Hi all if I do not upgrade to win 11 what problems could I have I only use computer for surfing the internet, emails and information will this cause me problems?
Viruses, hackers and trojans. Your computer may become insecure, so any personal information like passwords and access to banking may be compromised, your computer may become a source of infection to others and may be used as part of a bot net.
Apart from that it should be fine. 
It may do - especially on the internet security side. After October this year MIcrosoft will not be releasing any more updates for Windows 10, including security patches. So your computer may become increasingly more vulnerable over time.
Also you will find that other software companies will not provide updates that are compatible with Windows 10 eventually.
If your computer is capable of being updated to Windows 11 then that is the simplest solution, obviously.
If it’s not, you could probably switch to a different operating system such as one of the flavours of Linux, since Linux is usually less demanding of hardware than Windows or Mac OS. But there will be a fair amount of hassle and a learning curve in doing that of course.
From another forum:
To install Windows 11 using Rufus, you’ll first need to download the Windows 11 ISO file and Rufus itself. Then, use Rufus to create a bootable USB drive with the ISO file, potentially bypassing hardware restrictions if needed. Finally, boot from the USB drive on the target computer and proceed with the Windows 11 installation.
Steps to install Windows 11 with Rufus:
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Download Windows 11 ISO: Obtain the Windows 11 ISO file from the official Microsoft website.
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Download and Launch Rufus: Download the latest version of Rufus from its official website and run the application.
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- Select USB Drive: Plug in your USB drive and select it within Rufus.
- Select ISO Image: Click the “Select” button and choose the downloaded Windows 11 ISO file.
- Choose Image Option: In the “Image option” dropdown, select “Standard Windows Installation”.
- Partition Scheme: Select the appropriate partition scheme (GPT or MBR) based on your target computer’s UEFI or BIOS settings.
- Target System: Choose the appropriate target system type (UEFI (non CSM) or BIOS or UEFI (CSM)).
- Volume Label: Give your USB drive a descriptive name.
- Start: Click “Start” to begin creating the bootable USB drive.
- Bypass Options (Optional): Rufus will likely present options to bypass Windows 11’s hardware requirements (TPM, Secure Boot, RAM, etc.). Choose these if your target computer does not meet the requirements and you want to proceed with the installation.
- Complete the Process: Rufus will format the USB drive and copy the necessary files.
- Boot from USB: Insert the USB drive into the target computer and restart it.
- Enter BIOS/UEFI: Access the BIOS/UEFI settings (usually by pressing Delete, F2, or F12 during startup).
- Set Boot Order: Change the boot order to prioritize the USB drive.
- Install Windows: Save the BIOS settings and the computer will boot from the USB drive, initiating the Windows 11 installation.
- Follow Instructions: Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows 11, including selecting your language, time zone, keyboard layout, and user account options.
This video explains how to create a Windows 11 bootable USB drive using Rufus:
If you just don’t want W11 then Linux is a better choice. I’d suggest Mint Mate as a minimum learning curve option.
Thank you ancient_mariner for your reply, I think the easiest for me is to get a recon computer with
Win 11 installed, saves weeping and gnashing of teeth, cheers
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I switched to linux mint, havent looked back. So many of the programs you would be used to have the equivalent available in linux. Loads of good YT videos to look at for information but I took the step after those in the know on here suggested it.
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I used XP for about 4 years beyond the cut off period, thankfully without problems. I suspect this time around there will be a great many people still using Windows 10 for some time to come, partly because many computers (mine included) are told they’re not adequate enough for the new upgrade. I know you can force the install, but it feels like a calculated risk.
I believe you can pay for updates for the first year (should be relatively cheap), getting more and more expensive each year until the landfill sites get cluttered with everyone’s old machines.
Great, I could convert many to linux and begin the decline of microsoft. The Danish government have switched I believe, enough of MS’s nonsense.
I’m sure Linux is great (I’ve heard good things), but some software is incompatible, plus there’s the additional learning curve.
Firefox is still supporting Windows 7 (until September of this year), so I reckon browsers will continue to support Windows 10 for some time to come. If you’re careful with anti-virus protection, and not downloading dodgy files, I suspect there wouldn’t be too many problems running Win10 for some years to come. I’ll probably end up using mine for a couple more years before I consider a new machine.
As there is with every new version of windows. Where there is incompatabilty of software there are linux alternatives and more coming on all the time.
I haven’t the courage to see if it works for me or not, because if it doesn’t it would be a real ball-ache. I’ll probably wait for Windows 12 to be released.
You can as I did set up the dual boot system pretty much std setup with linux to experiment which is what I did. That way my machine can be either whilst I settled in to discovering linux features.
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There’s mission critical applications still running on it (and even W95) buried in many organisations 
I second the use of Linux Mint. It’s a very polished version of Linux and is easy to use. Linux Mint will extend the life of older computers and will have long term security updates. It also won’t have the bloatware that comes with Microsoft Windows. Highly recommended!
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Still in 2025? I assume these systems aren’t connected to anything outside their organisations though, that would make them easy prey?
Yes, generally little apps or internal interfaces that have worked forever and then cause chaos when they eventually fall over.
To be honest, I’m probably a bit out of date, but in my day whenever we took over the operation of large infrastructure the initial audit usually surfaced something. Which was swiftly remediated 
I wonder just how many large in-house run sites there are that never bothered with such audits.
I’ve ex colleagues still in the game and still winning deals, next time I bump into one I ask if they are still finding time bombs in the basement.
Incredible to think a US airline company was still using it, but I guess they got the last laugh.
The meme was funny. ““Well, well, well. Look who needs ol’ Southwest Airlines now because all of our systems run on a single Commodore 64 in a warehouse in Arlington. Go to hell.””
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The reality is that nothing will happen, there is a lot of fear mongering on the subject.
It is true that you won’t get security updates, and if you use windows defender it will not get signatures updated but you can mitigate both of these by using a third party browser which will continue to receive updates and a third party virus scanner, ditto.
In any case if you don’t mind opening a M$ account, and accumulating some rewards points you can spend 1000 of then on a year’s extension to your updates. Apparently it is trivial to gain the required number of points.
And if you want to use the opportunity as an excuse to explore Linux, all the better.
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Some banking systems and many POS systems still use Windows XP and Windows 95. A case of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
See my answer above. Really, it is happening.
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Too true