What Happened? Windows 10 Is Gone? New Windows 11

The same thing that has happened since November 1985. Windows has evolved enough that it needs to be renamed. The original Windows 1 was released in November 1985 and was Microsoft's first true attempt at a graphical user interface in 16-bit.

Interesting, I wonder if it too will be free and if not how long will support continue for Windows 10.

Because it comes on a PC doesn't make it free.

Microsoft has announced it is ending support for Windows 10 on October 14th, 2025

11 has been released on the dev chanel for testing, windows 10 is comming to its end it was released in 2015

Windows 10 support will end October 2025.

This is according to Newsday, a pay site.

dobs108

Windows 10 was free to upgrade existing systems, unlike it predecessors where you had to buy an upgrade to go from 3.1, 95, 98, ME, XP, ect. etc, etc.

Windows 11 is expected to release to the public this October, available as a free upgrade to all Windows 10 devices, similar to other past Windows updates. https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-11-download#:~:text=j...

The first leaked Windows 11 OS with build 21996.1 . https://www.androidsage.com/2021/06/16/download-windows-11-i...

https://www.androidsage.com/2021/06/17/how-to-install-window...

Except for one computer, a Lenovo laptop my wife has, I have never paid for any version, and on multiple PC’s that had originally been supplied with some form of Windows. I have progressed from 3.1 (around 1986) on a Toshiba laptop through a Compaq desktop that originally came with Me and was upgraded to XP before I trashed it. In the case of my wife’s Lenovo laptop she was allowed to keep a “business” laptop when she retired but the drive was wiped before it was turned over to her, hence I bought a legitimate copy of Win 7, later updated that to Win 10.

... guess I wasn't savvy enough jump up the line for free, I paid for every upgrade I had except Windows 10. One version I even had to upgrade some of the hardware because what I had wasn't enough for the newer OS.

So for me, and countless others, wondering if Windows 11 will be free is a legit question.

See rival macOS also offering free annual upgrades, it seems highly unlikely that Microsoft will go back to charging a one-off upgrade fee for Windows. However, the company may well limit free upgrades to Windows 10 users..

One caveat, the source states likely free for those running Windows 10. So if you are running Windows 7 or 8, perhaps it best to explore the “backdoor” options the link mentions to move from 7/8 to 10.

Windows 11 is expected to release to the public this October, available as a free upgrade to all Windows 10 devices, similar to other past Windows updates. Those who wish to stick with Windows 10 will be able to do so, while a second branch of Windows 10 is likely to support enterprises unwilling to upgrade to the new version immediately. We also expected Windows 11 to be available for standalone purchase, as with all past versions of Microsoft operating systems.. https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-11-download#:~:text=j...

To get rid of windows and go to linux

I've used various versions of Windows for over 20 years. Never had any major issues. Probably the worst thing to happen was there was a golf game from 2003 I used to play and when Windows 10 came out it would freeze up on occasion.

That's it. No update nightmares, no other headaches that some other people seem to go through. It's been a solid operating system for me for years. Not sure why but I must be doing something right. I'm happy with Windows 10, and I look forward to W11 when it becomes available.

Right now I don't update until 210 days after it is released to the public. May wait longer for Win11.

I wonder if they'll offer a Windows 95 theme.

https://www.pcgamer.com/windows-95-theme-for-windows-10/

What’s magic about 210 days?

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3621649/microsofts-pla...

Ahhh... Remember the joys of Vista? It was truly horrible. I never liked Windows 8 at all. Hopefully they will do better with this release. They did a really good job a couple of times though. DOS 6.22 was great!

Today I talked to someone at a computer services company who is testing Windows 11. He said it will be a while before it is released and it does not offer a whole lot more than Windows 10.

“Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we’re all still working on Windows 10,” said Microsoft dev Jerry Nixon [in 2015], speaking at the Ignite conference.
https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/microsoft-says-windows-1...

I heard a rumor that Windows 11 will just be Microsoft Bob reborn:
https://www.howtogeek.com/687748/why-i-loved-microsoft-bob-m...

Once W11 is released there will only be "support" updates to W10 till 2025. There will be no "feature" updates.

I hope Windows 11 incorporates some features from Windows 10X, like containers. It would be great to suspend apps/games to disk, just like Quick Resume on Xbox Series X.

You can do suspend (different from minimizing or window switching) apps/games now on Windows 10 (through Resource Monitor), but it keeps them in memory, instead of freeing memory and writing to disk.

But I’m not counting on it.

Well that's a totally negative article. Having lived with Windows for many years, both on a personnel basis and a Corporate basis, the article seems very negatively biased.

For those running Win 7, 8 or 8.1 and considering upgrading to Win 10, it most cases it can still be accomplished for free. The procedure is outlined at https://www.techsupportall.com/upgrade-windows-7-to-windows-....

Note that the procedure suggests checking off “Keep personal files and apps” when presented with that option. In my business I’ve upgraded about 50 PC’s and this option works very well. It avoids for the most part having to reinstall all your apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TurboTax, GE, etc. If you chose to do a clean install, your drive is formatted prior to installation.

The process can take an hour more or less so be patient!

You kind of have 2 choices...

PC and Windows

Mac and IOS

I'm not sure how many spend the time to learn a different language / program to run on a PC....

I know barely more than nothing of the Mac world but with PC hardware for years I've run Windows and Ubuntu with dual boot. Granted, I do pay the "Windows tax" when I buy the PC. Ubuntu just works for most things and when I must use Windows for e.g. Turbotax I have it available.

Previously in this thread there was mention of Windows being "free". When a PC is first sold by the manufacturer, they have paid for a license from Microsoft and the cost is passed to the PC buyer. That is what I snarkily called the "Windows tax". Windows may not be a line-item charge but Windows is decidedly not free.

I totally agree. It was so snarky that I stopped reading about half way through.

Phil

I am the one who asked if Windows 11 would be free, and I clarified it in a later post. The Windows 10 upgrade from a previous version of Windows was free, whereas in the past to upgrade you had to purchase the new upgrade.

For instance if I had Windows 95 and wanted to upgrade to Windows 98 I had to pay for an upgrade to 98. I forget if I had Windows 7 or 8 but the upgrade to Windows 10 did not cost me a dime like in the past from one version to another, so yes, in that respect it was free.

I did not mean because it came on a new PC.

I did years ago. I only keep Winbloat for my tax program, and one or two others.

https://www.tomshardware.com/features/windows-11-everything-...

And here's the new support:

https://tinyurl.com/5c4naz2e

If you order right now..

http://edt.computerworld.com/c/1V5CIebWE6zKK1Ld9gJCWPTkTFE

It is official now. Microsoft to release revamped Widows 11 later this year. Free update for Windows 10 users. Found this information posted in the business section of the newspaper this morning. More info at https://www.thewindowsclub.com/windows-11-release-date-price...

Really like this comment, users will be able to use Android apps on Windows 11, and this is going to be made possible by Amazon’s App Store. During their special event, they unveiled the surprise that Android apps will now be downloadable via the Microsoft Store that will come with Windows 11.

If you haven't updated to Windows 10 yet, you can still take advantage of a trick for downloading Windows 10 free that still works. Now would be a good time to make the switch to prepare your machine for the Windows 11 upgrade. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-download-windows-10-for-f...

disable all so-called "updates" to Win 10 and use it as long as you wish. But Win 10 will not allow you to block all updates, you have to use a special program: StopUpdates10 by Greatis Software [freeware].

Just sayin...

Microsoft offers a download called PC Health Check which will let PC users know if their PC is capable of running Win 11. I gather from some reading today that many even recent PCs may have hardware limitations preventing or at least recommending not to install Win 11 on the device.

A positive response from the program states that Win 11 can be installed when available and will be a free upgrade.

Windows 10 is still here! The future version will be called Windows 11, and version 10 still has years of life left. There will likely be a free upgrade path, similar to 8 --> 10. (There was no Windows 9.)

As a few others have stated, support for Win 10 ends in October 2025. Not sure if you consider that “years of life”.

I Consider 4 to be "years of life"
But the real question is: what "old" hardware will be supported. The drivers are always a key element when things don't work with new operating systems.

For example my Lenovo T420 was performing nicely until the latest W10 updates began to slow things down.

So does it really matter if the W10 life is another 4 years? Older systems will probably puke on W11, if not on future updates of W10.

Remember the thread here recently talking about 5yr Chrome books?
Hardware evolves, that's how they make money, doesn't matter if it's MS, Apple, or Google stuff anymore. Hardware will need to be dumped sooner than it was 10 years ago. It's disposable.

Ran the PC Health program noted on my link. My HP Laptop meets all the requirements needed to install Windows 11 and Microsoft will let you know when it is ready to install. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/windows-11-use-microsofts-pc-hea...

without exaggeration, the test takes no more than one second to run.

Phil

News that I read today is that Windows 11 will require the PC to have a TPM (Trusted Platform Module, at least version 2) which is hardware that is either present on the PC now or possibly can be added. It could be that the very quick response from the PC Health program just checks for processor, memory, TPM, etc.

More recently presented states that the PC Health program sometimes reports incorrect current Windows 10 status and may be flawed in its Win 11 potential installation assessment.

How to Check if your PC/Laptop has TPM (Trusted Platform Module) 2.0 or 1.2 for Windows 11? https://www.dealntech.com/check-pc-laptop-tpm-windows-11/ .My check on HP Laptop shows 2.0. So some good news.

Bring up the Run command and execute TPM.MSC

Another way is to run the PC Health Check and click the "learn more" button. The resulting report will show the TPM version that's installed.

Phil

As usual you're the man with the plan, ran the program on my PC & laptop and they are both compatible and ready for Windows 11.

(direct link to the program: https://aka.ms/GetPCHealthCheckApp)

Of my 4 Windows 10 PC's, the two newest ones (both laptops, a 2019 Alienware and 2020 ASUS Zenbook) check out OK. The two older ones (a 2009 ASUS ROG laptop and a 2015 CyberpowerPC desktop) are not compatible. I was not surprised about the Asus ROG laptop which originally came with Vista, but thought the desktop that came with Windows 10 might be eligible ... no such luck tho.

Before complaining about the trouble of going through an update check if there are any benefits for you. I'm not considering any update on a laptop used just to read news and send email.

I ran the TPM.MSC check for my two identical PCs. It showed no TPM. A check of the BIOS did not have a choice for enabling the TPM.

A check of the motherboard manual and the BIOS manual showed that there is a 20-pin TPM connector on the motherboard. When you plug in the TPM, the enable/disable choice appears in the BIOS menu.

All I need is the TPM module, a $10- part, except it sold out everywhere in the last week, on the news that this is required for Windows 11. A Google search revealed many available on Ebay for $60- to $100-.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/tpm-modules-unobtainable-e...

More than one article said that today, the TPM is usually used only for laptops or enterprise PCs.

One week ago I thought that in introducing Windows 11, Microsoft is in cahoots with the PC makers. Now I am sure of it!

dobs108

Just a means for Hardware makers to require users to purchase new machines since the hardware sales have flattened off over the last 3 years..

Ain't it grand?

Found another way to verify TPM version.

Confirm TPM 2.0 with Device Manager
To check if a TPM chip is present and enabled with Device Manager, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search for Device Manager and click the top result to open the app.
Expand the Security devices branch.
Confirm the Trusted Platform Module 2.0 entry exists.