3. Ditch Windows completely

You could keep your old hardware and replace Windows 10 with the flavor of Linux you prefer. If you’ve got the technical know-how and experience to manage the transition, that option is worth considering.

Switching to Google’s free ChromeOS Flex might also be possible, although the compatibility requirements for that alternative are just as likely to get in your way. I wrote about my experience here: “Installing ChromeOS Flex? 5 things you need to do first to avoid headaches.” As I pointed out there, “If you’ve got an old PC or Mac and you’re thinking of installing ChromeOS Flex on it, don’t do anything until you check Google’s official ChromeOS Flex Certified models list.” 

Also: How to replace Windows with Linux Mint on your PC

And pay special attention to the End of Support date for the PC you’re thinking of upgrading. It doesn’t make much sense to replace Windows 10 with a release of ChromeOS Flex that’s also set to end support in 2025 or earlier.

Switching to Linux or some derivative of Linux might be a good way to repurpose an old PC but for the overwhelming majority of consumers and businesses that have existing investments in Windows software, it’s not a realistic alternative.

The final two options are more attractive.

4. Pay Microsoft for security updates

Do you remember the official support document that I quoted earlier? The one that says there will be “no new security updates” after Windows 10 reaches its end-of-support date? It turns out that’s not exactly true. Microsoft will indeed continue developing security updates for Windows 10, but they won’t be free. Microsoft announced in December 2023 that it will offer Extended Security Options (ESUs) for Windows 10; these subscription-based updates will be available for up to three years.

Also: Windows 11 FAQ: ZDNET’s upgrade guide and everything else you need to know

How much are these paid-for updates going to cost? Microsoft finally revealed the price list in April 2024. If you’re an administrator at an educational institution with a deployment of Windows 10 Education edition, you’re in luck. Those extended updates will cost literally a dollar per machine for the first year, $2 for the second year, and $4 for the third and final year, taking you all the way to 2028.

The rest of us aren’t so lucky:

Business customers will need to pay dearly to stick with Windows 10. A license for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program is sold as a subscription. For the first year, the cost is $61. For year two, the price doubles, and it doubles again for year three. The blog post doesn’t do the math on those, probably because the total is uncomfortably high. A three-year ESU subscription will cost $61 + $122 + $244, for a total of $427.

In the original announcement of Extended Security Updates last year, a Microsoft spokesperson said that there will be a version of this program for consumers, but the company has yet to provide any additional details.

5. Upgrade your ‘incompatible’ hardware to Windows 11

That pesky compatibility checker might insist that you can’t upgrade your Windows 10 PC to Windows 11, but there are indeed officially supported ways to bypass those restrictions. You just have to jump through a few technical hoops.

Also: The best Windows laptop you can buy

You can find all the details in this article: “How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11.” Here’s the short version:

For PCs that were originally designed for Windows 10, you need to make one small registry edit and then make sure that your PC is configured to use Secure Boot with the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) enabled. Even an old TPM 1.2 chip will do. As many readers have confirmed via email, this process works seamlessly as long as you’ve got those configuration details set properly.

For older PCs that were originally designed for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you might need to use a third-party tool called Rufus to bypass installation challenges. That’s especially true on PCs that use a legacy BIOS instead of UEFI firmware and for those that don’t have access to a TPM. For details, see my ZDNET colleague Lance Whitney’s excellent post, “How to install Windows 11 the way you want (and bypass Microsoft’s restrictions).”  

And don’t be alarmed by the alarming message you might see when trying to do an unsupported upgrade. “If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won’t be entitled to receive updates. Damages to your PC due to lack of compatibility aren’t covered under the manufacturer warranty.”

Also: How to screen record in Windows 10 or 11 with built-in tools

That’s deliberately misleading language. As I’ve noted before, that warning doesn’t really say that Microsoft is going to cut off your access to updates; it simply says your PC is no longer supported, and you’re no longer “entitled” to those updates. That word is a tell on Microsoft’s part, disclaiming legal responsibility without actually saying what it will do.

If you don’t want to mess with the registry and you’re willing to do a clean install, just use Rufus to create a bootable Windows 11 installation drive, which bypasses the compatibility checker completely. You’ll need to restore your data files from a backup or from the cloud, and you’ll also need to install your software from scratch, but that’s no more difficult than setting up a new PC.