MICROSOFT WILL STOP
PROVIDING SUPPPORT
FOR WINDOWS 10
ON
14TH OCTOBER 2025

Heavy headline right… But what does this mean for your organisation? Could this be yet another attempt to force you into upgrading existing PC/Laptop hardware?

The headline means that, after this date, Windows 10 will no longer receive free security patches, feature updates and technical support from Microsoft, which are key services currently provided almost every Tuesday evening.


What does this mean for me the morning of Wednesday 15th Oct?

For those of you who remember the ‘millennium bug’, this will not be that bad. Your Windows 10 PC/Laptop will still work.

However, your device will be at a much greater risk of cyber-attack, viruses and malware. 3rd party Anti-Virus applications may buy you some time, however your line of business (LoB) software partners, e.g. Sage, will more than likely state they are unable to support their app(s) where they reside on older operating system (O/S) technology.


If you plan ahead, this does not need to be a huge issue.

The Microsoft compatibility checker may display the words “you cannot upgrade your Windows 10 PC to Windows 11”, but there are some well-documented ways to bypass this restriction. I have encountered cases where a simple 27-second Windows registry change has allowed the free Windows 11 upgrade to be performed seamlessly.

Unfortunately, there will be instances where your hardware is limited and therefore prohibited from upgrading past Windows 10 (i.e. to Windows 11). In this case, you will need to invest in newer IT hardware to run Windows 11 and beyond.

For the hardware that is eligible for the free Windows 11 upgrade, please do ensure you allow enough time (90-120 minutes per device on a good grade connection) to download and install the update. We recommended you do this outside of normal business operational hours.

In either case, something we are proud to offer at eoCiTO is an initial audit to discover and highlight any Windows 10 endpoints you may have in your IT environment, then report on whether you will need to purchase new hardware. This will, in part, be aimed at focusing on improving your overall IT security posture.



Joey Berry.
Head of Cybersecurity





More information can be found here on our website and via our LinkedIn profile, for queries please email info@eocito.com

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