To 11 or Not to 11, That is the Question

Windows 10 users are certainly aware that Windows 11 is ‘out’. Microsoft, in their infinite generosity, have made it easy and convenient to upgrade to the new version for no charge. There will be some computers that are too old to run 11 and there are a lot of computers that need extra work to be able to run 11.

Extra work? Yes. Microsoft requires that the computer comply to certain things like having a TPM microchip and booting securely – things it didn’t require before. If your computer won’t automatically install Windows 11, you’ll probably need someone like me to test, enable and configure these functions (if your hardware allows). It takes me an average of 2 hours to resolve most fixable issues.

In my installation and testing of 11, I cannot find any performance improvements or things made easier. In fact, about all I see is that the desktop looks different and settings are not where I remember them. I also see frequent ‘bug/error’ reports coming from folks who did upgrade or bought Windows 11 with a new machine. While there will always be bugs and errors in a new product, I don’t like being the one affected. I prefer to let others use their time and money to work with Microsoft to fix them.

The most common question I get from customers right now is ‘should I upgrade’? My answer has consistently been no.

What if Windows 10 isn’t supported anymore? Sure, that day is coming. Per Microsoft that day is Oct 14, 2025. After that day, you are unsupported. What does being unsupported mean? Really? Nothing. While it is a good idea to be on the current version of any program or operating system, I have yet to encounter a user that needed to upgrade because their operating system was unsupported. A study conducted by Kaspersky reveals users are still using end-of-life Windows 7 operating system which was officially unsupported in Jan 2020.

So to recap: my advice is stay with Windows 10 until you have to upgrade to Windows 11.