Microsoft News – Extended Security Updates

Windows 10 Users Get Good News

Windows has just released good news for those who want to keep Windows 10 a while longer and also for some users who could not upgrade because of a “Compatibility Hold”.

Keeping Windows 10

If you are one of those who never wanted to upgrade to Windows 11 and were happy enough with Windows 10 to keep it, then Microsoft has some good news for you. Microsoft has extended security updates for Windows 10 beyond the official end-of-support date.

Most of you are probably aware that Windows 10 support was scheduled to end on October 14, 2025. Users would lose all technical support, new features, and security updates. If Windows 7 is used as an indicator, we can expect Windows 10 users will continue to run without support long after the deadline.

Extended Security Update (ESU) Program

For the millions of users who wish to continue using Windows 10, Microsoft has introduced the ESU program. It allows both individuals and corporate clients to extend the expiration date of security updates for up to three years. When support ended for Windows 7 Microsoft created ESU to provide an extension for business installation only.  The program covers critical and important security updates only. Technical support beyond the three years will not be available.

Pricing

The ESU program will be available as a yearly subscription for up to three years. Microsoft has not yet released a pricing policy for individual users yet, but if you consider that Education customers will only pay $1 for the first year, $2 for the second and $4 for the third year, I can’t imagine pricing will be drastically different from that. Even if they tripled that, it would only cost $21 for a three-year extension and users can limit their purchase to one, two, or three years.  Business licenses will cost $61 for the first year and double each year after that. Expect the final pricing details to be released in October of this year.

Compatibility Hold Is Ending

Microsoft has also announced it has ended the “Compatibility Hold” on some Windows 10 devices. As far back as November 2011, Microsoft noticed that some PCs would produce a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) when upgraded. They tracked the problem to specific drivers that were incompatible with Intel’s Smart Sound Technology, which Intel used to handle voice interactions with a PC.

Some tech-savvy users managed to identify the issue and manually upgraded the drivers on their own. If you were not aware of the workaround, you have been in a “Compatibility Hold” for over two years.

Updates after April 19^th will include the update to the Intel Driver. This fix only corrects PCs running Intel’s 11th Generation Core Processors. Once you update using the Windows update feature you should see the “This PC doesn’t currently meet the minimum system requirement to run Windows 11” replaced with a notice to update to Windows 11. To see if you are one of the PCs affected, you can check it by entering “System Information” in the Search area of the Taskbar and checking the Processor Value.

Summary

Some users may not be happy paying for an extended upgrade policy when they are already paying for a third-party AV or Antimalware program but while they share certain traits, they don’t share all traits. A robust AV can provide adequate security and if you keep it updated it should mitigate risks, but it may not protect you against Zero-Day Vulnerabilities, Advanced Threats, and “nation-state actors” have learned to bypass AVs. If you feel you practice safe browsing habits and have a good robust AV, you may be able to successfully continue past the end of support day without a problem but if the pricing is reasonable, I recommend the ESU program.

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