Hey, Windows 10! Your days are numbered.
On October 14, 2025, the Microsoft Windows 10 operating system will reach its “End of Life.” Microsoft will require all compatible systems to be upgraded to Windows 11 to be supported with hardware and software compatibility, updates, and security patches.
Windows 11 has several new hardware requirements, namely 8th Generation Intel CPUs or equivalent AMD CPUs and motherboards that support UEFI and TPM. End users shouldn’t usually have to concern themselves with this technical jargon because it is generally only a concern for IT Administrators looking for high levels of security in corporate environments. For the regular home user, this TPM/UEFI alphabet soup can best be summed up as extra measures of scrambling stored data on your system so that a would-be thief can’t access your precious files.
In contrast to earlier operating system upgrades, existing desktop hardware can’t be upgraded. The required CPU and motherboard upgrades will also make most of the other internal components obsolete. Only peripherals like monitors, keyboards, mice, and printers remain unaffected. Notebooks not supporting this hardware spec will be entirely obsolete.
Most computers in operation today do not support this new hardware requirement. For example, of the 11 machines in our office, only ONE supports the Windows 11 criteria, but all are running quickly and stably under Windows 10!
In the last couple of years, we have been stricken by the COVID Pandemic. Manufacturing and distribution have encountered crippling interruptions throughout the world. Hardware shortages have caused prices to skyrocket and have impacted availability. In 2022, we’ve also seen embargos levied, causing further disruptions.
Due to Microsoft’s unyielding plan of obsolescence, many homes and small-to-medium-sized businesses will be spending a lot of money to replace perfectly functional computers in the next couple of years. The e-Waste generated by this mass extinction will be staggering!
If you want to know if this affects you, go to the Update & Security window by holding the Windows button W and tapping the letter i.
If you are up to date with your Windows 10, it will already have evaluated your hardware and displayed the appropriate compatibility message on the top right corner of the window.
Remember… If you need to upgrade your PC, all your applications will have to be reinstalled, and data will need to be migrated. This will require serial numbers, keys, and any applicable license information.
It goes without saying; LANTEX Ltd will be more than happy to help you through this process.