Windows 10 quietly gets one more year of support and updates

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reaction to extended Windows 10 support

  • Many welcome the extra year, especially given current hardware prices and the hassle of upgrading to Windows 11.
  • Some expect Microsoft to keep extending support further due to the huge install base and slow hardware replacement.
  • A few say it’s “too late” because they already moved to Linux or another OS when their hardware failed Windows 11 checks.

Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC / extended updates

  • Strong advocacy for switching to Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021, which gets security updates to 2032 and can work fine as a general desktop OS, including for gaming.
  • Others call this bad or unnecessary advice: normal Windows 10 is effectively “stable + security updates” now, so switching brings little benefit and may break poorly written software that hard-codes edition checks.
  • Some mention in‑place upgrades and tools (e.g., MAS, ConsumerESU) to move to or emulate LTSC/ESU without reinstalling, but this is unofficial and may require hacks.
  • Extended updates via Microsoft require an MS account; there are workarounds to bypass the account requirement.

Windows 11: UX, requirements, and reliability

  • Complaints about TPM/Secure Boot requirements, mandatory or hard‑to‑avoid Microsoft accounts, and intrusive updates/reboots that disrupt usage.
  • Reports of slow, multi‑reboot updates and occasional system breakage pushing non‑technical users toward buying new PCs.
  • Some note that secure boot/TPM are useful security features and work fine on Linux too; the real pain point is the account/telemetry and dark patterns.
  • Mixed views on LTSC vs regular Windows 10: some value fewer “features,” others point out missing Store-based components can affect apps.

Privacy, telemetry, and control

  • Strong concern about telemetry, “spyware‑like” features (cloud memory sampling, OneDrive auto‑backup, Copilot), and the tying of device identities to online accounts.
  • Discussion of how such data, combined with things like printer forensic marks, can enable state or corporate surveillance; others see this as overblown but still admit telemetry overreach.

Linux and other alternatives (especially for gaming)

  • Many use Linux as primary OS and keep Windows only for specific games or legacy/proprietary apps (CAD, RS‑232 tools, Adobe, MS Office).
  • Gaming on Linux is described as “mostly fine now,” especially via Proton/Wine/SteamOS; anti‑cheat and DRM remain the main blockers.
  • Some users report better stability and performance on Linux; others cite worse battery life on laptops.

Customization and “minimal Windows”

  • Suggestions include Windows 11 ISO “strippers” and tools (e.g., winutil, NTLite, autounattend.xml, uup dump) to remove bloat, bypass hardware checks, and enforce local accounts.
  • Counter‑warnings highlight supply‑chain risk in custom ISOs and unattended configs; provenance and inspection of these tools are emphasized.