"The biggest event of 2025 in the PC market has been the end of support for Windows 10. It was positioned as the last major release of the Windows operating system, which would be kept updated by over-the-air Windows updates. But when Windows 11 was launched in 2021, Microsoft set the date for the end of support for Windows 10 - October 5, 2025."
"While the Windows OS offers backwards compatibility, Microsoft's security stance means that as PCs get older, there comes a point when the device driver software needed to keep these PCs functional offers too large an attack surface to continue supporting them. Microsoft is unwilling to coordinate the effort required to support device drivers indefinitely, which means that perfectly good peripherals will lose support eventually; they may still run using the older (legacy) device driver, but there will not be any newer versions."
Windows 10 reached end of support on October 5, 2025, after Windows 11 launched in 2021. Windows 11 requires TPM 2 to enable Secure Boot and signed drivers, which restricts installations on older PCs. Backwards compatibility exists, but aging device drivers increase attack surface and eventually lose vendor support. Microsoft will not maintain indefinite driver updates, causing perfectly functional peripherals to become unsupported despite possibly running legacy drivers. Workarounds to bypass driver signing undermine the security model and expose organizations to cyber risks. Corporate migrations have been slower, prompting an extended support option and a later consumer deadline of October 26.
Read at ComputerWeekly.com
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