windows 10 – Valley Techlogic

Planning a tech refresh ahead of the Windows 10 support ending? Here are our six best strategies

Microsoft officially announced that support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025. While that may sound far away, businesses that rely on Windows 10 across their devices need to start planning now. Waiting until the last minute can mean rushed decisions, unexpected costs, and potential downtime, which is something no organization wants.

At Valley Techlogic, we’ve helped countless Central Valley businesses through smooth technology transitions, and we know how important it is to plan ahead. If your company is still running Windows 10, here are our six best strategies for preparing your tech refresh.

Take Inventory of Your Current Environment

Start by identifying which machines are still running Windows 10 and which may already be compatible with Windows 11. This step helps you avoid unnecessary purchases and ensures you only upgrade what’s needed. An inventory audit can also uncover outdated hardware, unsupported software, or security gaps.

Evaluate Hardware Readiness

Not every device that runs Windows 10 will support Windows 11. Requirements like TPM 2.0 and specific processor generations may prevent older PCs from upgrading. If your business has hardware that won’t make the cut, it’s best to plan replacements now, rather than scrambling in 2025.

Budget and Phase Your Refresh

Replacing or upgrading multiple devices at once can be expensive. By starting early, you can phase in new equipment over time, spreading out costs and minimizing disruption.

Consider Cloud and Virtualization Options

For some businesses, moving workloads to the cloud or implementing virtual desktops can reduce reliance on on-site hardware. Utilizing a service like Windows 365 (a cloud PC option) could be a more cost-effective solution than replacing every PC.

Strengthen Security Along the Way

End of support also means no more security updates from Microsoft. That makes staying on Windows 10 after October 2025 a serious risk. As you refresh your devices, it’s also a good time to review your company’s cyber security landscape, from endpoint protection and email security to backups and multi-factor authentication.

Partner With an IT Provider for a Smooth Transition

Technology refreshes are complex, especially when tied to a major operating system change. An experienced partner like Valley Techlogic can guide you through the process, ensuring you select the right devices, configure them correctly, and migrate your data without downtime.

Don’t Wait Until October. The sooner you start planning your Windows 10 exit, the smoother your business will transition. Whether it’s a phased rollout of new PCs, upgrading to Windows 11, or exploring cloud options, Valley Techlogic can help your business stay secure, productive, and ahead of the curve.

Are you ready to start your tech refresh plan? Contact Valley Techlogic for a free consultation today and let’s make your upgrade stress-free.

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This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on X at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

August 29, 2025

Windows 10 reaches EOL October 2025, and those who don’t upgrade may have to pay

Windows operating system end of life events are a big deal, with 1.6 billion active Windows devices as of 2024 Microsoft still holds a commanding lead over any other operating system provider. Even though Windows 11 was released almost 4 years ago at this point, it still only represents 28% of the global Windows market share (with 70% still using Windows 10).

There are a lot of reasons for this, from users being comfortable with the Windows 10 interface to many devices that simply aren’t Windows 11 ready (interested in a Windows 11 device in 2025? Here’s our guide).

Users hanging onto a previous version of Windows until the bitter end is nothing new for Microsoft, Windows 7 still had a 12% market share when Windows 11 was released October 2021 (almost 2 years since it’s own EOL date occurred).

In the past, Microsoft has released critical security updates even for systems no longer receiving support. Users could also purchase optional extended support plans for devices that can’t be upgraded for one reason or another (the keyword being “optional”).

Now Microsoft has announced for the first time ever that consumers looking to extend the life of their Windows 10 devices – or just remain on the operating system they prefer – will have to $30 for a single year of Extended Security Updates (ESU).

Businesses will be charged even more for ESU, $61 for the first year with the price increasing steeply every year beyond 2025 – $122 for the second year and $244 for the third year respectively. This does not grant Windows 10 users the ability to receive support from Microsoft for these devices, it only means they will still receive critical and important security updates.

Microsoft has been pushing Windows 11 adoption and we will likely see a stronger market share as consumers replace older devices especially as more AI ready devices become available on the market and Microsoft users look to also take advantage of Co-Pilot.

There are also some compelling reasons not to use a device that’s reached EOL that go beyond user preference (and the first is covered by this article):

Lack of Security Updates: EOL devices no longer receive critical security patches, leaving them vulnerable to cyberattacks and malware.
Compliance Risks: Using outdated devices can lead to non-compliance with industry regulations, potentially resulting in fines or reputational damage.
Performance Issues: EOL devices may struggle with newer applications and workloads, leading to inefficiencies and reduced productivity.
Increased Maintenance Costs: Aging hardware is more prone to failures and often requires costly repairs or workarounds to maintain functionality.

If navigating Windows 10 EOL in your office in 2025 keeps you awake at night, Valley Techlogic can assist. Whether it be evaluating whether your office devices are Windows 11 ready or procurement assistance, we are experts at helping our clients make strategic choices in the technology hardware used by their business. Reach out today to schedule a consultation.

Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

January 3, 2025

Another blow for Windows 7 and 8 hold outs, Steam announces they’re ending support for these devices January 1st 2024

You might be thinking, why is Valley Techlogic a business IT service provider reporting on this? While it’s true, most of our content is aimed at our client base which is business owners, there is of course some overlap between that community and the gaming community. There is also the looming topic of what this signifies for those continuing to use outdated versions of Windows – business owners and gamers alike.

The latest news from Steam officially announcing they’re cutting off support Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 devices on January 1^st 2024. On that date the Steam client, which is how users access their games, will stop working on these devices. That’s because portions of the Steam client rely on a version of Chrome that has also ceased support for those versions of Windows as of February of this year.

While Steam users still using Windows 7/8/8.1 are a minority at less than 3% of the total client base, around 7% of the population is still using devices featuring these operating systems (which doesn’t sound like a lot but represents millions of people). For context, Windows ended support for 7 as of January 2020 and for 8 and 8.1 January 2023.

One of the obvious downsides which is connected to today’s news, beyond being unsupported by Microsoft themselves these operating systems will no longer be supported by the software platforms you use regularly, and they may cease functioning on those platforms altogether.

There is also consequences to remaining on these operating systems that can fall way beyond losing access to your favorite games, without Microsoft support these devices are subject to more severe and more frequent security threats than modern operating systems that are still being actively supported.

The WannaCry ransomware is one obvious example of ransomware that’s targeted these devices, infecting an estimate 16 million devices so far. The fix for this ransomware is restoring the device but that may be difficult on older machines still running Windows 7 and 8. You also run the risk of your device failing just because the components have reached their maximum lifespan.

We always recommend replacing older devices BEFORE they fail because recovering the data on them is never a guarantee (especially without expert help).

This especially includes servers, with support for Windows Server 2012 R2 ending October 10, 2023. Recovering the data from a server that has failed or been compromised can only be accomplished by experts – and the data recovery for servers is often lengthy and expensive.

If you’re not sure of the end of life dates for your Microsoft products are coming up, here’s a chart you can keep as a reference:

Microsoft End of Life Dates Coming up in 2023/4.

It can be difficult to know whether you should update your device to the latest operating system, or if it needs to be replaced altogether. Your devices may technically run Windows 10 but if you have an older hard drive, or the device is more than 8 years old it probably makes sense to replace it instead.

For businesses looking to replace older devices, we have partnered with both Dell and Lenovo and can help you navigate the process as well as give you access to the discounts and special offers available to us. Reach out today for a consultation.

Also stay tuned, next week we’ll dive into whether it’s worth upgrading or replacing your on premises server or if it makes sense to move your data to the cloud and bypass a hardware purchase altogether.

Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

March 31, 2023

New Year’s resolutions for business tech in 2023

The new year is upon us and with that comes the opportunity to make needed changes to outdated technology within your business.

Our clients are usually split on when they want to make changes – for some it’s that mad dash towards the end of the year and for others it’s the fresh mindset that comes after the 1^st of January. There really is no wrong answer when it comes to a tech refresh and any move you make will have lasting benefits that increased security protection and less chance of an outage bringing your office to a standstill.

This can mean hardware or software upgrades but usually means both, and with Windows Server 2012’s end-of-life date occurring in October of this year we anticipate there will be many trying to replace their primary office server before that time. If you have a server current running Windows Server 2012 it probably will also need to be replaced (keep in mind the 2012 reflects the year it came out, so even if you bought your server a few years later it will still be older than the 5 year recommended lifespan for most servers).

We don’t want to only focus on servers though, here are a few other New Years technology resolutions you can make for 2023:

Move away from software that has reached end-of-life or is no longer supported. Windows Server 2012 Isn’t the only operating system that has recently reached end-of-life, Windows 7 is also no longer supported by Microsoft. Even peripherals such as switches or networking gear such as routers can have end-of-life events and will no longer be updated by the manufacturers.
On the same token, consider moving more to the cloud. More and more of our clients are moving away from traditional in office servers by switching to online storage. There can be an upfront cost to doing this but it’s still often less than purchasing a brand new server if your existing one is on the outs. As a bonus all future maintenance will then fall to your cloud provider.
Increase your security measures in the New Year. There’s no better time than the beginning of the year to begin tackling cyber security measures you wanted to put in place last Year over year the risks continue to increase so why not begin 2023 knowing your business is safe from a cybersecurity attack?
Again in the same realm, begin or strengthen employee training on technology topics. As your employees come back from the holidays why not implement short training measures (our tool takes just 15-20 minutes a week) that could drastically reduce your risk?
Finally, don’t let fear of a recession slow your growth. You may be shying away from making hardware purchases due to fear of a recession, but if existing outdated hardware is already slowing your business down from the productivity level you hope to have not replacing it soon could do more harm than good.

If you’re not sure where to start with any of these topics, we can help. We’re currently offering a 2-hour service call absolutely free.

Here are a few ways we suggest using this service call to put your business in a better position in 2023:

If you would like to learn more about our free service call offer, or would like a consultation on our services you can book one here today.

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This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

January 6, 2023

With Windows 11 out now, how many people are still using Windows 7?

Windows 11 arrived this year to a somewhat muted response that mostly can be attributed to a tempered rollout – many machines that would have been eligible for a Windows software upgrade in the past were deemed not eligible for the enhanced requirements found in Windows 11. The end-of-life date for Windows 10 is still a way off (October 14, 2025) but a surprising number of people are still using Windows 7 which had it’s end of life event over two years ago now, on January 14^th, 2020.

However, according to GlobalStats Windows 7 still has an almost 12% operating market share. While many of those are probably unused machines that still equates to a large percentage of Windows 7 users over 2 years past it’s end of life date.

When an operating system is discontinued by Microsoft that means they stop providing support and updates for it, including security updates that protect users from ongoing threats. Even the FBI has strongly warned against continuing to use Windows 7 as it can make you an easy target for cybercrime.

It can be challenging to move away from a system you know well and at this point upgrading probably means also purchasing new hardware, which during the microchip shortages exacerbated by the pandemic could be no small task (or expense). However, there are deals to be had on hardware now in 2022.

It can be also difficult to find software that’s supported on an older operating system as updates are made to make them compatible with the latest generation of operating systems.

We know that for some of our clients it’s actually the reverse, they’re utilizing a line of business software that no longer is being maintained or updated by the provider, but it still functions for their business. The caveat being they must use it on an older machine that hasn’t been updated.

There are several inherent risks to this, including the first one being that that machine is an obvious choice as a threat vector for would be bad actors. The tenuous relationship between that software and the hardware that deploys it is also ripe for failure the longer you wait to replace it. Securing older hardware to be able to continue to use a discontinued line of business software will also be a significant challenge as time goes on.

We’ve touched on comfort and convenience between prime motivation to continue using an unsupported operating system, but there’s also the technology challenge of deploying new hardware and software within your business. A major rollout is best left to the experts who can smoothly retrieve the data from your devices and help you make the transition to newer hardware.

At Valley Techlogic, we can even help you with procuring that hardware and making the best software choices for your business. This includes servers as well. Here is a list of the next 5 Windows end-of-life dates that you should be keeping an eye out for.

If for some reason you just can’t part with an outdated operating system at this time, here are three tips that will make it slightly safer until you are able to replace those devices:

Make using an anti-virus and firewall a priority. This won’t offer you complete protection as many threats will seek to undermine the unsecured status of the device, but it’s better than being completely unsecured.
Login to important accounts from another device if possible. We would not suggest logging into sites such as your banking website from a device this far out of date from updates.
Utilize network-based mitigation strategies. This is again not foolproof strategy but separating your Windows 7 or other end-of-life devices from the rest of network will offer a slight buffer in the event the device(s) are compromised.

Need assistance migrating away from devices that have reached their end-of-life date? Valley Techlogic can help, we’re a certified Microsoft partner and experts in all things Windows. Reach out to us today for a quick consultation to learn more.

Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

July 15, 2022

Windows 365 and the Pros and Cons of Virtualization in Cloud Computing

One of the big announcements that coincided with the news around Windows 11 was the arrival of Windows 365, Microsoft’s new cloud PC product.

Windows 365 is an easy to use, cross device cloud computing solution. You log into a Windows 10 virtual PC (Windows 11 should be available soon) and it’s already pre-loaded with the Microsoft 365 suite of tools and ready to go.

The best part is it’s not restricted to whatever device you’re logging into, the Windows 365 instance you log into from work is the same one you can log into from your home device.

You can even access increased computing power. You can configure a Windows 365 instance that has more processing power than the device you’re logging in from. It also includes one of the main benefits of cloud computing, the ability to easily roll back to a previous instance. Accidentally deleted a file you’ve been working on all day? Roll back to an earlier instance to easily recover it.

It’s also beneficial to the security of your business, if you have employees that work from home it can be difficult to manage devices that aren’t under your office network. You can have these employees instead log into their Windows 365 instances and you know that the rules are the same across the board (and that they’re benefitting from the Microsoft 365 advanced security features).

Pricing for Windows 365 starts at $28 per month for a setup that’s best for low intensity office work all the way up to $162 per month for an 8 Core model with 512 GBs of shortage. Pricing leads us to the discussion of the pros and cons to virtualizing your office.

5 Pros of Virtualizing Your Office Are:

Increased Availability: As we mentioned, your Windows 365 goes wherever you do. The beauty of the cloud is it’s available everywhere and as most cloud computing products have an uptime guarantee.
Easy to Setup: With Windows 365, many of the applications you use are already preloaded. You can also have your IT team set up the instances ahead of time, so your new employees don’t have to waste a day installing the programs they need to use.
Data Security: This one applies to servers as well but having a cloud backup for both your devices and office server increases your data security through redundancy.
Disaster Recovery: On the same topic, if something happens to the device your employee logs in from or your office server, the data is still safe in the cloud which means little to no downtime.
Efficient: You can apply policies and updates to all of your Windows 365 instances at once, no managing updates one computer at a time.

The cons you may encounter are:

Start Up Costs: Most of the costs around cloud computing is related to the storage you need, and some of these costs are ongoing. When you buy a device it’s usually a one time purchase, but you also have to think about the costs associated with maintaining the device. With cloud computing, maintenance costs are deferred.
Availability: While most providers have a guaranteed uptime, there can be times where the service is down. Also, your internet connect will matter a great deal when it comes to connecting to your cloud instance. Backups may take longer if you have a poor internet connection at your office.
Limitations: You can spec out any kind of machine you like to fit a specific purpose, but with virtualization you are limited to what’s available and setups for the most common use cases are going to be what’s highly available.

Here are a few other ways you can use Windows 365 in your business:

Interested in learning how Valley Techlogic can help your business create a virtualization plan? Learn more today with a quick consultation.

Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

This article was powered by Valley TechLogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

June 17, 2022

10 things you can do today (yes today) to make your business’s network safer

There’s an onslaught of information aimed at internet safety and most of it lets be honest, falls on deaf ears.

Most people online today feel like they’re technology savvy enough to avoid the scams out there (unfortunately at least 1 out of 6 are wrong) and even if you acknowledge tech falls outside your scope of expertise you’re still at risk.

The good news is we have a list of 10 things you can do today even if you’re technologically challenged that will make a major impact on the network safety in your office.

Confirm your backups are working. Backups are one of your best defenses against ransomware, especially if you have an archival copy which is a backup copy that’s made once and then tucked away until you need it (usually behind layers of security, like with our TechVault solution).
Security awareness training for you and your employees. When we know better, we do better. Many security awareness training programs are implemented in bite size doses that are easy to squeeze into your day. It’s easier to avoid a phishing scam if you’ve seen the obvious examples through training.
Speaking of phishing scams, don’t open suspicious emails. We’ve talked a lot about this topic including how to spot a phishing email, but email scams are one of the top ways hackers can infiltrate your network.
Upgrade software that’s reached End of Life (EoL). If your office computers are still on Windows 7 it’s definitely time for an upgrade and technically you can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free. While other upgrades may not be free, it’s still a good idea to get rid of software that’s no longer being supported by the vendor.
You should also make sure all the software you need to stay safe online is installed on your devices. Programs can go missing or just not be reinstalled if a computer needs to be wiped for whatever reason, you should make sure important software such as anti-virus detection is installed on all of your office computers.
While you’re at it, it’s time to serious think about Multi-Factor Authentication. We always hear a collective groan when this topic comes up, but password managers have become much easier to use and can even make logging into the various sites you use to work easier. Here are our top picks.
Remove any devices you’re no longer using from your network. Besides being a waste of electricity, devices connected to your network that aren’t being used can be vessels for infiltration if they’re not being kept up to date via patching etc. Get rid of them!
Have a plan for reporting suspicious activity. Do your employees know what to do if they receive a suspicious email or their computers acting “funny”? Having a plan documented somewhere (even if the only advice is “Contact our IT service team”) can mean a cyber threat event is recorded and dealt with instead of just ignored because they didn’t know what to do.
Have an office password policy guide as well. It’s a good idea to have a guide for passwords available to your employees, especially if it covers what not to do such as having your phone number or any other PII (Personal Identifying Information) as your password.
Know when to ask for help. This list is a good place to start but if your business has no IT help now (or possibly worse, inadequate help) it’s a good idea to call in the experts. Calling Valley Techlogic for a free consultation is another step you can take today to improve the safety of your office network.

Here are 5 things all Valley Techlogic Plans includes:

Want to learn more? Reach out today for a free consultation and learn how Valley Techlogic can specifically support your business’s technology.

Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

This article was powered by Valley TechLogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

June 9, 2022

Microsoft’s Windows 11 finally has an official release date, and more Windows 11 updates

Microsoft finally has an official release date for their first operating system release in six years, it will be released October 5^th, 2021. Windows 11 will be a free upgrade to Windows 10 users – if you’re not already a Windows 10 user we urge you to upgrade while it’s still available and free.

This means that the release is just over a month away and the buzz surrounding it is only continuing to amp up. We had word last week that while Windows 11 may work on older computers, you may be prevented from completing updates as normal.

Microsoft is drawing a line in the sand when it comes to not supporting old hardware. We talked about the specifications required in this article a few weeks ago and nothing has changed on Microsoft’s end when it comes to those required specifications so far. They’ll also be unveiling their own hardware lineup that will feature Windows 11 on September 22^nd.

There are even some indications you not only won’t get software updates, but you may not get security patches either, although they’ve proven to be somewhat soft on that stance on the past when it comes to unsupported copies of their operating systems. Either way with chip shortages and other pandemic related shipping delays this may be a tricky time for those looking to upgrade but realizing they don’t have a machine with the hardware capable of supporting the new operating system.

Another thing we now know is that even though the Android support found in Windows 11 was a heavily lauded feature, it won’t be there at launch. All of the other showcased featured will be there but the Android support will come later in the year, although a preview of it should be available to Microsoft Insiders soon.

If you’re wondering how you’ll know when Windows 11 is available to you or whether it will be difficult to figure out, you need not worry. Microsoft is aiming for a “phased and measured” launch and will prompt users via the Windows Update system that the upgrade to Windows 11 is available.

It won’t be available to all PCs and laptops right on October 5^th however, they’ll be slowing releasing it in waves dependent on your computer specifications, the age of your device and other factors. It’s been noted though that some users will have to wait until 2022 to receive the upgrade.

That should give users plenty of time to sort out any of their hardware related questions and for those on the fence about upgrading, time to see how it fares for other people first.

For business users, who often opt for the pro version, the choice to upgrade can require more thought and planning then simply clicking the upgrade button when it pops up. We’ve made this chart that outlines the differences between Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro.

One other big difference is that going forward Microsoft is requiring home users to tie a Microsoft account to their Windows installation, but this Isn’t a requirement for Pro users, you can just set up your computer with a local account.

It will be interesting to see what other details are released as we continue to creep closer to the October release. If you’ve got Windows 11 on your radar for your business Valley Techlogic can help with the planning, we’re a certified Microsoft partner and help businesses all over the Central Valley manager their Windows applications, both for PC and server. Learn more today.

Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

This article was powered by Valley TechLogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

September 2, 2021

Microsoft 365 and Office 365 prices are going up, when and by how much?

We’ve been on a roll lately discussing the changes and products being rolled out by Microsoft this year, primarily Windows 11 which should be launched this fall. Last week Microsoft announced a price increase to their ubiquitous business products, Microsoft 365 and Office 365.

Office has been a business staple since it’s launch in 1989 (although Word predated the Office grouping of products quite a bit, launching in 1983). The original launch set was Word, Excel and Powerpoint but the product line up has exploded since then including other must-have features such as Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and more. For many business users the Office suite of products is their go to collaboration and productivity center.

Microsoft 365 was announced in 2017 and aimed to take things up a notch and out of just the business productivity center of activity, bringing many Windows specific cyber security features to the table as well as expanding the usability for remote employees.

It also expanded the ease at which IT administrators can manage their office’s users in a Windows centric environment. The outcome was an all-in-one platform for business users especially that brought functionality, safety and security, and collaborative work processes together in unison all for one easy to budget for monthly fee.

But as with many online services, fee increases are to be expected (remember when Netflix was just $7.99 a month for the standard package?). Microsoft however has bucked this trend for quite a while, pricing has been the same since Office 365 was launched in 2011.

In that time, they’ve added untold value in the way of product innovation all for no increased monthly fee, so this price increase is both expected and possibly overdue. It’s also expected to be just a few dollars more for each product category, so you won’t need to worry about a drastic price hike. Have a look at our chart below to see what to expect.

As you can see the price increases are moderate and shouldn’t result in a drastically higher overall IT bill for most users. If you’re in the education sector you won’t have a price increase at all, and consumer products will also stay the same price at this time. These price increases are expected to go into effect March 1, 2022.

One thing that’s worth mentioning is the program Microsoft has for non-profits, if you own or operate a non-profit organization you can receive your Microsoft products at a deeply discounted rate. This includes Microsoft 365 and Office 365 subscriptions. We have helped our non-profit clients navigate this in the past to great success, if you’re a non-profit in the Central Valley area feel free to reach out to us for more information.

We also assist businesses with their questions when it comes to the Microsoft line or products or their Windows desktop and server machines, we’re a long time Microsoft partner and consider ourselves experts when it comes to navigating even the most complex setups. We even include the subscriptions we discussed in today’s article within our all-inclusive plans to reduce our customers IT spending to one easy to read monthly bill. Find out more today.

Looking for more to read? We suggest these tech articles from the last week.

This article was powered by Valley TechLogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

August 26, 2021

Windows 11 updates as the fall release rapidly approaches

While it hasn’t been made official yet, all sources seem to indicate an October 2021 release of Windows 11 is eminent. That date would track with previous release schedules and merges nicely with the big feature updates that always occurs around that time for mainstream Microsoft products.

As we inch closer, and the beta versions reveal new details we want to continue our coverage of new features that are being announced as well as specification requirement updates that may impact your future device purchases (or device upgrades).

For example as of August 2021 here are the minimum specifications to run Windows 11:

Processor:1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with at least two cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or SoC
RAM:4GB
Storage: 64GB
Graphics Card:DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
Display:720p, 8-bit per color channel, at least 9-inch diagonal

These requirements are published by Microsoft but are still subject to change as the release nears. Also, computers currently running Windows 10 may not have the upgrade available to them as soon as October hits. It seems likely that new machines will be released featuring Windows 11 at that time but the free upgrade for Windows 10 running machines may come later in 2022.

If you would like to try Windows 11 for free right now you can do so by joining the Microsoft Insider program. This program allows you to preview you Windows releases before they’re pushed out to the market, and you can take part in the Microsoft community to see what others are saying about Windows 11 in real time.

Another option if you would just like to get a feel for the UI without downloading anything is a widget that was created by Github user BlueEdgeTechno. This Windows 11 simulator lets you access all the UI navigation elements and even browse through the new Microsoft Store. You can find it here: win11.blueedge.me/

Also making a comeback in Windows 11 are Windows widgets. These widgets are AI determined, meaning your use of Windows 11 will help Microsoft dynamically choose widgets that will give you a customized Windows experience. Widgets such as weather and news as well as 3^rd party widgets that you may have available on your Android and OS devices will all be possible options.

Windows 11 is also making it much easier for users (even those not technically inclined) to keep track of the health of their device. With the new health check feature you can see at a glance how your machine is performing including applications that may have higher than normal battery usage or how much space is available on your SSD.

Windows 11 is expected to be a free upgrade from Windows 10. If you’re still using Windows 7 or 8 on your device, we urge you to make the jump to Windows 10 while it’s still available as a free upgrade. You can learn how to take advantage of that here. We realize upgrading can be a complex task for businesses, especially if a number of machines are involved. You can schedule a consultation here and we can help you create a plan to bring your office computer software current.

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August 18, 2021

Tag: windows 10