Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. After this date, there will be no more free updates*, security patches, or technical support available from Microsoft.
Most users have 3 options: upgrade to Windows 11, get a new computer with the latest version of Windows, or pay* to extend Windows 10 security updates until October 2026.
Upgrading to Windows 11 is recommended for most users for its advanced security, improved performance, and new features.
Updated 6/30/25:
As Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system approaches the end of its lifecycle, it’s essential for users to prepare for the changes and take steps to transition smoothly. Microsoft’s official announcement has made it clear: Windows 10 will reach its end of support on October 14, 2025. This means no more free updates, security patches, or technical support for the operating system, which could leave your device vulnerable to security risks and software incompatibilities if no action is taken before October.
The Start button taskbar icon on Windows 10 vs Windows 11.
Why the End of Support Matters
When an operating system (OS) reaches the end of support, it no longer receives updates from its developer – in this case, Microsoft. These updates, which usually occur monthly, include crucial security patches, bug fixes, and improvements that help keep your system running safely and efficiently. After the end of support, any vulnerabilities and bugs will remain unpatched, leaving your computer at risk of viruses, malware, and ransomware.
Additionally, newer software and hardware may eventually become incompatible with the older OS, leading to performance issues or the inability to use modern apps and devices.
What Are Your Options?
As the end of Windows 10 support approaches, users have three primary options:
Upgrade your existing computer to Windows 11
Get a new computer with Windows 11
Continue using Windows 10 until October 2026 with reduced support
Let’s explore these options and why ultimately upgrading to Windows 11 is probably your best choice.
Determining whether you need a new computer or smartphone can be tricky, as it depends on several factors like your needs, budget, and the current performance of your device. Here are some signs that might indicate it’s time for an upgrade:
Performance Issues:
Slowness and Lag: If your device takes forever to boot up, open programs, or respond to your commands, it’s a clear sign of aging hardware struggling to keep up.
Frequent crashes and freezes: Unexpected crashes and freezes disrupt your workflow and can lead to data loss. If they happen regularly, an upgrade might be necessary.
Insufficient storage: Running out of storage space constantly, forcing you to delete files or struggle with cramped performance, signals the need for increased capacity.
Battery drain: Batteries degrade over time, and if your device needs constant charging or struggles to last a full day, replacing it might be a good option.
Software Compatibility:
Outdated operating system: Older devices might not be compatible with newer versions of their operating systems, missing out on security updates and features. (See EndOfLife.date for more information)
Incompatible software: Some software and apps require newer hardware features. If you constantly run into compatibility issues, consider an upgrade.
Security Concerns:
End of security updates: Manufacturers eventually stop providing security updates for older devices, leaving them vulnerable to malware and attacks. Upgrading ensures you have the latest security patches. (See EndOfLife.date for more information)
Physical damage: Cracked screens, damaged ports, or overheating issues can pose safety risks and impact functionality. Replacing a device with severe damage might be necessary.
Beyond the Basics:
Changing needs: If your needs have evolved and your current device no longer meets your demands, like needing more processing power for graphics work or enhanced photography capabilities, an upgrade might be worthwhile.
Frustration and inconvenience: If your device constantly frustrates you with its limitations, impacting your productivity or enjoyment, consider an upgrade for a smoother experience.
However, before rushing to buy a new device:
Perform maintenance: Try simple troubleshooting steps like clearing up storage, updating software, and running antivirus scans. These might rectify some issues without needing an upgrade.
Analyze your needs: Assess what you truly need from your device and prioritize your requirements. This will help you choose the right upgrade when the time comes.
Research and compare: Don’t make impulsive purchases. Research different options, compare features and prices, and choose a device that aligns with your budget and needs.
Remember, not every sign necessitates an immediate upgrade. Evaluate your specific situation, prioritize your needs, and make an informed decision based on your budget and comfort level. It’s better to wait for the right time than invest in a new device prematurely. Contact Computer Techs for expert advice.
Microsoft has been aggressively coercing people to use their “Edge” browser by making it a recommended or default choice after Windows updates. Perhaps you’re used to using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox – and that’s OK. You can say “no” to Microsoft’s solicitations if you read and select carefully, and watch for dark patterns on their selection screens.
Here are several reasons why Microsoft wants people to use the Edge browser:
If your computer has been overrun with pop-ups along the right side on your computer, you may have inadvertently chosen to allow notifications to from an untrustworthy website.
How to block browser notifications
To block notification pop-ups in Chrome:
At the top right of Chrome, click More
Click Settings.
Under Privacy and security, click Site settings.
Click Notifications.
Under Allowed to send notifications, select Block.
To block notification pop-ups in Edge:
At the top right of Edge, click More
Click Settings.
Click Cookies and Site Permissions
Under All permissions, click Notifications.
Click Notifications.
Under Allow, choose the site(s) you’d like to block and select Block.
Are you getting excessive pop-ups and getting redirected to websites that you didn’t intend to visit? Please contact us if you need help cleaning up your browser.
With prices at the grocery store skyrocketing recently, we can help you save money by using the store’s website or app to save money with digital coupons, shopping sale items and other offers, keeping track of rewards, and even sticking to your list by ordering your groceries for pick-up or delivery.
Digital coupons and offers
Many stores in the Reno area feature digital coupons and other money saving offers on their website or mobile app, including Raley’s, Smith’s, Safeway, Save Mart, and Sprouts.
To use digital coupons at these stores, you will need to download the store’s app and create an account. Once you have created an account, you can browse the available coupons and “clip” the ones you want to use. The coupons will then be applied automatically at checkout.
Benefits of using digital coupons include saving money on your grocery bill for items that you use regularly or trying new items. With the store’s mobile app you can easily browse and clip coupons or shop sale items from your smartphone or tablet while you shop before you get to the checkout.
Rewards
Many stores reward loyalty by accumulating “points” for dollars spent on purchases, which can be redeemed for discounts on future purchases.
Pick-up and delivery
Most stores offer pick-up and/or delivery services which can help you stick to your list and avoid impulse shopping when visiting a store. This can also be helpful if getting around the grocery store is a bit more challenging these days. Using the store’s website or mobile app you can chose items for purchase, pay, and then go to the store and wait outside for the attendant to load your order in your vehicle – or wait for a delivery driver to bring your order to home.
We can help you get started with saving money at the grocery store
We can show you how to use the store’s website to save money, or even come over and show you how to download and use the store’s mobile app. We can walk you through the process of adding items to your list, clipping digital coupons, and placing an online order if you’d rather pick-up your groceries or have them delivered.
Updated November 2024 noting official end of support is December 31, 2024
On a Windows PC, if you currently use the Mail and Calendar apps to access your email instead of going to your email provider’s website, you’ll likely be happy to hear that Microsoft will be replacing those (awful) apps on Windows 10/11 with the new Outlook for Windows app in 2024.
Outlook for Windows is a unified app that combines mail, contacts, and calendars. It also integrates with many of Google’s popular tools such as Gmail and Calendar.
This change could be confusing for some users, as there are already many different Outlook products available. However, the new Outlook for Windows is a significant improvement over the Mail and Calendar apps. It has more features, a better interface, and better integration with other Microsoft products.
What’s the difference between Outlook, Outlook.com and the new Outlook for Windows?
Outlook (classic) has been the default email program in Microsoft Office since 1997 and is still part of the subscription version of Office 365 – now called Microsoft 365.
Outlook.com is a website that replaced Hotmail which is Microsoft’s competitor to Google’s Gmail or Yahoo Mail.
The new Outlook for Windows is an app, not a website, that has the look of Outlook.com and many of the basic features of Outlook (classic).
When using the PDF viewer Adobe Reader, you may get prompts suggesting that you should/need to upgrade to Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Acrobat is the paid version that includes additional features, such as the ability to create, edit, and protect PDF files. Most home computer users do not need to upgrade to Adobe Acrobat and pay for features that they do not need.
Here are the pros and cons of upgrading to Adobe Acrobat from Adobe Reader:
Pros:
Create and edit PDFs: Adobe Acrobat allows you to create and edit PDFs, which is not possible with Adobe Reader. This means you can add text, images, and annotations to PDFs, as well as rearrange pages and delete content.
Convert PDFs to other formats: Adobe Acrobat can also convert PDFs to other formats, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This is useful if you need to share a PDF with someone who doesn’t have Adobe Reader.
Protect PDFs: Adobe Acrobat can protect PDFs with passwords, encryption, and digital signatures. This helps to keep your PDFs secure and prevents them from being tampered with.
Add advanced features: Adobe Acrobat also includes a number of advanced features, such as the ability to create PDF portfolios, add watermarks, and track changes.
Cons:
Cost: Adobe Acrobat is a paid software, while Adobe Reader is free.
Complexity: Adobe Acrobat is more complex than Adobe Reader, so it may take some time to learn how to use all of its features.
Not necessary for everyone: If you only need to view and print PDFs, then you don’t need to upgrade to Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Reader is sufficient for most users.
Additionally, word processing programs such as Microsoft Word and LibreOffice Writer let you save documents as a PDF (Portable Document Format) file. So if you have a word processing document that you don’t want easily changed or edited, you already have the ability to save it as a PDF file.
Overall, Adobe Acrobat offers a number of advantages over Adobe Reader, but it is also more expensive and complex. Whether or not you should upgrade depends on your needs. If you need to create, edit, or protect PDFs, then Adobe Acrobat is a good choice. However, if you only need to view and print PDFs, then Adobe Reader is sufficient.
Here is a table that summarizes the pros and cons of upgrading to Adobe Acrobat from Adobe Reader:
In the past few months, AI (Artificial Intelligence) Chat has come to light as a new conversational way to search the internet. To compose the rest of this article I asked Google’s Bard chatbot and Microsoft’s Bing chatbot “What is AI Chat and how does it make searching the Internet better?”. Below are the responses I received.
According to Google’s Bard:
“AI chat is a new way to search the internet. It uses artificial intelligence to understand your questions and provide you with answers in a conversational way. This can be much more helpful than traditional search engines, which often return a list of links that you have to click through to find the information you’re looking for.
With AI chat, you can just ask your question and the AI will provide you with an answer, or a series of answers, in real time. This can be much faster and more efficient than traditional search engines.
AI chat can also be more helpful because it can understand your context. For example, if you ask “What is the best restaurant in San Francisco?”, the AI will take into account your location and other factors to provide you with a list of restaurants that are relevant to you.
Overall, AI chat is a new and innovative way to search the internet that can be much more helpful than traditional search engines. It is still in its early stages of development, but it has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with the internet.
Here are some of the ways AI chat can make searching the internet better:
It can provide you with more accurate and relevant results.
It can save you time by helping you find the information you need faster.
It can be more user-friendly, as it allows you to interact with the search engine in a more natural way.
It can be more interactive, as it allows you to ask follow-up questions and get additional information.
It can be more personalized, as it can tailor the results to your specific needs and interests.
Overall, AI chat has the potential to revolutionize the way we search the internet. It can provide us with more accurate, relevant, and timely results, and it can do so in a more user-friendly and interactive way.”
According to Microsoft’s Bing “Ask me anything…”
“AI Chat refers to a program that simulates human conversations using natural language processing (NLP) ³. Chatbots are programmed to address users’ needs independently of a human operator ³. AI Chat can improve searching the internet by providing more accurate and relevant results ¹. However, conversational AI is far from applicable to every kind of search ¹. Bing has integrated an AI language model into its search engine which is more powerful than ChatGPT ² and can understand context and reply back in a humane way ⁴.
I hope this helps!
Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/6/2023(1) 18 of the Best AI Chatbots for 2023 – HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/best-ai-chatbot Accessed 4/6/2023. (2) I used the future of AI web search – Digital Trends. https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/ai-search-microsoft-openai-chatgpt-novelty-to-normal/ Accessed 4/6/2023. (3) ChatGPT versus AI-enabled Bing. How do they differ?. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/02/ai-chatgpt-openai-bing-search/ Accessed 4/6/2023. (4) 10 Things New AI Bing Chat Can Do Better Than ChatGPT. https://techwiser.com/things-new-ai-bing-chat-can-do-better-than-chatgpt/ Accessed 4/6/2023. (5) What is ChatGPT and why does it matter? Here’s what you need to know. https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-chatgpt-and-why-does-it-matter-heres-everything-you-need-to-know/ Accessed 4/6/2023. (6) The best AI chatbots of 2023: ChatGPT and alternatives | ZDNET. https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-ai-chatbot/ Accessed 4/6/2023.”
I followed up by clicking “examples of AI Chat”
“There are many examples of AI Chatbots available today. Some of them include Zoho SalesIQ, Tidio Chat, Landbot, ChatBot, Manychat, FreshChat, Tars ¹. Other examples include Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana, Amazon Echo, and Facebook Messenger ². Automat.ai is another example of a conversational AI software with exceptional listening skills that “understands every customer” and has a built-in product recommendation engine that serves up personalized suggestions and engages customers to provide superior shopping experiences ³.
I hope this helps!
Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/6/2023(1) 15 Best AI Chatbots (2023 Update) – Guru99. https://www.guru99.com/best-ai-chatbots.html Accessed 4/6/2023. (2) What is AI Chatbot & How do AI Chatbots Work? The Complete Guide. https://www.heliossolutions.co/blog/what-is-ai-chatbot-how-do-ai-chatbots-work-the-complete-guide/ Accessed 4/6/2023. (3) Conversational AI Examples + Uses and Insights. https://getvoip.com/blog/conversational-ai-examples/ Accessed 4/6/2023. (4) Why We’re Obsessed With the Mind-Blowing ChatGPT AI Chatbot. https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/why-were-all-obsessed-with-the-mind-blowing-chatgpt-ai-chatbot/ Accessed 4/6/2023. (5) The best AI chatbots of 2023: ChatGPT and alternatives | ZDNET. https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-ai-chatbot/ Accessed 4/6/2023. (6) ChatGPT: How to Use the AI Chatbot for Free – How-To Geek. https://www.howtogeek.com/871065/chatgpt-how-to-use-the-ai-chatbot-for-free/ Accessed 4/6/2023.”
Chrome browser users that use desktop shortcuts to websites or web apps have been recently seeing the message that Chrome Apps are no longer supported. But don’t worry, you can re-create your desktop shortcuts to websites by following the instructions below.
Replace a Chrome app with a website shortcut by following these steps:
1. Make a note of the website address (www.example.com) of Chrome app you want to replace.
2. When prompted to “remove app”, right-click on the Chrome app you want to replace and select “Remove from Chrome”.
3. Go to the website address you want to create a shortcut for – type (www.example.com) or search Google for the site and go to the address.
4. Once you are at the website address, click on the three dots in the top right corner of the Chrome window and select “More tools” and then “Create shortcut”.
5. In the pop-up window, enter a name for the shortcut. You can optionally check the box next to “Open as window”, which will open your new desktop shortcut in Chrome without the Chrome menus or bookmarks toolbar displayed.
6. Click on “Create” to create the shortcut.
You should now see a shortcut on your desktop that will open the website in a separate Chrome browser window, just like a Chrome app did.
Now that the wireless carriers are offering Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Internet service in many areas, there’s more choices for internet speeds and service levels.
You may be able to downgrade the speed provided by your current Internet provider to save money with little or no noticeable difference.
Consider bundling home Internet and wireless service to save money.
Internet service is sold and priced at the speed of the internet connection you can expect at your Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) modem/gateway.
As of July 2022 in Reno, Charter’s Spectrum service offers download speeds of 300 Megabits per second (Mbps), 500 Mbps and 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps or often referred 1 Gig). AT&T’s xDSL Internet service offers slower download speeds ranging from less than 1 Mbps to 100 Mbps, and speeds up to 5000 Mbps (5 Gbps) on their fiber-to-the-home service.
In July 2022, T-Mobile began offering wireless home internet service – Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) -with download speeds advertised at 33-182 Mbps – which is fast enough to stream UHD/4K video quality. By late 2023 Verizon and AT&T are expected to offer FWA in the Reno area with download speeds varying from 25-300 Mbps.
FWA is cheaper, but less reliable
Thought FWA is often cheaper, unlike xDSL, Cable or Fiber Internet, FWA can be less reliable since the service is shared with hundreds or thousands of other users in your area using the same cell tower/node. Therefore speeds during peak times can become congested, or during an extended power outage you could temporarily lose service altogether. Before considering FWA, check out “5G” Home Internet vs. Spectrum Internet.
You could possibly save money by choosing a slower Internet speed plan
Of course, higher speeds will cost more money. Count on spending at least $50/month for reliable internet service, but anything above $85/month is probably unnecessary.
