It appears that many PC users in our community are not taking the transition to the Windows 11 operating system seriously. Unfortunately, the consequences of declining updates can be severe. Microsoft support for Windows 10 has officially ended, although a fee based plan of limited scope has been offered due to public demand.

A sensational example of how significant such a "minor oversight" can be is the recent multimillion dollar robbery at an art museum in France. On Oct 19 priceless jewelry from the era of Louis XIV was taken in a brazen incident. One could imagine a cabal of oddball characters, a fiendish mastermind, and a complex web of intrigue. Even if that turns out to be the case, investigators have initially uncovered details that are much more prosaic.

Security protocols at the facility were running on obsolete and insecure networks. Windows 2000 and Windows XP, neither of which has been supported for over a decade, were still deployed. This vulnerability has been conclusively linked to the exploit that disabled installed countermeasures.

The chart below illustrates how prevalent the use of Windows 10 has been through September of 2025, despite the similarity and availability of the Windows 11 user interface. How comfortable does this data make you feel about your credit card being processed on a PC at a merchant's Point of Sale ?

It is essential to recognize the risks of not receiving ongoing security updates on any equipment which is used to access the internet. As time goes by, potential compatibility problems with established software and hardware are inevitable as well.

Unless there is a specific critical application in the user's vertical that requires the use of Windows 10, all PCs should be upgraded to Windows 11 immediately. If the device cannot be upgraded it must be shielded from exposure by being taken offline.

Plausible reasons for professionals to retain Windows 10 include a necessity to operate old equipment. Such legacy systems are likely not compatible with Windows 11, and it may not be possible to replace them.

Familiarity, lack of resources and user preference are not sound reasons to delay an upgrade. The fee based support that is temporarily available certainly does not include reimbursement, should you become a victim..

Don't be a statistic. A typical consumer household should stop using Windows 10 today, and we might as well add "LOUVRE" to the list of passwords to never use again.