Upon the Death of Windows 10

For those who may have skipped and ignored the constant warnings Windows has plagued your Win 10 machine with for the last year...today is basically Windows 10 last gasp and breath. Microsoft does not plan to further support it and wants it gone so they can force everyone into Win 11 with Co-pilot (their imbedded AI).

This does not mean that your Win 10 machine will suddenly stop working today, nor are we saying that you must update. However, like any system or software update, there will always be security and compatibility concerns (which is an entire and large subject all its own - so not for this blog).

We were starting to get people asking us questions about it, so...I asked our IT Man, what are your suggestions and he shared them with me. So, for those who want to know, the following are Mark's suggestions regarding updating to Windows 11. (P.S., your IT Man/Woman trumps ours until our software outgrows the old system and Mark has to issue an update to our system requirements.)

Yes, I recommend that any computer not run anything less than Windows 11 for desktop use because Microsoft is ending support soon. I would recommend doing this right away.

Although our software works great with Windows 11, some computers may have driver or other issues, and it's just plain different in some ways that may take time for users to adjust.

I would recommend that you reboot and do a backup and test your backup before you start doing any kind of upgrade or change, because there is a chance of complete failure during an upgrade.  You can call our support department and ask them to help you test your backup if your hardware technician cannot.

I would recommend that you have a professional do the upgrade for you. 

Even if your computer says you can't upgrade, in some cases a technical person may have the capability to do it anyway. You might not have to buy a brand new computer.

If you are hosted by us, your THOMAS is running on a supported operating system on our host, but it's still a good idea that your remote computer be updated.

If you need to buy a new desktop pc I like the micro PCs because of their small size and low price. Amazon has a lot of different varieties but I really have only used the Beelink brand myself. Here is an example of one on Amazon for about $320:  Beelink Mini PC SER5 Max 6800H AMD Ryzen R7 (Up to 4.7GHz) 32GB LPDDR5 500GB PCle4.0 SSD Mini Desktop Computer, 1000Mbps LAN, Wifi6/BT5.2,HDMI/DP/Type-c/4K Triple Display Windows 11 Pro Micro PC.  Your technician will need to make sure your monitor and keyboard connections will work. You may also decide to add a second NVME/ssd/hard drive for more storage if needed. I like the Logitech brand webcams if you do video conferencing. 

This recommendation is not really for self hosted server use for a busy office. Please check with your technician for their recommendations for your size and SQL Server usage.