New warning for Windows users as Microsoft’s controversial decision impacts them.
In the last fortnight, rampant malware warnings have overwhelmed Microsoft Windows users, following a substantial Patch Tuesday that escalated into several alerts from U.S. government authorities. Now is definitely not the appropriate time to consider ending continuous security support, yet soon, countless users might not have any alternative.
The discussion centers around the end of life for Windows 10, set for next October, which places a multitude of Windows users in a tough position as they resist upgrading to Windows 11. This resistance stems from either personal choice or because their systems do not meet Microsoft’s stringent security requirements needed for the upgrade.
There’s widespread curiosity among users about whether Microsoft will ease these security prerequisites as the deadline approaches to encourage more upgrades. Alternatively, there’s speculation about the possibility of Microsoft offering a temporary, cost-free extension period, beyond any expensive paid options that may also be offered.
Unfortunately, for any Windows 10 users hoping for such changes last month brought more bad news over and above Patch Tuesday. Microsoft dashed hopes by shutting down the well-publicized “/product server” workaround that tricked the Windows setup process into completely ignoring its usual hardware tests.
At the time, I commented on Forbes that “Microsoft’s new workaround decision seems to be a confirmation of its intent, maintaining its firm stance where Windows 11 hardware is confirmed… which is bad news for the 70% of all Windows users staring down the barrel of October 2025.”
XDA Developers has now suggested that “using unsupported hardware on Windows 11 is only going to get more miserable,” and their reasoning—if right—should be another warning for Windows 10 holdouts that Microsoft is unlikely to relent.
There is the obvious benefit for Microsoft, the site says, in “forcing people who want to continue to get official support to hop to Windows 11 [which] would drive PC sales,” but “there’s another layer that’s in play here.”
This “other play” is AI—what else. “Microsoft is going all-in on its AI strategy, creating what’s called ‘Copilot+ PCs’ that have enhanced AI tools that utilize a system’s NPU. Right now, there aren’t too many Copilot+ PCs out there, but give the company just over a year and there should be a lot more.”
A few hundred million PC upgrades will equate to a serious increase in the number of Copilot + PCs knocking around, so the theory goes, and it’s hard to argue the logic. Especially when the tidy, monthly revenues from AI subs come into view.
Unplanned though it likely is, there’s certainly something mightily convenient about a generational shift in the requirement for PC hardware coinciding with a separate, generational shift in recurring AI revenues—rather like your connecting flights arriving and connecting from adjacent gates.
Two other stories in the last week provide some neat, additional context. First is the resurgence of Recall. This constant stream of screenshots of everything done on your PC—good and bad—should enable an AI engine to summon up anything through a simple prompt. Unsurprisingly, it was labeled a privacy nightmare when it was first mooted. Now with some more security protections and opt-outs, it’s coming back—at least for more advanced users to test. But the rumor Microsoft might allow Recall to be uninstalled turned out to be false. It’s here to stay, so get used to it.
The latest addition to Windows 11 features the ability to index all video and audio files stored on a PC, enhancing the search capability significantly. As the scope of personal computing expands, the PC is poised to become an integral part of personal memory, curated and maintained by Microsoft’s AI technologies. This marks a challenging period for those still clinging to outdated operating systems.
The forthcoming 13 months promise significant developments in the Windows ecosystem, notably through the adoption of new AI functionalities such as Recall and the progress in Windows 11 updates, which aim to close the considerable existing gap.
As expressed by XDA Developers, the considerable percentage of Windows users who haven’t upgraded yet may find continuously using Windows 11 on incompatible hardware increasingly problematic.
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