To expand on that—you’re amongst the 400 million Windows 10 users with incompatible hardware, you want to upgrade to Windows 11 to maintain security support, but in doing to your may lose support. Meanwhile you can pay $30 to kick the problem down the road by 12-months. Has that become the best option?

Microsoft warns users of unsupported hardware using Windows 11 with a disclaimer Windows 11 will add a watermark if system requirements aren't met Continuing to use Windows 11 on incompatible hardware may void support and warranty.

Windows 10 might be less than 12 months away from being sent to the history books but that's not stopping people from using it.

Microsoft updates all docs against Windows 10 and won't budge from the pre-decided retirement date for the decade old operating system.

The clear issue here is that within the 400 million soon-to-be obsolete PCs that cannot make the TPM-compliant move to Windows 11, will be many users who can’t afford a new machine and perhaps are most likely to balk at the $30 Microsoft stipend to continue security support for a strictly one year only extension.

With Windows 10's end-of-support deadline approaching in October 2025, these users face a dilemma: either update to Windows 11 with potential compatibility issues or continue using Windows 10 and risk losing security updates.

Microsoft warns 400 million PCs risk losing updates as Windows 10 support ends in 2025. Users must upgrade hardware for Windows 11, pay for extended security, or risk cybersecurity threats.