The Real Reason I Tell Customers To Stop Using Their Old Windows PC
Slow is annoying, but a PC that can't get security updates is a different problem entirely — and most people don't realise when they've crossed that line.
By Dan Coveney · Founder & Lead Reviewer · Updated July 07, 2026A customer brought in a laptop a few weeks ago — nothing dramatic, just a routine clean-up and a sticky keyboard. Whilst I had it open I noticed it was still running Windows 10 — which, since last October, no longer gets security updates at all. The owner mentioned she'd had it since 2016 and wasn't planning to replace it anytime soon. That's when the conversation shifted. Slow wasn't her biggest problem. Unsupported was.
Most people think an old PC becomes a problem when it gets sluggish. That's true up to a point, and I've written before about how an SSD can breathe new life into tired hardware. But there's a harder deadline that creeps up quietly: the date Microsoft stops issuing security updates for your version of Windows. Once that passes, the machine isn't just slow — it's got no roof over its head.
What "end of support" actually means in practice
Microsoft patches Windows regularly to fix vulnerabilities — gaps in the code that attackers can exploit. When support ends, those patches stop. The vulnerabilities don't go away; they just stop getting fixed. Your machine keeps working, your files are still there, but every new threat that emerges after that date is one your PC has no defence against.
Windows 10 reached end of support on 14 October 2025. As I write this in 2026, that means any PC still running it has already gone months without a single security patch — and Windows 7 and 8.1 are years past the same point. If you're on any of them, you're not about to lose your safety net; you're already running without one.
- Check your Windows version: press the Windows key, type winver and hit Enter. The version and build number will appear in a small box.
- Check your support status: search "Windows end of life dates" on Microsoft's own site — it lists exactly when each version loses support.
- Watch for the signs: if Windows Update has stopped offering feature updates, or you're getting nag screens about your PC not meeting Windows 11 requirements, that's the system telling you something.
Why you can't just keep the antivirus running and hope for the best
This is the one I have to explain most often. Antivirus software helps, genuinely, but it works best alongside a patched operating system — not instead of one. If there's a known hole in Windows itself, antivirus can miss attacks that slip through it. It's a bit like locking your front door but leaving a window wide open; the lock still matters, but it's not the whole story.
The risk is highest if you use the machine for anything online: banking, email, shopping, even just browsing. An unsupported PC that never touches the internet is a much smaller concern. Most of them do, though.
What I usually suggest when this comes up
First, I check whether the hardware can run Windows 11. It requires a processor from roughly 2017 onwards and a security chip called TPM 2.0. A fair number of machines from that era pass — it's worth finding out before assuming the worst. If it does, the upgrade is free and the machine gets another lease of life.
If the hardware genuinely can't run Windows 11, the honest answer is that it's had its time as a primary machine. I'd rather tell someone that plainly than watch them keep patching around a problem that won't go away.
The Repair Bench verdict
Check your version now: press Windows key, type winver, and look up the support end date — if it's already passed (and for Windows 10 it did, back in October 2025), take it seriously.
Best outcome: if your hardware passes the Windows 11 check, upgrade for free and carry on — it's a fifteen-minute job I can do while you wait.
Watch out for: assuming antivirus alone is enough on an unsupported machine — it isn't a substitute for security patches from Microsoft.