The Free Extra Security Updates for Older Computers Stop This Month. What Now?

If your office still has computers on the older version of Windows, the free year of extra security updates finishes this month, and after that those machines stop getting fixes for new security holes. They will still turn on and work. But each month they fall further behind, and running them becomes a problem for your cyber insurance and your obligations under the Privacy Act. The job now is to work out which machines can be upgraded, which need replacing, and the order.

What actually stops

The older version of Windows reached the end of its normal support last year. Many home and small business machines were then put on a free one year extension, which kept the security fixes coming while people sorted out what to do. That extension ends this month. From then on, when a new weakness is found, no fix is released for those computers. Criminals know this and actively look for machines that have stopped being patched.

What keeps working

The computer does not stop. It starts, your programs open, email arrives and printing works. That is exactly why people leave it. Nothing looks broken. The risk is invisible until the day it is not, and by then it is usually the whole office.

Why it matters for insurance and privacy

Cyber insurance policies commonly require that you keep systems supported and patched, and an unsupported computer on your network can give the insurer a reason to decline a claim. Separately, the Privacy Act requires a business that holds personal information to take reasonable steps to protect it, and running software that no longer receives security fixes is hard to argue as reasonable.

How to check if a machine can upgrade

1. Open the Start menu and search for PC Health Check. It is a free app from the maker of Windows that tells you whether the computer can run Windows 11. If it is not installed, it is a quick download.
2. Run it and read the result. A green tick means the machine can move to Windows 11 in place, keeping your files and programs. A red result usually means the processor or security chip is too old.
3. As a rule of thumb, machines bought in the last seven or eight years usually pass, and older ones usually do not.
4. Write down the result for every computer in the office.

Your three options

Upgrade in place. If the machine passes the check, the upgrade is free and usually takes an hour or two. Back up first.

Replace. If it fails, a new computer is the right answer. A machine that cannot run the current version of Windows is already old enough that its speed is costing you time.

Pay for a short bridge. Paid extended updates exist for businesses that cannot replace a machine yet, such as one running specialist equipment. Treat this as breathing room, not a plan.

An order of priority for a small office

So the order is

1. Any computer that holds customer or patient records or does the banking.
2. Any computer used for email, because email is where attacks arrive.
3. Shared machines at reception or on the counter.
4. Everything else, including the machine that only runs the label printer.

What to do next

Run the check on every machine this week and make a list. We help small offices with this as part of hardware and office setup, including choosing replacements and moving files across, and the wider patching work sits under cyber security.

Will my computer stop working this month?
No. It keeps running. It just stops receiving security fixes, which is the part that matters.

Can I keep using an unsupported computer if it is not on the internet?
That is far safer, and it is how old machines running specialist equipment are usually handled. Keep it off the network.

Is upgrading in place risky?
Rarely, as long as you have a backup first. Most upgrades finish cleanly with everything where it was.

If this is happening in your business and you would like it sorted, call DM1 on (08) 6202 6012 or send us a message. We look after IT, Microsoft 365, websites and domain names for Perth small businesses.