The easy answer is to upgrade to Windows 11, but what if you’re able to’t upgrade?
Is sticking with Windows 10 the answer?
Why Would People Throw Away a Windows 10 PC?
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Canalysposted a report on the state of Windows 10 PCs in December 2023.
But why would people throw away perfectly good machines running Windows 10?
When this comes around, Windows 10 will stop receiving any updates from Microsoft.
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This isn’t just new features and bug fixes; it includes security patches too.
This, in itself, will drive people to get off Windows 10 and upgrade to Windows 11.
Unfortunately, upgrading to Windows 11 isn’t possible for everyone.
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If you open Windows Update, it will tell you whether or not you might upgrade to Windows 11.
Pay for Windows 10 Support
While not ideal, you canpay for additional Windows 10 support time.
Microsoft will then publish security patches for severe exploits.
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Bypass Windows 11’s System Requirements
Alternatively, you canbypass Windows 11’s system requirements.
This skips Windows 11’s hardware checks and allows you to install it on any PC you like.
This solution is also unideal, as Microsoft assumes that all PCs running Windows 11 meet the system requirements.
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However, it’s still arguably safer than using Windows 10 past the end-of-life date.
Best of all, there are plenty oflightweight Linux distros that run on old PCs.
If picking a Linux distro isn’t ideal, you cantry ChromeOS Flex.
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This is similar to turning your PC into a Chromebook running ChromeOS, with a few differences.
We’ve covered these options in more detail in our guide toreviving an old PC without Windows.
Check outunique creative projects to reuse an old PCfor more information.
