EOL Archives

Winsage

March 24, 2025

Why Windows End of Life deadlines require a change of mindset

Organizations are increasingly concerned about the impending End of Life (EoL) deadlines for Microsoft applications and systems, with many large enterprises seeking advice on upgrading Microsoft Teams and legacy technologies. Key products like Windows 10, Office 2019, and Exchange Server 2019 will reach end-of-support by October 2025, prompting urgent decisions to mitigate operational, security, and compliance risks. Statistics show that as of January 2025, Windows 10 and Windows 11 each hold a 49.4% market share in the UK, indicating that half of all desktops are nearing their EoL. Dedicated EoL hotlines have been established to assist companies with migration strategies for applications approaching EoL, emphasizing the need for internal resources and expertise to manage transitions effectively. The industry-standard ‘R approach’ includes methods like rehosting and retiring applications to facilitate migrations. Organizations are encouraged to migrate out-of-support applications into secure environments rather than directly altering them, while remaining vigilant about EoL deadlines and the complexities of legacy systems.

Tech Optimizer

February 27, 2025

Upgrade strategies for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL and Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL 12

Standard support for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition and Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL version 12 will end on February 28, 2025. The final update for PostgreSQL 12, version 12.22, was released on November 21, 2024. PostgreSQL follows an annual major version release cycle, supporting each version for five years post-release. Upgrading to newer major versions requires careful planning and testing to ensure application compatibility. New features in higher PostgreSQL versions include performance improvements, enhanced security, and new functionalities. Aurora PostgreSQL now supports AWS Graviton4 instances, which provide up to 40% performance improvement over Graviton3 instances. Recommended upgrades include moving to PostgreSQL 16 or newer, with options for in-place upgrades, blue/green deployments, and out-of-place upgrades. Amazon RDS Extended Support allows continued operation on a major version beyond the standard support end date, available at an additional cost. Extended Support for Aurora PostgreSQL 12.x and Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL 12.x will incur charges starting March 1, 2025, and will cease upon upgrading.

Winsage

February 18, 2025

Windows 10 Approaches Its End of Life: What You Need to Know

Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will reach its end of support on October 14, 2025, meaning it will no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, or technical support. Users will be left vulnerable to malware and other cyber threats, and existing system issues will remain unresolved. Microsoft recommends upgrading to Windows 11, which offers new features, improved performance, and enhanced security. Users can upgrade to Windows 11 through Windows Update if their devices meet the system requirements. If not, they may need to consider new hardware. While Windows 10 will still receive security updates until the end of support date, it will not receive new features, prompting users to plan their migration to avoid security risks. It is advised to back up important data before transitioning to ensure a smooth upgrade process.

Winsage

December 9, 2024

The Countdown to Windows 10 End of Life: What IT Teams Need to Know

Microsoft will discontinue support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Extended Security Updates (ESUs) will be available for a maximum of three years at approximately per device. Windows 10 is currently the most targeted among older Windows operating systems, facing high-severity vulnerabilities. Organizations should conduct an asset audit, evaluate ESUs, migrate critical systems to the cloud, and establish a decommission plan for legacy systems. Morphisec offers a lightweight security solution for legacy systems, utilizing Automated Moving Target Defense (AMTD) technology to protect against advanced threats without the need for updates or internet connectivity.

Winsage

December 4, 2024

Microsoft reiterates that it will not lower Windows 11 requirements — A TPM 2.0 compatible CPU remains “non-negotiable” for all future Windows versions

Users with processors older than Intel's 8th Generation CPUs or AMD's Ryzen 2000 series will need to pay an annual fee for Extended Security Upgrades (ESUs) as Microsoft approaches the end of support for Windows 10. Windows 11 requires the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 for security, and PCs that do not meet this requirement will be ineligible for the new operating system. Currently, 61.82% of Windows desktop users are still on Windows 10. Users have options to either invest in new hardware, upgrade existing systems, pay for continued support, or consider switching to Linux.

Winsage

November 9, 2024

Microsoft doesn’t like you downloading Windows 10 even from official source anymore

Microsoft has expanded support for new Intel processors in Windows 10 LTSC 2021. Windows 10 will reach its end of support on October 14, 2025, after which Microsoft will charge for extended security updates. Microsoft is displaying banners on its website warning users about the impending end of life for Windows 10 and encouraging a transition to Windows 11. The support document advises users to consider purchasing new PCs for upgrading to Windows 11. The installation media requirements have been updated, removing references to DVDs and emphasizing the use of USB flash drives. The previous version required a USB flash drive, external hard drive, or DVD, while the updated version specifies only a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space. A product key may be needed, but many modern devices have the product key embedded in their firmware.

Winsage

November 8, 2024

Microsoft’s Next Upgrade Move—New Warning For 850 Million Windows Users

Microsoft is offering a paid option to extend support for Windows 10 by one year, pushing the end of support to October 2026. However, support for Windows 10 will officially end in October 2025, after which Microsoft will stop providing free software updates, technical assistance, or security fixes. The company's website now discourages downloading Windows 10 and encourages users to transition to Windows 11, which has seen an increase in adoption with approximately 50 million users switching in the past two months. There are around 850 million users still on Windows 10, with about 400 million likely using hardware that does not meet Windows 11 requirements. Additionally, about 50 million users remain on older, unsupported versions of the OS.

Tech Optimizer

October 22, 2024

Users remain on PostgreSQL 12 as end of life looms

Users of PostgreSQL 12 are facing an end of life (EOL) deadline in less than a month, with approximately 11 percent of operational PostgreSQL databases still using this version, released in 2019. PostgreSQL's support policy states that after five years, a major release receives one final minor update before EOL status. Recent data shows that around 7 percent of new PostgreSQL instances created in the last 90 days are based on version 12. AWS has announced that the Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-compatible edition, major version 12.x, will end standard support in February 2025, advising users to upgrade to version 13 or higher. The continued use of PostgreSQL 12 is attributed to the popularity of cloud database services and the complexities of upgrading applications. The PostgreSQL community released version 17 in September, but version 16 is expected to be the primary choice for users migrating from version 12. Users should be aware of changes in standards compliance and default schema object creation between versions 12 and 16 that may affect migration.

Tech Optimizer

September 18, 2024

Ubuntu Fixes a High-Severity PostgreSQL Vulnerability

PostgreSQL versions prior to 16.4, 15.8, 14.13, 13.16, and 12.20 have a high-severity vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-7348, which is a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the pg_dump utility. This flaw allows an attacker with object creation privileges to execute arbitrary functions as a superuser. Canonical has released security updates for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS, and 20.04 LTS, and the Debian security team has issued updates for Debian 11 and 12. The vulnerability also affects CentOS 7, Ubuntu 16.04, and Ubuntu 18.04, which are no longer officially supported. TuxCare’s Extended Lifecycle Support provides security updates for these older systems, including a recent patch for the vulnerability.

Winsage

September 3, 2024

Windows 11 is Now More Popular Than Windows 10 For PC Gaming

Windows 11 has surpassed Windows 10 as the preferred operating system for PC gaming, holding 49.17% of the gaming market as of August 2024, a 3.36% increase in one month. Windows 10 now holds 47.09%, down by 3.07%. Approximately 31% of desktop users have transitioned to Windows 11, while Windows 10 maintains a 64% market share among desktop PCs. Microsoft has introduced an Extended Security Update program for Windows 10, which will continue until its end-of-life in October 2025. The 24H2 update for Windows 11 has improved gaming performance, particularly for Ryzen processors, with boosts reported between 35% and 80%. Analysts expect Windows 11's adoption to increase as Windows 10 approaches its end.