Ways to get rid of older computers.

[Diggs]

Maybe MS will change W10 EOL date...

I thought with enough consumer and corporate outrage that 200+ million perfectly good PCs are going into ewaste the date will change. But what do I know.......

 

[HCHTech]

The ESU program will let consumers pay $30 ($61 for businesses) to get a one-year extension on updates to Windows 10 after 10/14/25. A fact I am not telling my customers about - haha.

 

[britechguy]

The ESU program will let consumers pay $30 ($61 for businesses) to get a one-year extension on updates to Windows 10 after 10/14/25. A fact I am not telling my customers about - haha.

A very good decision on your part. There are relatively rare exceptions where ESU programs serve a purpose. Businesses, particularly small businesses, have conflicting priorities and may need to handle something prior to dropping Windows 10, but I've never met a home user that does except for sheer recalcitrance.

That band-aid's gonna have to be ripped off, and ESU only postpones the inevitable. Unless there's very good reason to do so, you don't.

I have no compunction at all about forcing hands "for the client's own good" these days. It causes way less misery than the alternative.

 

[frase]

Who said they won't run? Microsoft?
Use rufus to prep the USB and it'll go.

Like selling a pet rock and asking it to talk.

 

[Nossy Drelich]

I thought with enough consumer and corporate outrage that 200+ million perfectly good PCs are going into ewaste the date will change. But what do I know.......

I ought to open an ewaste recycling comoany when that happens.

 

[Sky-Knight]

I thought with enough consumer and corporate outrage that 200+ million perfectly good PCs are going into ewaste the date will change. But what do I know.......

It will not change, because the security upgrades are required to stem the ID theft flood, along with other things. We simply cannot trust a machine that lacks TPM anymore. Malware is too rampant, and there is no other tool to detect it on a main board level.

It's part of big tech's modern day equivalent of "red scare" which... isn't entirely unwarranted honestly.

Of course... if Microsoft would boot everyone out of the kernel?!? Oh... that's right... next year... AND Win11 only.

 

[carmen617]

A very good decision on your part. There are relatively rare exceptions where ESU programs serve a purpose. Businesses, particularly small businesses, have conflicting priorities and may need to handle something prior to dropping Windows 10, but I've never met a home user that does except for sheer recalcitrance.

That band-aid's gonna have to be ripped off, and ESU only postpones the inevitable. Unless there's very good reason to do so, you don't.

I have no compunction at all about forcing hands "for the client's own good" these days. It causes way less misery than the alternative.

I'm telling my clients about it - it's a matter of trust. They come to me for recommendations, and my recommendation is to replace their Windows 10 systems with new Windows 11 systems. As a matter of fact, I recommend they do it before April or so this year, because I think there is going to be a computer shortage once the news starts drumming in the EOL deadline and people really start to realize they HAVE to get new computers.

However, I have many clients with multiple computers in their homes, systems I've maintained over the years - they can buy new computers as their "main" computer, but keep the old desktop in the office for another year with the ESU program. I also have, for example, some small home office businesses with one older computer dedicated to running a legacy version of Quickbooks. and an owner who is about to retire. Another 18 months is plenty to get those guys to the finish line without having to spend several thousand more dollars and learn a new system. Hell, it's probably enough to get ME to the finish line and then it's someone else's problem.

What I won't do any more is upgrade a Windows 10 system with an SSD - a bread and butter operation for the last 5 or so years. Or, pretty much, do any other hardware fix on a Windows 10 system that can't be upgraded to Windows 11. Instead, I just tell them to get a new computer and make my bread and butter on the migration.

 

[lan101]

I'm telling my clients about it - it's a matter of trust. They come to me for recommendations, and my recommendation is to replace their Windows 10 systems with new Windows 11 systems. As a matter of fact, I recommend they do it before April or so this year, because I think there is going to be a computer shortage once the news starts drumming in the EOL deadline and people really start to realize they HAVE to get new computers.

However, I have many clients with multiple computers in their homes, systems I've maintained over the years - they can buy new computers as their "main" computer, but keep the old desktop in the office for another year with the ESU program. I also have, for example, some small home office businesses with one older computer dedicated to running a legacy version of Quickbooks. and an owner who is about to retire. Another 18 months is plenty to get those guys to the finish line without having to spend several thousand more dollars and learn a new system. Hell, it's probably enough to get ME to the finish line and then it's someone else's problem.

What I won't do any more is upgrade a Windows 10 system with an SSD - a bread and butter operation for the last 5 or so years. Or, pretty much, do any other hardware fix on a Windows 10 system that can't be upgraded to Windows 11. Instead, I just tell them to get a new computer and make my bread and butter on the migration.

I just upgraded an ancient dell last week running windows 10 with a crappy spinner drive. Cloned to SSD. Sole purpose is to keep their quickbooks 2012 alive and running. That's really all it's gonna be used for. I have no issue with that really. Quickbooks at this rate is pure extortion for a super small business not needing payroll etc. And yeah no one wants a new system accounting program to learn lol.