11 hours ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Settings - Windows Update - look for advice if compatible with Win11 or option to test. 

 

There's an app called PC HEALTH CHECK.

It tells you if your PC is compatible with WIndows 11.

I just ran it and confirmed that mine is not. 

 

11 hours ago, JakeC said:

@save the frogs Unless your laptop is fifteen years old, you'll be able to upgrade to Windows 11, regardless of the Microsoft marketing drive.

No need to panic in moving to Linux.

@TroubleandGrumpy, the option for another year of support of Windows 10 is free. I don't know how you've missed all the posts and videos of how to obtain the extra year of support.

 

 

I just ran the PC HEALTH CHECK App and got this message:

 

How to obtain an extra year of support for Window 10? Is there another thread on it? 

 

 

19 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Yes I agree it's outrageous but I don't share your optimism that they will reverse it.

I am not betting the house on it either. More hope than plan.

 

I agree with your comment about MSoft drive towards all encompassing one drive. That is their plan - and although people can opt out now, there is no guarantee they will be able to do so in the future. 

 

We use iPhones and iPads - they are all linked together and they all sync using iCloud. The problem was random slow downs and network issues. After doing a bit of research I found that if we disconnect iCloud the phones and pads worked much better. So now we only 'login' when wanting a new App, or to backup the phones/pads, or to update - and then we turn off iCloud again and log out.  But in the future I am sure Apple will force sign-in to use the phones/pads and iCloud will be mandated - for 'security' of course - if they can get away with it.

 

But the real reason MSoft and Apple and Google are moving this way is to be able to sell our collective information.  MSoft and Apple are way behind Google in terms of making money from 'marketing information' and they are desperate to catch up and get their share. 

17 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

As October 2025 got nearer, Windows 11 saw some uptake, then, Microsoft announced the Windows 10 ESU for another year, and what happened, a lot of people dumped Windows 11 and went back to Windows 10, at least for another year. 

 

Last I heard, between Windows 11 and Windows 10, around 52% of PC's were on Windows 11 and around 48% of PC's were on Windows 10. 

 

Microsoft has also been sued because with the advent of AI, they want all Windows users on a PC that can support their operating system's massive spyware.  

 

The legal case will be interesting.  Of course Microsoft have deep pockets, but there may be an injunction that means Microsoft will have to support Windows 10 until the end of the court case, and if that's the case, I hope the plaintiff stalls and stalls.  

 

Another thing the court case does is airs Microsoft's dirty laundry in public.  Documents will have a subpoena in order so they must be produced in court, and their true motives for rendering around 240 million PC's worldwide for incompatible hardware will be known, and it's not going to be a good look for the company. 

Good points - IMO the time is right next year for another company to step up with a new OS for computers, that meets the needs of home users and is easy to install.  How MSoft want it, is that the computer is bought by the person, but the use of it is controlled by MSoft - for their own benefit.  Hopefully the result of the court case will force MSoft to offer the basic home version of their OS with ongoing support and with no mandate to 'join' the MSoft 'environment'. 

@save the frogs So? Nothing to stop you from upgrading anyway, other than your own inability. Most people misunderstand what this is all about. The 'restrictions' are merely 'flags' during installation. You can turn them off and on. If there were an actual requirement, Windows 11 wouldn't work without the requirements, but it does, normally. The 'requirements' are simply a push to get you to fully enter their ecosystem. They like the Apple system and even Google, so are copying it.

 

Yes, there are threads on it. How to do it...what to do if the link to the ESU doesn't appear...

 

Here's a video illustrating for what to look:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERDjeKN1_Es

@TroubleandGrumpy

 

I don't understand why the need for all the drama and speculation. Unless you are one of the masses who doesn't understand anything, none of this will affect you. Others will switch off telemetry and tracking and use a local account. 

Even for the extra year of ESU, you can sign in to a completely random Microsoft account and then sign out again afterwards, not ever to use that account again. ESU will stay. Remember to go into EDGE or whatever afterwards, to disassociate your PC from that account if you wish. ESU will stay.

 

So you can stay with Windows 10 until October '26 or upgrade to Windows 11 even if your device doesn't meet the abitrary requirements and be covered until at least Oct '27. 

20 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Microsoft obviously wants to "persuade" as many windows users as possible to join them in their OneDrive ecosystem.

OneDrive is not compulsory at all. You can use any number of third party file sync environments or go full isolation in tin hat mode if needed.

18 hours ago, bubblegum said:

Win 11 is way better than numeri 10. Bit paranoid if you think they spy on you. Easy to turn that of. Yes, local install is also possible. And I have to agree with the poster about the OP being a bit of n ass because multiple people have already told him what to do. 

As I said I am liking 11 so far. But I had no issue with 10 at all so I doubt I would have ever upgraded without the nudge. Ain't broke -- why fix it. 

33 minutes ago, JakeC said:

@TroubleandGrumpy

 

I don't understand why the need for all the drama and speculation. Unless you are one of the masses who doesn't understand anything, none of this will affect you. Others will switch off telemetry and tracking and use a local account. 

Even for the extra year of ESU, you can sign in to a completely random Microsoft account and then sign out again afterwards, not ever to use that account again. ESU will stay. Remember to go into EDGE or whatever afterwards, to disassociate your PC from that account if you wish. ESU will stay.

 

So you can stay with Windows 10 until October '26 or upgrade to Windows 11 even if your device doesn't meet the abitrary requirements and be covered until at least Oct '27. 

 

30+ years of working in IT&T 

 

 @TroubleandGrumpy Some Australian company? What does that has to do with anything? Did I miss something? 

23 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Well I certainly put it off for a very long time, but I chose to upgrade before the Oct 14 deadline and I also didn't want to bother with going for the one year security extension.

Its been a few days and so far even though there are major user experience differences so a learning curve I must admit that I kind of like it.

I didn't need it, but some of the changes are cool and feel like improvements.

The main reason for my delay as my PC was compatible was to avoid Microsoft services like OneDrive.

I was afraid that would be forced somehow.

I confirmed that I do have a Microsoft account but I was not required to login into it to complete the upgrade and happily OneDrive access was not installed (no prompts for a choice).

I also didn't do anything special to indicate a LOCAL installation.
So here's my question. I recently read it is REQUIRED to both have and login to a Microsoft account to do the upgrade and also that they were closing "loophole" to do local installations.

So I didn't login AND didn't attempt any workaround to do a local installation.

So how did that happen?

Is my Windows 11 installation the real thing with the same security features as if I had logged in to my account?

I did confirm that I both have an account and am not already logged into it.

What kind of installation media did you use?  If you made an installation USB with Rufus you can bypass the requirement for a MS account and it will default to a local account.  With a Rufus installation USB you can bypass the following:

5 minutes ago, connda said:

What kind of installation media did you use?  If you made an installation USB with Rufus you can bypass the requirement for a MS account and it will default to a local account.  With a Rufus installation USB you can bypass the following:

As I said before I didn't do anything special at all. 

From my Windows 10 PC I simply chose upgrade to 11 and did it.

It never asked for my Microsoft account and my account was definitely not already logged onto when I did the upgrade.

 

20 hours ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

I am going to wait and see what happens. I believe that almost 40% of computers have Win10 and a large number of them are not compatible with Win11 (like mine). I think consumer regulation organisations will push for MSoft to be stopped in forcing Users to either buy a new computer or pay a fee for security upgrades.  Whilst they were able to do this for Win7, the reality is that they canned Win7 only 5 years ago, and less than 7% of Users still used that OS. I think they will be forced to either lower their annual fee drastically, or make it free for 5 years - which means it will be 10 years since Win7 was canned (2020). I dont think they will be allowed to force customers to buy a new OS and/or Computer every 5 years. 

Use Rufus to create an installation USB then you can bypass the compatibility checks. I'm running on a non-compatible older Acer laptop and a non-compatible VM.  Used Rufus installation USB to set them up and they work just dandy. 

Instructions:
https://pureinfotech.com/create-windows-11-bootable-usb-unsupported-pc-rufus/

13 minutes ago, JakeC said:

 @TroubleandGrumpy Some Australian company? What does that has to do with anything? Did I miss something? 

You asked "I don't understand why the need for all the drama and speculation"

I stated that because it means I know what I am talking about (mostly) with regards to IT&T issues. MSoft are not doing this for 'real' reasons like security.  I worked for several Global IT&T companies - not FOR MSoft but often WITH MSoft on corporate deals. Sales and Management. 

 

I have an update - found something on Youtube. Seems MSoft has been forced to provide ESU for free in Europe so they are doing the same worldwide - at least for one year anyway.  My hopes have been realised I guess. See my next post.

Check this out - seems MSoft are offering free ESU - at least for one year. It seems it is automatic for those PCs not compatible with Win11 - but this bloke has found a work around that seems to work.

 

We are travelling at the moment - I will give this a try on the broadband network when we get home. Point to note - the OS must be up to date before enrolling in the ESU. Probably a good idea to back it up too - just in case.

 

 

 

20 hours ago, save the frogs said:

 

I haven't checked my laptop specs yet, but I keep getting popups telling to me buy a Window 11 pc.

 

So I'm guessing my laptop isn't compatible with Windows 11.

 

Are you saying you will just stick with Windows 10 and not pay the security fee or whatever they call it? 

And you're not concerned about vulnerabilities to viruses without Windows 10 upgrades?

 

 

You can download an ISO image using the WIndows 11 Media Creation Tool.  I suggest installing Win11 Pro.
https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11

Create an ISO and use the Window 11 ISO with Rufus to make a Win11 Rufus installation USB. 

You can insert the USB and simply launch "Setup.exe" and you'll install in-place and keep all your Windows 10 information and programs. Or you can boot from the USB and do a clean install.

After you complete the installation, go to Lazada or Shopee and buy a cheap Win11 license.  It will set you back about ฿300 THB and change.  And Bob's your uncle! 

8 minutes ago, connda said:

Use Rufus to create an installation USB then you can bypass the compatibility checks. I'm running on a non-compatible older Acer laptop and a non-compatible VM.  Used Rufus installation USB to set them up and they work just dandy. 

Instructions:
https://pureinfotech.com/create-windows-11-bootable-usb-unsupported-pc-rufus/

Thanks - that would work too. But see my latest post above - seems MSoft has relented to the pressure and is giving ESU free for non-compatible PCs. 

 

@TroubleandGrumpy As I wrote earlier, they were providing it for free anyway. I don't understand your reference to non compatible PCs. Even people with compatible PCs can choose to stay on Windows 10. You just have to click on the link to enrol for ESU. No need to do anything else. 

It's the same every time.  A marketing drive to push people in a certain direction. The savvy just ignore it and do what they want to do anyway.

My point being, seeing as you claim that you are 'savvy', why the drama? You can easily mitigate the issues with a little knowledge.

5 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Check this out - seems MSoft are offering free ESU - at least for one year. It seems it is automatic for those PCs not compatible with Win11 - but this bloke has found a work around that seems to work.

 

We are travelling at the moment - I will give this a try on the broadband network when we get home. Point to note - the OS must be up to date before enrolling in the ESU. Probably a good idea to back it up too - just in case.

 

 

 

Personally I suggest to people to just bite the bullet and install it.  Why?  Because Win11 actually runs better than Win10.  It's a more efficient Operating System.  

@connda Why would they need to buy a new licence? It's a free upgrade from 10 to 11. Better to just upgrade what they have now and then buy a key for Pro if they want to transform it to Pro(if it isn't already). Otherwise they might have issues in selecting Pro in the first instance when upgrading.

@TroubleandGrumpy I think perhaps you missed my earlier post. Hence the confusion.

 

 

44 minutes ago, JakeC said:

@TroubleandGrumpy As I wrote earlier, they were providing it for free anyway. I don't understand your reference to non compatible PCs. Even people with compatible PCs can choose to stay on Windows 10. You just have to click on the link to enrol for ESU. No need to do anything else. 

It's the same every time.  A marketing drive to push people in a certain direction. The savvy just ignore it and do what they want to do anyway.

My point being, seeing as you claim that you are 'savvy', why the drama? You can easily mitigate the issues with a little knowledge.

Dear me.

Non compatible obviously means non compatible to get Window 11. 

They were not providing ESU for free before - that has recently changed.

Do as you wish. 

43 minutes ago, connda said:

Personally I suggest to people to just bite the bullet and install it.  Why?  Because Win11 actually runs better than Win10.  It's a more efficient Operating System.  

All good - Win11 is free so up to you.

Not sure it is more efficient - but time will tell.

My PC is not compatible - so I will stay Win10 now updates are free.

12 hours ago, connda said:

You can download an ISO image using the WIndows 11 Media Creation Tool.  I suggest installing Win11 Pro.
https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11

Create an ISO and use the Window 11 ISO with Rufus to make a Win11 Rufus installation USB. 

You can insert the USB and simply launch "Setup.exe" and you'll install in-place and keep all your Windows 10 information and programs. Or you can boot from the USB and do a clean install.

After you complete the installation, go to Lazada or Shopee and buy a cheap Win11 license.  It will set you back about ฿300 THB and change.  And Bob's your uncle! 

 

I just watched this guy's video on Youtube.

He explains how to setup Windows 11 on a machine like mine, which Windows claims is not compatible with Windows 11.

It doesn't require purchasing any license.

But also, he says that if the machine is more than 6 years old (which mine is), it might be better to buy a new one.

So now I am thinking to either stick with Windows 10 or try Linux. 

My computer might be too slow with Windows 11. 

 

Not sure what to do, but thanks for the tips. Appreciate.

 

 

 

12 hours ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Thanks - that would work too. But see my latest post above - seems MSoft has relented to the pressure and is giving ESU free for non-compatible PCs. 

 

 

You're reluctant to upgrade?

FYI - I am just watching this.

This guy claims you don't need to upgrade if you're careful about security. 

 

 

23 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

So now I am thinking to either stick with Windows 10

I posted this before but you may not have seen it. If you want to stay with 10 for the next 7 years or so and get free security updates then consider Win 10 LTSC IOT from here - https://massgrave.dev/windows_ltsc_links 

Just be aware 

Quote

They are not quite the same as the ordinary consumer editions of Windows 10. They don't include the Windows Store or any "modern" apps. Apart from the Edge browser, they have almost nothing else: no OneDrive, no Weather or Contacts apps, and no Windows Mail or whatever it's called this week. For this vulture, all these things sound like significant advantages, although you may disagree. They do include the usual Windows Defender antivirus, though, and the classic accessories such as Notepad and Wordpad.

 

Brought to me originally along with other options from here - https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/22/windows_10_ltsc/

 

On a more recent article one of the commentards mentioned that the in place install worked for him as well.

17 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

You're reluctant to upgrade?

FYI - I am just watching this.

This guy claims you don't need to upgrade if you're careful about security. 

 

 

Thanks mate. Brilliant video - I recommend everyone watch this. I could not have said it better and I agree with everything he says. Plus he claimed the Windows Security software will be updated my MSoft to 2028 and I have checked that to be correct - that problem is now solved.

 

I was not reluctant to upgrade to Win11 - my laptop is not compatible. I know it would probably be accepted and install - but if it does not work well, then trying to roll back to Win10 will be 'problematic'. 

 

My issue was being forced to either pay for ESU or to have to sign-in to MSoft in order to use the laptop if I wanted ESU free. But there has been developments I was not aware of - ESU is now free. 

 

I know MSoft very well - the company - and they are trying to lock everyone into their 'environment' through mandated sign-in and automatic syncing using OneDrive.  MSoft and Greeks (Troy) are the same - you can never trust anything they give away - there is always a catch.  

8 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

But there has been developments I was not aware of - ESU is now free. 

It was announced 2 weeks ago for the EU. However elsewhere I thought you still had to sign in/One Drive or whatever, or has that changed?

11 hours ago, topt said:

I posted this before but you may not have seen it. If you want to stay with 10 for the next 7 years or so and get free security updates

 

But the guy in the video I posted says you don't really need security updates.

In fact, he says a lot of people turn off their security updates because they're more trouble than what they're worth.

A bit over my head ... not sure what to do yet. 

Considering all suggestions. 

 

38 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

 

I just watched this guy's video on Youtube.

He explains how to setup Windows 11 on a machine like mine, which Windows claims is not compatible with Windows 11.

It doesn't require purchasing any license.

But also, he says that if the machine is more than 6 years old (which mine is), it might be better to buy a new one.

So now I am thinking to either stick with Windows 10 or try Linux. 

My computer might be too slow with Windows 11. 

 

Not sure what to do, but thanks for the tips. Appreciate.

 

I think the PC will be too slow - it might work but not work well - and then rolling back could be an issue.  I have waiting for months to see what happens about Win10 and ESUs - and now what I hoped for has happened (ESUs free). I am sticking to Win10 for next year and will wait to see what happens.

 

I think that most people will not buy a new/er PC just to get Win11 - I have not heard of any feature that is worth buying a new PC for and Win10 works great.  I think in one year there will still be millions of home users still using Win10.  MSoft released and then canned Win7 after almost 12 years - and now they want to do the same with Win10 in about 10 years. But this time around, unlike before for Win7 to Win10, most people still using Win10 have to buy a new/er PC to install Win11. Plus the move from Win7 to Win10 was a significant improvement - that aint the same for Win10 to Win11.  I think this is going to drag on for years - and given MSoft has guaranteed security updates for Microsoft Defender on old Win10 machines to 2028 - I think then will be the nexus point.