You face it constantly
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Transcript
(A pre-written script that I riffed from while recording the video.)
You already know risk is everywhere. Just getting out of bed, or staying in bed involves risk of some sort.
And of course, using technology involves some risk. Using our computer might not involve the physical or health risks associated with getting out of bed, or staying there, it does involve risks associated with privacy, security, and theft.
The end of Windows 10 support is the latest situation forcing us to think about risk.
Windows 10 and risk
Every decision is about managing risk, and there are no perfect answers. I’ve written before that there’s no such thing as “safe”, for example. You can more safe, you can be less safe, but you cannot be absolutely safe.
Everything involves risk. Risk management is about being safer, or as safe as you can pragmatically be.
Windows 10’s end of support is a great opportunity to examine risk, but this kind of thinking is important in the way you manage any technology — and perhaps life itself..
At Windows 10’s end of service, you have four main options, each with its own risks and trade-offs.
1. Do Nothing
Maybe you don’t like Windows 11, maybe your machine can’t handle it, but one very important option to understand is to simply do nothing: keep running Windows 10 after the end of support date.
The risk is that security vulnerabilities be discovered and not patched, AND, your security software might not protect you quickly enough, or at all. (This isn’t about security software not being updated, most will be including Windows Security. It’s about those updates arriving soon enough, or the vulnerability being something that security software can even protect against. Remember, security software itself is never perfect.)
2. Upgrade to Windows 11
If your existing machine supports it, you could upgrade to Windows 11.
The risks include not being able to acclimate yourself to the user interface changes, and that some of the programs you rely on may also have changed in ways that prevent you from using them as before. There’s also a small chance that software you run in Windows 10 might not run in Windows 11.
3. Get New PC for Windows 11
If your existing computer can’t run Windows 11, then one option is to get a replacement,
Risks seem less risky, but no less annoying:
- Spending money on new hardware.
- Dealing with your old machine (recycle, donate, repurpose).
- You might still face the same compatibility and learning curve issues as upgrading.
4. Linux
Finally, you could ditch Windows completely and switch to Linux. It should run just fine on your existing Windows 10 machine.
The risks here are, once again, primarly around getting used to the new interface.
- Linux is similar, but different enough to be a learning curve.
- You’ll need to find Linux versions or alternatives to your favorite apps. One risk is that you may not be able to.
- Linux security is strong, but different — and you’ll need to learn a few new habits.
The controversy
Not everyone agrees with the risk assessments of others.
For example, in my opinion you can keep on using Windows 10 safely after its end of support date if you follow best practices, and make sure your security software is running and its database is being updated regularly.
- This is what people who’ve disabled Windows Update in Windows 10 have been doing already, sometimes for years.
- This is what many people did at Windows 7’s end of support. In fact some still run Windows 7.
- This is what many people did at Windows XP’s end of supprt. There may even be a few of those still running.
Not everyone agrees. Some believe a major, dangerous vulnerability will surface after support ends — and hackers will jump on it fast, putting all the out of support Windows 10 installations at unacceptible risk.
My take is that while it’s certainly possible, our experience to date says it’s extremely unlikely.
Do this
There’s just no 100% risk-free path. There’s no such thing as “safe”. You need to choose the amount of risk you’re willing to live with, and make decisions for yourself accordingly.
The good news here, is that regardless of your choice, good security practices and smart decisions make it possible to stay safe.
Where are you on the risk-meter? Let me know below!
Staying in bed is a good example. It’s safer than going out, but your roof can fall, or your house can catch fire.
And, staying in bed is terrible for your health, in medium to long run…
I found the article informative, a little confusing for me but most technology subjects are. I have never heard of Linux and will need to go to a tech store to check it out and take my current laptop with me to have them see if it an option. I was wondering if I can keep my old laptop and just have the new hardware installed, asked about it and was told it would be more expensive than purchasing a new laptop with new hardware, bummer. I currently use Lenovo products but would be interested in what others have to say about the article, options and opinions on which products they believe would be a good option for the ones listed above. Thank you for helping those of us who are not more tech savvy than searching or emailing and heavy cancer research, current Windows 10 has been sufficient but would like ability to do a little more.
Virginia Thomas, please see my post below. It was meant to respond to your post here,
Ernie
I’m glad you mentioned the fact that people are still happily and (in some cases, relatively safely) running older versions of Windows.
Safe practices and keeping virus protection/malware protection software updated can go a long way to keeping yourself safe. My wife still has Win7 and an old version of Office on her PC. The only time there’s been a malware problem is down to the cat. It was in her lap when she accidentally landed on a site that started madly popping “Click Here” boxes all over the screen. As she went to close the browser (she’s been well taught), the cat, fascinated by all the on-screen activity, leapt onto the keyboard to get a closer look. And must have landed on the Y key. What a mess. But all in all, it took me less time to clean up her computer than we’d have lost to constant updates during the computer’s life, so I call it a win.
We just need better-trained cats.
The single biggest risk to security, IMO, isn’t clever hackers sneaking into your computer somehow (though it does happen). It’s the person (or pet) at the keyboard who’s willing to click on anything that presents itself. A bit of thought and a healthy dollop of suspicion will take you a long way down the road to computer safety.
Thanks again for all the good advice, every time.
When all else fails, blame it on the cat.
As Leo says, you can safely continue to use Windows 10 for quite some time, perhaps for several years after it reaches End Of life on October 25, 2025 (IIRC). On the other hand, you can switch to a GNU/Linux distribution. The term “Linux” refers to that collection of Operating Systems that use the Linux kernel as their core. They are called distributions, because they all use some version of the Linux kernel as well as various versions of many of the same applications. The differences between distributions involve how ‘friendly’ they are for users new to the Linux world, how well they support older hardware, and how they present themselves (their graphical user interface/user experience features/desktop environment).
One option you may want to try is Q4OS, because it can be installed from within Windows, just like you would install any application, to see if Linux could be for you. This way, if you decide Linux isn’t for you after trying to use it for a while, you can ‘uninstall’ it the same way you would any program. On the other hand, if you decide you like Linux, and want to install it permanently, replacing Windows, I’d suggest you try Linux Mint, or Linux Lite.
For these, you may want to try installing them into a virtual machine program first. Oracle Virtual Box is free for personal use, and it’s easy to learn how to use. After installing Virtual Box, you can download Linux Mint and/or Linux Lite from the Internet. These installers come in the form of an ISO file that you would use in Virtual Box to install the distribution into a virtual machine. You would then run the virtual machine to use the Linux distribution. The main caveat to this method is that the Linux distribution will run significantly slower in the virtual machine than it will when installed to the computer itself, replacing Windows.
If you decide to switch to one of the Linux distributions mentioned above, or you find one that works well for you on your own, you will need to put the ISO image onto a USB stick with at least 8-16GB capacity using a program such as Rufus or Balena Etcher.
I know this is a lot to take in, and what I suggest involves a significant learning curve, but I hope it helps, at least a little,
Ernie
I understand the need to go with another operating system that may be safer than the about to be abandoned Windows 10. An alternate may be safer but only because it is less used, and thus the hackers have fewer chances to gain from pursuing it. This scenario reminds me when Microsoft abandoned the excellent operating system Windows XP.
Most often offered as an alternative to Windows 10 is Linux. I have played with Linux just to see what it offers. For an average user of Windows 10 who mainly relies on surfing the net and maybe do some shopping Linux will do fine. But there are some of us who need more traditional software as part of our daily responsibilities. For me, I have been using Windows based software for personal accounting, investment tracking, income tax returns, planning, communicating, research, writing, art work, and more. Some of this software does show up on Linux in bits and pieces, but far from a satisfactory way. For my needs Linux just would not do. There is not enough user demand on Linux to justify software companies to invest in them at this point. So, that leaves us with two options (note that I did not use the often mistaken word ‘choices’ in this instance) of staying with the loss of support for Windows 10, or buying a new computer that comes with the trivially fluffed up interface to Windows 10 masquerading as Windows 11. Microsoft with its Windows XX options is not exactly a monopoly, but in practical use it is. My options at this point are to stay with Windows 10 or buy a new computer. I resent that.
Hi Leo and team, firstly i follow your articles religiously as I’ve learned so much in the last few years thanks to you guys. My question is: would the risk of using Windows 10 after end of support be minimized if I kept using my NordVPN at all times? Wouldn’t that prevent a lot of security issues or would it help in any way?
Carlo
That would add a level of security as it puts the VPN between you and the internet and encrypts everything between you and them. But I don’t believe it will protect your system from vulnerabilities in Windows 10 itself, which will no longer receive security updates from Microsoft
Short answer: I don’t believe this will aid in any way related to Windows 10’s end of support. You’re still connected to the internet, just via a different point. Everything else remains the same.