Panicking about Windows 10 ending!

[Twenty7]

I can’t afford to buy a new pc or laptop (my pc is incompatible with upgrading) Will paying for (weekly food) shopping be unsafe? Is moving to Linux Mint simple to do myself (myself being the least technically savvy person you will ever meet-I hope!) I can’t be the only one…how do we go on. Tell me what you plan to do if you have the same issue please?

Just to add I have the free version of Avast previously I used the paid version but financial restrictions meant I had to stop, same with Microsoft Office. Is the free Avast able to protect me if I don’t have Windows 10 updates? Sorry for the barrage of questions!

They've extended support for another year, having belatedly realised none of us want to give up our Win 10 for a flaky jazzed-up version 🙂

www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-10/windows-10-esu-support-free-updates-cloud-backup

FWIW, I use Malwarebytes. I pay about £20 a year. Their pricing's really, really odd - if you click around the purchase pages, approaching from every angle, you eventually land on a cheap deal for the same product

Maybe MS have locked it down now, but I’ve followed YT videos over a year ago to upgrade supposedly incompatible laptop and PC from W10 to W11.

They’re going fine and do ongoing W11 updates.

Thanks for your replies. Very impressive to have followed YT and upgraded! Not sure, but my pc may be older than your device (2014) but I am absolutely sure that you are a very modest technical wiz!
The malwarebytes tip off much appreciated, surprisingly affordable. Very helpful.
Good to know there is an extra year of support- thanks for sharing this info, hopefully this applies to everyone.
Will try to disentangle myself from the clutches of Microsoft - I heard they are unleashing Windows 11.5 already! Shocking level of greed. I truly hope moving to Linux Mint is simpler than it sounds.

I’ve used the built in MS Defender for years now.
Its fine when you’re conscious of what you’re doing on the internet.

What I’m saying about the YT videos is that W11 does run ( and update ) on hardware that the official MS upgrade checker would say is not compatible.

I also run Redhat Fedora Workstation, a Linux variant, and for general use like web browsing , YouTube, music and even Office applications, that’s fine too ( and free )

I see. Thanks for clarifying.

You can carry on using Win10 for as long as you like. It wont suddenly stop working on the day support ends, it just wont get any updates. Hell, I still have a retro gaming PC running Win 98!

Thank you. True yes, but I worry about things like shopping online. I know of someone who isn’t allowed to pay for supermarket shopping online as they still use Windows XP which is deemed unsafe, very old therefore very unsecure, they have to ring the store to pay each time. I am reliant on deliveries for everything. It will probably take a while for W10 to become as vulnerable but it still concerns me that we are heading in that direction.

That won't happen for a very long time (as Win10 is binary compatible with Win11 and uses the same security components) and by the time it does, you'll be ready for an upgrade at that point anyway.

Plus, your friend is a lunatic for still running XP - you only do that if you have a retro PC gaming machine etc.

Seriously, keep Windows Defender up to date, install a free antivirus such as Avast One Basic or AVG and don't stress about it.

amigafan2003 that is very reassuring. The lunatic is not really a friend but
more an irritating acquaintance best avoided, the one thing you know about them speaks volumes! Your explanation has made me feel much less like the day of doom is hurtling towards me 🙏

Just to update you fabulous mumsnetters who waded in to calm me a few months ago. I have managed to switch my OS to Linux Mint! I did it yesterday (took me all day!) I walked away from my pc many times thinking I had effed up my system for good…somehow that helped, feeling I had nothing left to lose I carried on thumping at it in frustration, pressing everything! It worked! Really enjoying the new system now.

I wouldn’t have attempted it without the advice and reassurance you all gave. Thank you so much.

Mumsnet at its finest! - Your wisdom and support I mean, not me yesterday that was awful, the screaming swearing panicking, and the revelation that I am much thicker than I had ever realised- I still don’t understand any of it but I appreciate you giving me the courage to do it. 🙏❤️