Microsoft starts killing Windows 10, leaving millions of otherwise perfectly-capable computers out of support

[videogamesm12]

For the past few years, Microsoft has done everything they can to push people to use the ever-so-invasive and user-hostile Windows 11 and sell new licenses like candy for a profit.

The plan was set in mid-2021 with the introduction of completely arbitrary system requirements (including TPM 2.0, 4 GB of RAM, UEFI with Secure Boot, and a CPU from 2017 or newer) in development builds of Windows 11. The setup program actively blocks attempts to install Windows 11 on computers that don't meet these requirements with a message simply saying "this system can't run Windows 11", but going forward with the installation anyways using registry-related bypasses shows that is a load of bullshit. To further "encourage" people to use the latest version of Windows on the latest and greatest hardware without actually putting effort into features that the average user would actually want on their computer, they put in a pretty abrupt deadline for the end of support for Windows 10, its predecessor - October 14, 2025.

Despite Microsoft's attempts, however, there has been a considerable hesitation amongst consumers to move to Windows 11. Statistics show that Windows 10 is still the second most used Windows desktop operating system with a considerable market share of ~40% worldwide as of September 2025, and it was only in July 2025 that Windows 11 became the #1 most used version of Windows. When compared to how long it took in previous cases, this is unprecedented. Whether it be the arbitrary system requirements holding them back or an intentional hesitation to move, I have absolutely no idea.

How the fuck did Windows 7 go up?​

As a result of Microsoft's tomfuckery, millions if not billions of computers around the world that are otherwise perfectly capable of running Windows 11 despite their claims will be out of luck and out of support, making them effectively useless e-waste as time goes by. So much for that "eco-friendly" image they're trying to paint themselves with. I have an HP desktop in my room that is old enough to natively run Windows XP and yet new enough to run the latest versions of Windows 10 perfectly, and yet according to Microsoft it's effectively obsolete. Most computers (even gaming computers) from back then are more than capable of running the OS smoothly, but Microsoft thinks otherwise. What a fucking joke.

This message is so unbelievably condescending, it treats you like a fucking child. This is what Microsoft really thinks about you.​

If you have a computer that Microsoft thinks isn't capable of running Windows 11 or are still running a consumer version of Windows 10 and vehemently refuse to move, now is the time to consider your options. Here's a breakdown:

• Microsoft is offering an extra year of security updates for regular consumers. All you have to do is give them either your money or your data. Thanks, you greedy assholes!
  
  
• Certain enterprise-grade versions of Windows 10 will continue to get security updates until (at the very most) January 2032. However, I can't guarantee that programs will continue to support the operating system even while running its still-supported versions.
  
  
• If you want to use Windows 11 anyways, there are ways to bypass the stupid requirements Microsoft likes to shove down your throat using registry tweaks during the setup process. This isn't guaranteed to work if you have a sufficiently old enough CPU, but for more recent computers it'll work fine.
  
  
• With all the bullshit Microsoft has been shoving down your throat with Windows 11, their AI nonsense, and its increasingly user-hostile choices, Linux has been advancing greatly and people have been looking into it as an alternative. For gaming it has been exceptional, and most games that don't have client-side/kernel-level DRM run extremely well on it. For beginners, I personally recommend using Linux Mint, as it helps familiarize you with the environment.

Recognize and resist.

 

[Deauthorized]

I use a Mac

 

[Telesphoreo]

From Microsoft's view, the Windows 11 requirements aren't random. TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are baseline protections against modern threats like ransomware and firmware attacks. Supporting every 8-10 year old CPU and BIOS setup would make the OS fragmented and insecure. The goal isn't to be condescending, and by no means are you forced to buy new hardware. As for the cutoff date for Windows 10, operating systems can't be supported forever. Windows 7 had over 10 years of updates, Windows 10 will have had the same. That’s already far longer than most hardware cycles. Mac OS versions only get three years of updates before being discontinued. Windows 7 marketshare is likely not up. It's most likely bots with spoofed user agent strings. Scrapers are getting increasingly harder to detect and stop and Statcounter isn't exactly a reliable method of detection. I wouldn't read into it. The biggest driver of ewaste isn't Microsoft, it's hardware manufacturers and consumer culture. People upgrade their computers long before Windows support actually becomes a barrier. It's not Microsoft's fault that most PC's sold are pure junk. And for machines that can't officially upgrade, bypasses and lightweight Linux distros exist. Despite what you seem to think because Microsoft says so, no computer is instantly "trash" unless the user decides to throw it away. Even though Microsoft's business model is clearly about profit, if the choice is between supporting every configuration forever (and dragging the OS down) versus moving the ecosystem forward at the cost of leaving some hardware behind, it makes sense why Microsoft went with the latter.

 

[Tizz]

Businesses not running Enterprise editions that need to be in compliance of GDPR / NIS2 / CSAwhatever have to either switch to 11 or pay for the extended support of 10. This most likely impacts the current market shares.

An interesting thing that I've found out at my work is that the setup won't complain about the hardware specs if you boot from the installation media on a clean PC while the PC Health thing would tell you the CPU is too old.

Another thing that I've noticed is that the reminders have stopped popping up on our displays for months, which is strange. Maybe it's happening only in the EU. I've read, but couldn't check the sources, that a recent deal allows users of 10 to get free security updates without having to enable cloud backups. Not sure what's it about as I'm out of the loop about new ways to get extended security updates.

Windows 7 had over 10 years of updates, Windows 10 will have had the same.

I recall the thing with XP, Vista etc. is that they announced the end of support when the market share was already low enough, which hasn't happened with 10 yet, making it a first.