July 2026 Microsoft ESU Update (again) and Backups
A customer informed me yesterday that Microsoft has done what they said they wouldn’t do, and that is to allow Windows 10 users to have another year on the Extended Security Update program (ESU). It seems they decided to do this with no fanfare whatsoever, and somehow it passed me by, probably because I am not in the habit of checking every few days if they have done something they said they wouldn’t. Then last night I received an email from Microsoft telling me they had done so. So, I can only apologise wholeheartedly to anyone out there who has recently bought a new computer having taken advice from me on this subject. That said Microsoft’s announcement is only delaying the inevitable.
So to those of you who want to continue with Windows 10, you can do so reasonably safely as long as you are on the aforementioned ESU, which you should be anyway, as otherwise, it would have been unsafe since last October. Users who are already enrolled in the ESU program have their coverage extended automatically with no action needed.
If in doubt run Windows Update and it ought to tell you if you are in it or can be in it. A reasonably simple way to do this is to click the Start menu button (usually at the bottom left corner) and type check. It should bring up Check for Updates which you can then click)
While I have your attention, it seems worth bringing up the subject of Backups. I often set up semi-automatic backup mechanisms for customers, and the reason is fairly obvious. Just ask yourself how bad it would be if you lost all your documents, pictures, music, videos etc? Should your PC fail, that stuff can often be recovered and transferred to a new computer, or to your repaired one, but if your hard disk drive fails, what would you do without all that stuff. And sorting out repairs or replacements can take time that you might not have if you are running a business or working on something important.
The answer is simple. Make backing up a regular feature of your computer activity. Regularly transferring those precious files to a memory stick or external drive or even another computer can be quite straightforward and worth the effort. If you don’t do backups, perhaps you should consider how bad it would be if you lost those files.
If you need help setting up a backup, you know where I am.