The End Of Windows 10, What Do I Do Now?

by Gray Graham

You have about a week before Microsoft ends support for Windows 10 in the United States and most of the world. A lot of people are wondering what to do so I thought I would add my voice to all the extensive voices out there.

The first thing to do is stay calm. It really is going to be alright. This probably isn’t the first time this has happened in your life and if you live long enough it will not be the last. You survived those times and you will survive this one too.

So you are probably wondering what is going on? I know there is a lot of information out there across the internet and most of it contradicts each other. To put it simply Microsoft has a policy of supporting an operating system for 10 years. The reason that is important is because an operating system is what you think of as your computer. All your programs like your browser and games work through the operating system. Without the operating system your computer will not work.

Okay so now you want to know what does end of support mean. Basically it means that Microsoft will no longer give you updates to your system or give you new (malware, bloatware, and irritations) features. That doesn’t sound bad (it actually sounds good) but the problem is that they won’t give you security updates.

Think of security updates as a force field around your computer that protects it from invaders. When invaders come up with a new way to attack your force field, Microsoft comes up with a way to protect against that new weapon.  Now imagine this happens over and over again. 

Without security updates your computer is pretty much easy prey as soon as you connect to the internet.  Your computer and all it’s data: bank accounts, personal records, medical information, etc are at risk of being stolen.

Sounds scary right? Only if you believe that there are a bunch of trolls and goblins waiting to pouch on your defenseless computer on October 14, 2025. Are there a bunch of monsters waiting to terrorize you on October 14, I and nobody else really knows. If computer experts are being honest people are attacking your computer, phone, and every other electronic device you have all the time so it really isn’t anything new.

Okay so you are probably still wondering what do I do about my computer? Now I am not going to tell you what to do about your Windows 10 computer because I don’t want to be sued (I am joking, well mostly) but I will tell you what not to do. Do not under any circumstances go out and buy a new computer. You probably see this option brought up first in any Windows 10 discussion, especially from major media outlets. 

Unless you were planning to buy a new computer at the end of 2025 don’t go out and buy one now. You have plenty of options to keep using the computer you have now. Explore them and see which one might work for you. I think you are smart and you can figure this thing out. There are a lot of good options out there for you and they won’t cost you a dime (well dollar today).

See your computer is not Windows 10. Your computer runs Windows 10. There are other operating systems that your computer probably can run too so please understand you have options and you are not at the end of the road yet.

Because you might have noticed that Windows 10 support is not actually ending on October 14 depending on where you are in the world and what your situation is. At the end of the day you could be running another operating system and then your software support would only last a couple of years at most but you didn’t hear it from me.

So take your time, think it through, and make a decision that is right for you.