Electronics

[drizzellla]

I will first admit I AM A DINASAUR.

I am still using Windows 10.

Microsoft has tried hundreds of times to "upgrade" me to Windows 11. But it has never happened.

I suspect when I got my new phone well over a year ago is the problem. I was asked what my password for Google was. I had no idea. So I gave a password. It was a weak password. So we kept adding numbers and symbols until the password was accepted. I was given a post-it note with the password. But have since have no idea where the post-it note is. Since I never had to use it. I don't use Google.

But I did not understand. This new password could not have matched the old Google password (if I had one). But my phone worked just fine, for my use. Which is rarely. I get phone calls and I can text my friends. 

My computer worked just fine. I can send emails and search the web. My needs are VERY simple.

Then Windows 11 came along. I could care less. I was happy with 10. Well apparently I have to have Windows 11. And every time Windows tries to upgrade, it fails.

Can I still use my computer and phone with Windows 10 after October?

[Tori3569]

Ironically, this is what I found by googling your question, so it seems that you will need to upgrade or you will have security issues. 

[Snowpuppy]

Checking in from the Stone  Age. 😆

I have an HP laptop running Win 7 Vista. I only keep it because it has MS Office Professional installed so no monthly fee. There are times I need Word, Excel or PowerPoint. They still work fine.

I have lost MS support. Like it ever mattered. It's running a lower version of Firefox for the browser. I can read email and browse the web with no issues. 

I also dont have a google account. Just a dumb phone. I manage to still live and work. 🙂

[foxywoods]

My WIN10 wouldnt upgrade to 11 so I got a WIN11 3 months ago. I hate transitioning everything over to the new laptop. 

WIN 11 is a bit slower or maybe it's me. 

[Icegoddess]

I'm a bit lost as to why your phone would affect your laptop/desktop.  I, too, had to make a Google password to set up my Android phone, but I rarely use Google.  

Microsoft is not associated with Google accounts.  If you're using a Google browser, it is not tied to your phone's Google account.  Anybody can use Google for a browser and not have a Google account.  

There's got to be a different reason your OS won't upgrade. 

[Susan Louise]

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@drizzellla wrote:

I will first admit I AM A DINASAUR.

I am still using Windows 10.

@drizzellla   Welp, I'm still using 'windows 7 home'...

[Tori3569]

Just to clarify, one can use any version of an operating system they want, including older versions of windows.  The issue is that Microsoft no longer updates features, security and can't resolve issues if one calls them.  If you're careful about security and don't click on links, etc. it will still work for a long time.  

[drizzellla]

Thank you SO MUCH!

@Snowpuppy 
@Susan Louise 
Thank you. for your reply. I  now feel better about not updating to Windows 11.

@Icegoddess I was just guessing about Google being an issue. Everyone in the household updated to Windows 11 awhile ago. I am the only one that can't. And I was the only one with Google password  issues and my phone. So I just guessed maybe that was the problem. Apparently it is something else.

@Tori3569 @ I only called Microsoft one time many many years ago, with our first tower computer. The issue was not resolved by talking to  Microsoft. So not being able to call them would not be a concern.

[SilleeMee]

I would never use an old electronic device where all of my personal information is kept. Shopping, banking or anything to do with my money, my medical records or my personal identification info would be out there for the world to steal. It's just not safe if you don't have an up-to-date system to protect your info...especially in this day and age.

[gardenman]

Are older operating systems safe? Eh, maybe? In general, hackers look for the OS that most people are using. Finding a vulnerability in the OS that 90% of the people are using gives you way more opportunities for chaos than finding an issue in an OS that 3% of the people are using. If the OS was up to date when it lapsed from updates, the big holes, if there were any, would have likely already been found and patched. Could some new vulnerability pop up? Sure. But if the hackers haven't found it by now, you're probably pretty safe. And, bear in mind, a newer OS might also have a vulnerability that can be exploited.

When my mom was in a local nursing home ten years ago, they were still using Windows 95. That was twenty years after its release. They had additional security software in use, but the OS was ancient by modern standards. They might still be using it.

There is no absolute safety with data. A one or two-year-old OS is often your best overall option, as any big issues likely were already found and patched. A brand new OS might be the most risky. A very old OS might be pretty safe, if it was fully updated before support ended. The hackers have likely moved on to a more widely used target by now. 

Everything is risk/reward-based. If you understand the risks, then keep using your older OS. Lots of other people will be doing the same thing. The reward is you're not spending money to upgrade.