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It is already May, and we are
getting closer and closer to the
th
July 29 deadline for a free up-
grade to Windows 10. (I have
not seen any indication that this
deadline will be extended; if not,
you will then be left with two av-
enues to acquire Windows 10
after July 29th. One is to buy a
new computer with Windows 10 preinstalled;
the other is to pay $119 for Windows 10 soft-
ware.)
th
According to a May 5 blog post on the Mi-
crosoft website, Windows 10 is now running on
300 million active devices around the world.
Given that estimates from other websites sug-
gest that 1.5 billion computers worldwide are
running some version of Windows, this repre-
sents about a 20% adoption rate.
Meanwhile, the Microsoft folks continue to
tweak Windows 10 – addressing issues identi-
fied by users, incorporating new features and
modifying existing features. For example, they
are making it easier for developers to bring
new apps to Store, and continuing to work with
Windows Insiders to test updates to the oper-
ating system. A “Windows 10 Anniversary Up-
date” is planned for this summer, for free to all
Windows 10 customers. To keep up with the
latest developments, check out Microsoft’s
Windows 10 blog at https://
blogs.windows.com/blog/tag/windows-10/.
As you ponder how to proceed (if you have not
already upgraded to Win 10), here are some
thoughts gleaned from various computer mag-
azines, newsletters and websites:
 There is no pressing need to upgrade from
Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. While Windows 7
is no longer covered by Microsoft’s Mainstream
Support, and will therefore no longer see
changes in product design and features, users
will continue to receive security updates and
3
have access to product-specific information
on the Microsoft website under Microsoft’s
Extended Support policy until January 14,
2020. Windows 8.1 will be covered by Main-
stream Support until January 9, 2018 and Ex-
tended Support until January 10, 2023.
 Per Windows Secrets, “Each new version of
Windows comes with better resistance to mal-
ware, and Win10 is no exception – especially
when combined with new PC hardware.” So,
if security is a concern there are potential ben-
efits to upgrading (and purchasing a new
computer)
 How tied are you to older application software
(business, games, personal) that will only run
on previous versions of Windows?
 How comfortable are you with the look and
feel of Windows 10, compared to your present
OS? (If you would like to try it out before de-
ciding, visit your local computer store and ask
for a demo. Or, check to see if you could use
a Win 10 computer at your library, or one be-
longing to a friend or family member.)
 You could also try both worlds. Continue us-
ing your current computer with its existing OS
and purchase a new computer running Win-
dows 10. This will allow you to ease into the
transition. Here are two options:
 If you are pretty sure you will stick with
your older OS for a while, you could
purchase an inexpensive Windows 10
computer as a secondary device.
Since Windows 10 is a very efficient
OS, it runs well for basic tasks on a
laptop with a Celeron processor and
as little as 2 GB of RAM (like the blue
HP Stream laptop I have demonstrat-
ed at LCACE meetings). However,
while my Stream has an 11.6” screen,
well-rated laptops with similar specs
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