Ten years after its release, Windows 10 will soon be over

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For the release of Windows 11, we looked at the then new operating system from a gamer's perspective. Many statements from our GameStar talk are still valid today.

We recently wanted to know from you which operating system you primarily use. Although Windows 11 has now been on the market for over two and a half years and switching from Windows 10 is offered free of charge, the older Windows is still ahead for you.

Sooner or later, however, it is strongly advisable to turn your back on Windows 10.

Why this is important: The official support period for Windows 10 ends on October 14, 2025, about 18 months away.

Since Microsoft will no longer provide security updates from this point on, it will become increasingly important to change the operating system.

In detail: In our current survey about your operating system, Windows 10 was in first place with 53.8 percent.

Windows 11 follows in second place with 42.1 percent. Linux takes third place with 2.6 percent, while Windows 7 only has 0.6 percent.

The survey and its results follow immediately. Please note that the exact numbers may change compared to the dates mentioned above because participation is still possible. But the trend is likely to remain the same.

• Development over time: In the course of our last surveys, Windows 11 is fighting its way forward.
  • In February 2023 the proportion was 30 percent, in October 2023 it was 35 percent and now it is the aforementioned 42 percent. But Windows 10 has always remained the front runner.
• Comparison with Steam: Also according to the last one Data collection from Steam Most players continue to rely on Windows 10, with an almost identical distribution to ours.
  • The older operating system is therefore at 54.4 percent, Windows 11 reaches 41.6 percent.

Possible hurdles when changing

One aspect that could make switching to Windows 11 more difficult in some cases is the increased system requirements.

• This primarily affects two functions from the security areaSecure Boot and TPM or that Trusted Platform Modules from version 2.0.
• Older hardware often supports both. However, the corresponding functions are not always activated in the PC's BIOS. In such a case, the installation of Windows 11 will be prevented in the first step.
• It is possible to install Windows 11 without checking the PC to support these featuresfor example with the tool Rufus. But you can only do this at your own risk.

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We ignore the Windows warning not to turn off the PC and strange things happen (illustrated in this video using Windows 11 as an example, but this applies equally to Windows 10)

Are the differences between Windows 10 and Windows 11 big?

At their core, the two operating systems are very similar, but there are quite clearly visible changes that can be unusual at first without adjustments.

Are all my programs and games running as usual? The probability of this is very high, but there is never a guarantee. We recommend that you back up at least important data to be on the safe side before switching.

You can find useful tips for installing Windows and an article dedicated to the six most important differences between Windows 10 and Windows 11 here:

What's next for Windows? After there were initially rumors that a possible Windows 12 would be released in 2024, this will not happen as things stand. This year, however, the release of the next big update for Windows 11 called 24H2.

You can find out more details about the update and the approximate release schedule in the article Windows 11: The biggest feature update of the year is rolling.

Source of the teaser image used in part for this article: stock.adobe.com – M. Schuppich