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July 21, 2025July 21, 2025

Windows is dead, but still breathing cash

The new Extended Security Updates (ESU) 2025

Microsoft just launched a new necromancy-as-a-service program.
Officially, Windows 10 dies on October 14, 2025. But with ESU, it can limp along till 2028 — a solid business decision if you’re not quite ready to bury your operating system.

💀 Is Windows 10 really dying?

Yep. After Oct 14, 2025, you get:

  • ❌ No more security updates

  • ❌ No tech support

  • ❌ No apologies for 10 years of update drama

Unless you pay. In which case, you get Extended Security Updates — band-aids for a zombie OS.

💰 What is ESU?

Extended Security Updates (ESU) is a paid subscription:

  • 🛡️ Critical and important security patches

  • 📅 Annually renewable (for up to 3 years)

  • 💸 Pricing escalates each year — think SaaS, but for legacy

Timeline:

Year Status $$$
2025 EOL $0
2026 ESU Year 1 $
2027 ESU Year 2 $$
2028 ESU Year 3 $$$ + a meeting with Nadella

🧓 Who’s actually buying this?

  • Governments — still running Access 2003

  • Banks/factories — with brittle embedded stacks

  • Paranoids — scared of Windows 11’s TPM + Ads + AI + Widgets

🤖 Where’s Copilot?

  • ✅ Built-in on Windows 11

  • ❌ Not part of Windows 10 ESU

  • You’re basically watching Netflix with a 2011 show — no “skip intro”

🛠️ Technical Details

  • Patches via Windows Update, WSUS, or Configuration Manager

  • Azure AD devices supported

  • ESU managed through Azure Arc, which means telemetry. Everywhere.

🧠 General Advice

  • Prep for 2025. Audit every Windows 10 machine in your infra

  • Know your licensing: ESU, Azure Arc, or Windows 365

  • Or go rogue — Linux is a free pain in the same neck

💡 Why is Microsoft doing this?

  • Because money

  • Because enterprises hate Windows 11’s hardware requirements

  • Because even pirates want legal-looking paperwork

❓ What if Microsoft changes its mind?

They won’t.
ESU is a compromise — a jittery rollback for companies who aren’t ready to move on. You’re vulnerable, but now it’s “official.”

“If you’re not paying for the patch — you’re at risk. If you are paying — you’re still at risk, just on paper.”

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