Windows 10 will formally be killed off on October 14, 2025 but history seems to be repeating itself. There was a marked reluctance by users to move from Windows 7 to its more buggy successor. This time it would appear that the delay is for a different reason as Windows 11 is fairly stable and OK.

What stops an automatic upgrade is the purchase of new hardware.  For some reason, known only to itself, Vole axed support for a raft of hardware with Windows 11, including older Intel CPUs, on security grounds.

The result was that hardware that will run Windows 10 perfectly well will not accept the new operating system. but rather because Microsoft's said so.

Users who were not going to buy a new PC have told Microsoft to go forth and multiply, meaning that Windows 10 dominates the desktop. According to Statcounter, the worldwide Windows version desktop market share puts Windows 10 at 71.64 per cent, with Windows 11 trailing at 23.61 per cent.

A recent IDC report said it expects that as the date for Windows 10’s death gets closer, there will be an uptick in PC sales which can handle Windows 11. Of course, there will be Linux fanboys out there who insist they can replace Windows 10 with something open saucy and not need to improve their hardware. While this might be true, how many windows users will want to see all their files refuse to open and their games play.