GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
3 January, 2026
Easy Solutions to Unsupported Windows 10
Windows 10 has been unsupported since mid-October 2025. For computers that do not meet the requirements for an upgrade to Windows 11, the risk of malware attacks will steadily increase without security updates. An easy solution to “kick the can down the road” until next October is to enroll in Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates. You will find this option on the Settings – Update & Security page. All that is required to obtain the ESU at no cost is to sign in with a Microsoft account, which you can create for free if you do not have one or have forgotten the one that you had. It will verify the email address or phone number you use to create the account by sending a code that will have to be entered after receipt. Once verified, you will sign in to the account, and Microsoft will enable the backup of the Windows system settings and enroll you in the ESU. Text displayed on the Update & Security page will indicate that “Your PC is enrolled to get Extended Security Updates”. You will receive the monthly security updates until mid-October 2026.
It is also possible to install Windows 11 on an unsupported computer by using modified installation settings that bypass TPM 2.0 security and other requirements that prevent upgrading. This method or future security updates could possibly be blocked by Microsoft eventually. Contact me if you want to use this method. I have used it successfully for clean installs of Windows 11 on unsupported computers.
If you choose to migrate from a Windows 10 computer to a new Windows 11 computer, there is now a simpler method than using the Backup app that Microsoft added to Windows 10, which requires using OneDrive storage for the backup and then recovery from OneDrive during the Windows 11 setup. Now you can simply choose to do a PC to PC migration during the Windows 11 setup by having both computers connected to your home network.
