WWTBAM Bored

I just got another email from Microsoft informing me that support for Windows 10 was ending this week (something I already knew), but that I could receive "extended security updates" for $30 (or enough Microsoft Rewards points). I already bought a new computer this summer, in part because Windows 10 support was going away and my old computer wasn't upgradeable to Windows 11, but mostly because my former computer was getting extremely slow and problematic (I bought it in 2017 and it was a bargain Amazon Acer, not the very best).

Frankly, this notice from Microsoft came across to me like a mob boss extorting protection money. ("Nice computer you have here. It would be a shame if something happened to it. We can make sure that won't happen if you buy 'extended security updates' for $30.") This has me thinking if there was really a need to upgrade to Windows 11 in the first place. Any thoughts?

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 13, 2025 10:52 am

Frankly, this notice from Microsoft came across to me like a mob boss extorting protection money. ("Nice computer you have here. It would be a shame if something happened to it. We can make sure that won't happen if you buy 'extended security updates' for $30.") This has me thinking if there was really a need to upgrade to Windows 11 in the first place. Any thoughts?

I tink you (slaps baseball bat in palm) might wanna pay da extended security fee....

Why wouldn't you just update to 11?

Our IT dept is updating all computers to 11. Mine was updated a couple weeks ago. It's not too bad. The only issue I had, which I explained to Corp IT a month ago, is there was little warning. I got a popup that said this computer will restart in 14 minutes (or I could have it immediatley restart). Then I was donw for about 30-40 minutes. I told them that was unacceptable as many people have critical processes they may be running that take longer than 14 minutes. Plus the fact there was never a company wide communication letting everyone know the plan.

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 13, 2025 11:18 am

Why wouldn't you just update to 11?

My new computer came with Windows 11. However, I had the entire contents of my hard drive transferred to the new computer, which includes the cookies and settings, so Microsoft thought I still had the old computer when it sent out those form emails. Before I bought the new computer, I learned that my old computer could not be upgraded to Windows 11 because it didn't have the necessary capacity. (Again, it dated from 2017.)

I needed a newer computer because my old one had gotten extremely slow and unreliable, but knowing that Windows 10 would be obsolete in a few months made me decide to spend the money this summer instead of later. (You all probably know how I hate to spend money, and this new computer (actually a refurb) cost me $900.)