Windows 10 End-of-Life / Upgrading to Windows 11
So what's all this about?
On October 14, 2025 Windows 10 is going to go End-of-Life...this means Microsoft will no longer be supporting it with needed security updates. Given that ~62% of all Windows computers worldwide are still running Windows 10, the IT community is seriously concerned that come October 15th hackers will start exploiting security faults in Win10 and do a lot of damage.
So what does this mean for us?
It means that by October 14th, ideally we'll have no Windows 10 computers connected to the internet...all such PCs will be running Windows 11
I have a Windows 10 computer...what do I do?
The seemingly obvious fix for this is to upgrade the PC from Windows 10 to Windows 11, but there's a problem. Unlike previous versions of Windows, Microsoft has rigged Windows 11 so it will only install on computers that meet a "minimum hardware requirement", that being having a certain generation CPU or newer and containing a hardware security chip called a TPM 2.0.
How do I find out if my computer is capable of running Windows 11?
You need to install and run the "PC Health Check" utility provided my Microsoft that will tell you if your computer currently meets their minimum hardware requirements. Here's how.
1) Download and install this utility: https://www.cvs.rochester.edu/cvspriv/downloads/WindowsPCHealthCheckSetup.msi
2) At the end of the installation process it should indicate that the program will launch automatically. When it does, click on the blue "Check Now" button
The utility will indicate whether the needed TPM module exists and if your CPU meets minimum requirements. If your computer passed the test, that's great! It means we will be able to install Windows 11 on your computer without needing to buy any new/additonal hardware. However, do NOT proceed to install Windows 11 quite yet! We definitely want to make sure we have a full backup of your computer and any needed apps are upgraded before proceeding with upgrading Windows.
My computer failed the test...what do I do?
Failing either test does not automatically mean you need to buy a new computer. There are a lot of variables in play here.
If you ran this test on a laptop
If your laptop failed the CPU test, then yes, you will need to buy a new laptop (CPUs in laptops are not upgradable). However, if your laptop only failed the TPM test, it's possible that the TPM is simply turned off right now and just needs to be turned on. I can check the settings for you to see if that's the case or not, then we'll go from there.
If you ran this test on a desktop
If your desktop failed the CPU test, it may be possible to simply upgrade the processor in your computer to one that's Win11 compatible. Similarly, if your desktop failed the TPM test, it's possible that the TPM is simply turned off right now and just needs to be turned on, or the motherboard needs to have a TPM module added to it. I can check the settings of both for you to see if these problems are easily solved, then we'll go from there.
My existing hardware cannot be upgraded to run WIndows 11...what are my options?
If your PC cannot be upgraded to make it Windows 11 compatible, you have a few options to choose from:
1) Replace the whole computer with a new one
2) If it's a desktop PC I built, we can replace the affected components (motherboard/CPU/RAM/SSD). This will necessitate a full rebuild of Windows & apps though.
3) You can eschew Windows and switch the PC over to running Linux (awesome no-cost option)
I *need* to continue running Windows 10...do I have any options?
It's expected that a number of computers, particularly those used in labs to run experiments, cannot be upgraded to Windows 11. If that's the case, then you'll need to plan on disconnecting those computers from the main department network (this is called "air-gapping" a computer). I can work with you to make that happen and hopefully alleviate any inconveniences doing this may cause with your workflow.