Despite its impending end of support, Windows 10 remains the dominant operating system in Russia. Due to existing restrictions, many users are unable to upgrade to Windows 11. The question arises: what alternatives are available, and how safe is it to continue using «the ten»?
The era of Windows 10 is drawing to a close, with official support ending on October 14th. This signifies the cessation of monthly security updates and feature enhancements. Consequently, computers running this OS will become more vulnerable to viruses and other cyber threats. Users still on Windows 10 are advised to explore options for transitioning to Windows 11.
Microsoft offers several pathways for this transition. The first is a direct upgrade to Windows 11. The second involves purchasing a new PC with Windows 11 pre-installed, an option that has already spurred a 9.5% year-over-year growth in the global PC market during the third quarter. The third alternative is an annual subscription for extended Windows 10 updates via third-party services, priced at $30 per year. However, for residents of Russia, Belarus, and other countries where direct official registration is restricted, unofficial workarounds exist, though these come with inherent risks, as noted by Oleg Kapranov, head of the «Technologies» project at «Rossiyskaya Gazeta» and author of the «Toxic Digital» channel:
«Legal interaction with Microsoft is currently severely hampered by the company itself. Therefore, using their products today is, in general, at the user`s own risk. From this perspective, when we talk about the company withdrawing official support for certain products, these risks double, because, on the one hand, we already had many vulnerabilities due to a lack of updates and the inability to purchase legal keys. People were buying broken, pirated, or corporate keys of unknown origin. Now, with support completely ceasing, it will be quite sad. Therefore, if possible, it is better to buy a device with the latest generation operating system pre-installed, i.e., Windows 11, and use it while there is such an opportunity.»
Thanks to its deep integration with cloud services and familiar interface, Windows 10 remained the most popular OS among Russians for a long time; as of September, it was still installed on every second computer. Many ordinary users might prefer to stick with the older version. Andrey Blinov, an analyst at ICT-Online.ru, shares his perspective:
«I simply recall how long users stayed on Windows XP and `Seven` after Microsoft stopped updating and supporting those operating systems. It seems to me that even without upgrading to Windows 11, remaining on `the ten,` with proper additional use of various information protection tools like antivirus software, is quite acceptable for ordinary users. Not everyone updates Windows every time an update is released. Many know that minor updates often contain vulnerabilities that the company later patches. Some simply wait a while to check for any serious vulnerabilities before updating. Others just don`t like to bother with it much and simply live without updates altogether. There`s a risk in this, but it`s not critically high. The optimal option, of course, I would consider simply transitioning to Windows 11. Currently, Microsoft is actually less competitive than it has been in the last 20 years or even more. Many users are looking at various Linux systems, including Russian ones. Therefore, slowly but surely, the percentage of users who prefer Windows is decreasing.»
Experts note that while a decade used to bring fundamental changes to operating systems, progress in certain hardware market segments is now moving in the opposite direction. Consequently, many users are indeed abandoning Microsoft products in favor of Linux-based systems, including domestic developments.
