 10 become unstable down the road.

 

[lan101]

That's why I said most of my customers are seniors. I believe some will do it the first year but probably not after that. Most of them are pretty adamant about staying on Windows 10 and don't want 11 at all. So I'm not sure what they will do, if they are forced to upgrade should 10 become unstable down the road.

By the time 10 is unusable it'll be a win12 or win13 whatever it'll be called...there will probably be plenty of adequate refurb business dell/hp/lenevo units. That's my plan anyway when that time comes. Very few seniors I've ever worked for care anything about updates or security unless something happens to create that issue. As long as the old computer ticks along they're fine until they're not lol.

Sometimes if they get conned into dealing with a scammer they may decide to replace the computer...but I tell them that still doesn't necessarily solve their issue if they let another scammer onto the computer again lol.

I guess that's the 1 plus side about Mac's is the fact it's so difficult to talk someone into remoting in that scammers probably would just give up in most cases trying to deal with it.

 

[Metanis]

25 Euro a year for 0patch. They're still supporting Windows 7! And they are already supporting all the sunset versions of Windows 10. They give away patches for zero-days, but I'd want the better support. https://0patch.com/pricing.html

 

[ThatPlace928]

By the time 10 is unusable it'll be a win12 or win13 whatever it'll be called...there will probably be plenty of adequate refurb business dell/hp/lenevo units. That's my plan anyway when that time comes. Very few seniors I've ever worked for care anything about updates or security unless something happens to create that issue. As long as the old computer ticks along they're fine until they're not lol.

That's pretty much the mind-set of most of my customers. As long as it still works, they could care less. But I do have a few [very few] who do mind.

 

[britechguy]

That's why I said most of my customers are seniors. I believe some will do it the first year but probably not after that. Most of them are pretty adamant about staying on Windows 10 and don't want 11 at all. So I'm not sure what they will do, if they are forced to upgrade should 10 become unstable down the road.

And part of our jobs is to get our clients, and, yes, seniors too, over the idea that they have any choice in the matter when it comes to "what Windows I'll use." I've managed to train mine with the simple, "If Microsoft doesn't support it, I don't support it," mantra.

It is not now, and never has been, about what I (generic I) prefer when it comes to computers. You use what the manufacturers produce and support. We do no one, least of all our clients, any favors by nursing along dead versions of Windows. In this specific case, I haven't had a single client who found the 10 to 11 transition anything other than easy, some almost seamless. It's not a tectonic shift like 7 to 8 was.

 

[ThatPlace928]

And part of our jobs is to get our clients, and, yes, seniors too, over the idea that they have any choice in the matter when it comes to "what Windows I'll use." I've managed to train mine with the simple, "If Microsoft doesn't support it, I don't support it," mantra.

I let my customers choose, always. I can warn them and I can give them the ups and downs of staying with Windows 10 but it's always their choice. I don't force anything on anyone.

 

[britechguy]

@ThatPlace928

In the end, nor do I. I can't make anyone else do anything just because I would really like them to. But I do have a choice regarding whether or not I am their computer tech. And my days of nursing along out-of-support versions of Windows for your typical home user are absolutely, positively over.

There are rare circumstances where I will nurse along ancient hardware and software, mostly in business settings where no functional equivalent has ever been produced or it's "command and control" for machinery that's six figures and up to acquire. But for your average home user or small business user, no. They need to find another tech.

 

[ThatPlace928]

@ThatPlace928

In the end, nor do I. I can't make anyone else do anything just because I would really like them to. But I do have a choice regarding whether or not I am their computer tech. And my days of nursing along out-of-support versions of Windows for your typical home user are absolutely, positively over.

There are rare circumstances where I will nurse along ancient hardware and software, mostly in business settings where no functional equivalent has ever been produced or it's "command and control" for machinery that's six figures and up to acquire. But for your average home user or small business user, no. They need to find another tech.

I totally understand where you're coming from but I have no issue taking care of a client's outdated laptop, until such time that the laptop is truly "gone" and nothing can be done except to upgrade into another one.

 

[frase]

If it is a business environment they would be running 11 by now. Residential is a different story, one can only inform the customer of the issues regarding the outdated operating system. The end support from MS in regards to update & security, as long as one has informed them of the pro vs the cons then it is the consumers choice. If they wish to use the current OS and will not update well same as @britechguy I wont due to if they were hacked, and a lot of finances were lost I would be a target for negligence if the user was an arse. Someone from Facebook wonderland or a guy who knows about computers could assist.

 

[britechguy]

I have no issue taking care of a client's outdated laptop, until such time that the laptop is truly "gone" and nothing can be done except to upgrade into another one.

I was once of the exact same approach as you currently take. The thing that finally changed it for me is that I had far too many clients who would go to extremes, and I mean extremes, to avoid buying a new computer and spend far more than one would have cost doing so. They don't seem to realize that tools are available to "pick up and port" the vast majority of everything they're used to over to a new machine, and at far lower cost. Things like Fabs Autobackup make this a cinch.

I just began to feel both guilty, and like I was wasting my time and their money, avoiding the inevitable. Invariably, so far, they've been pleased when they get a brand spankin' new box and my only job is the "pick up and port" for them.

I hate, hate, hate having to start from scratch, even for myself, and I understand why clients want to avoid it like the plague, too. But most of them have no idea that it's just not necessary to start from scratch again. You may lose a few small things, but the "warm and fuzzy" environment you know and love can be brought right along. When I'm lucky enough to have clients already using M365 it's even easier, as their user data just "automagically" reappears when M365 sets up again.

 

[fincoder]

According to linked article, the pricing is for commercial customers. No mention of volumes required for the $61 per PC price, but there might be. Pricing for individuals will be announced at a later date, for 1-5 devices the pricing might be higher.

I can't see any home users taking it up, they're more likely to just continue with Windows 10 without support for another couple of years.

 

[ThatPlace928]

According to linked article, the pricing is for commercial customers. No mention of volumes required for the $61 per PC price, but there might be. Pricing for individuals will be announced at a later date, for 1-5 devices the pricing might be higher.

I can't see any home users taking it up, they're more likely to just continue with Windows 10 without support for another couple of years.

I didn't see the linked article. But I'm thinking most Windows 10 users are just going to keep going with what they have until they can't. I know some people still on Windows 7.

 

[britechguy]

I know some people still on Windows 7.

As do I. Not many, but a few. And it astounds me, given how cranky a very great many websites are about allowing entry from a machine that's running Win7 has become, that they cling to that rotting corpse of an OS. It's really no longer easy to use Windows 7 as a daily driver, obstacles are everywhere.

 

[ThatPlace928]

As do I. Not many, but a few. And it astounds me, given how cranky a very great many websites are about allowing entry from a machine that's running Win7 has become, that they cling to that rotting corpse of an OS. It's really no longer easy to use Windows 7 as a daily driver, obstacles are everywhere.

Because they never got over their fear of Windows 10. I waited a couple years before I upgraded, myself. But I love 10 now.

 

[GTP]

I didn't see the linked article. But I'm thinking most Windows 10 users are just going to keep going with what they have until they can't. I know some people still on Windows 7.

You can make Windows 11 look like Windows 10 without a lot of effort and without 3rd party apps. I had quite a few older clients who really didn't like the look of Win 11 but after putting the start menu on the left and other tweaks (like making shortcuts to files/folders etc) they were happy with it. After a while and after getting used to it, they actually thought it was better.

 

[britechguy]

Because they never got over their fear of Windows 10.

Which was yet another round of "conspiracy theory" lunacy at its introduction. If I heard, "Windows 10 spies on you!," one more time I was going to scream.

My track record on this is very clear on BleepingComputer.com, where I was a moderator at that time (and I was britechguy there, too). I was not a "day one" adopter of Windows 10, but I knew around 6 months in that it was definitely "ready for primetime" and all my machines that could be updated to it were. I had (still have, actually) a laptop that could not be updated from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

 

[ThatPlace928]

You can make Windows 11 look like Windows 10 without a lot of effort and without 3rd party apps. I had quite a few older clients who really didn't like the look of Win 11 but after putting the start menu on the left and other tweaks (like making shortcuts to files/folders etc) they were happy with it. After a while and after getting used to it, they actually thought it was better.

If appearance was the only issue, we'd be fine. It's mostly those who don't want to give up a perfectly good working PC because theirs won't upgrade.