Windows 10 officially reached end of support on October 14, 2025. If your business is still running it — and a lot of Roanoke Valley businesses are — your computers didn’t stop working that day. They just stopped being defended.
Here’s what that actually means, what your options are, and how to handle the transition without buying an office full of new computers in one painful swoop.
“End of Support” Doesn’t Mean “End of Working”
Your Windows 10 machines still boot, still run your software, and still feel exactly the same. That’s precisely what makes this dangerous — nothing visibly changed, so it’s easy to do nothing.
What changed is invisible: Microsoft no longer releases free security updates for Windows 10. Every month, researchers and criminals discover new vulnerabilities in Windows. On supported systems, Microsoft patches them. On yours, those holes now stay open forever — and attackers actively target end-of-life systems precisely because they know the doors will never be locked.
The longer you wait, the more unpatched holes accumulate. A Windows 10 machine is more exposed today than it was in November, and it’ll be worse next quarter.
The Business Risks Beyond Hacking
The security risk is the headline, but it’s not the whole story:
Cyber insurance and compliance. Many cyber insurance policies require “supported, patched systems.” Running an end-of-life operating system can give your insurer grounds to deny a claim — meaning the one time you need the policy, it may not pay. If you handle payment cards or health information, unsupported systems can also put you out of compliance.
Software will start leaving you behind. Browsers, accounting packages, and industry software gradually drop support for old operating systems. At some point, an update you need simply won’t install.
Client trust. If customer data lives on your machines, “we knew and didn’t act” is a hard conversation after a breach.
Your Three Real Options
1. Upgrade to Windows 11 — free, if your hardware qualifies. Machines from roughly 2018 onward often meet Windows 11’s requirements, which include a security chip called TPM 2.0 and a relatively recent processor. If your computer qualifies, the upgrade costs nothing but a little planning. We check compatibility, back everything up, and handle the upgrade so nothing is lost in the move.
2. Replace the machines that can’t make the jump. Older hardware that fails Windows 11’s requirements needs replacing — but “eventually” doesn’t have to mean “all at once.” A staged plan replaces the most critical or most exposed machines first and spreads the cost over several quarters.
3. Buy time with Extended Security Updates. Microsoft sells businesses continued Windows 10 patches through its Extended Security Updates program, available for up to three years — but the per-device price roughly doubles each year, by design. ESU is a bridge for machines running specialized software that can’t move yet. It is not a long-term plan; it’s a countdown with an invoice.
The wrong option is the popular one: doing nothing and hoping.
Start With an Inventory, Not a Shopping Cart
Before spending a dollar, you need one simple list: every computer in the business, what it runs, and whether it can take Windows 11. Most businesses are surprised — usually a majority of their fleet can upgrade for free, and only a handful of machines need replacing.
Jackrabbit Tech does exactly this for Roanoke Valley businesses: a full inventory, a machine-by-machine recommendation, and a staged transition plan that fits your budget — no scare tactics, no pushing hardware you don’t need.
Still on Windows 10? Every month matters now. Call 540.300.1121 or request a free consultation, and let’s get you a plan.