I recently took a look at my Mum's desktop to see if we could use it to play some of my Steam backlog. Unfortunately, it turns out she's still using a HP machine from 2009. So, not only may Steam be a no-go, but Windows 11's stringent system requirements also rule out an easy OS upgrade when official support ends for Windows 10 on October 14. All too soon, my Mum's carefully looked after Windows 10 machine will be left in the dust—or will it?
While I could talk my Mum through side-stepping those pesky Windows 11 system requirements, there's now a much easier option—sticking with Windows 10 for at least another year. It turns out that if my Mum simply logs into Windows using her Microsoft account, she can enroll in extended security updates (ESU) for Windows 10, keeping her OS up to date and protected for free until October 13, 2026 (via Bleeping Computer).
