E-waste or Linux? Charities face tough choices as Windows 10 support ends

In a nutshell: As Microsoft prepares to end free security updates for Windows 10 in October, a significant challenge looms for charities that refurbish and distribute older computers to those in need. With an estimated 240 million PCs unable to meet the stringent hardware requirements for Windows 11, these organizations face a difficult decision: provide potentially insecure Windows 10 systems, send them to e-waste recyclers, or explore alternative operating systems like Linux.

Microsoft's requirements for Windows 11 include a 1GHz or faster CPU with at least two cores, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, Secure Boot capability, and TPM 2.0 compatibility. However, the supported Intel CPU list only goes back to 8th Gen chips, introduced in 2017, while the AMD list includes Ryzen 2000 series and above.

This means many relatively recent and powerful computers are ineligible for the upgrade, despite having ample RAM and storage.

"Deploying Windows 10 at this time is a bad idea," Chester Wisniewski, director and global field CISO for Sophos, told Tom's Hardware."The writing is on the wall. Microsoft has made the internal decision to obsolete this equipment, so I guess they just don't want more people to use Windows."

Wisniewski notes that Windows 10 and Windows 11 share a largely common codebase, meaning vulnerabilities patched in one can often be exploited in the other. On recent Patch Tuesdays, dozens of vulnerabilities were addressed, with some already being exploited by criminals before fixes were available.

Besides the security implications, charities that remain on Windows 10 must consider other risks, such as compliance.

For instance, charity shops using Windows 10 for electronic point-of-sale systems will face potential compliance issues with regulations like GDPR once support ends. Non-compliance can result in significant fines, damaging the charity's reputation and financial stability.

The issue of e-waste also looms large, with only 14 to 40 percent of US electronic waste being recycled. This could lead to an estimated 1.06 billion pounds of e-waste, equivalent to the weight of 320,000 cars. When electronic devices are not recycled, they can end up in landfills, where toxic substances like lead, mercury, and cadmium can leach into the soil. The contamination affects soil quality, making it unsuitable for agriculture, and poses risks to drinking water supplies and aquatic ecosystems. Additionally, burning e-waste releases harmful fumes into the atmosphere.

This amount of e-waste isn't just impacting the environment. According to the UN, the net annual economic cost of e-waste is $37 billion. Unless improvements are made to e-waste management and policies, it is expected to reach $40 billion by 2030.

Despite these concerns, many users will continue running Windows 10. According to Statcounter, Windows 10 still accounts for 58.7 percent of all Windows installations, compared to 38.1 percent for Windows 11. The likelihood of all these systems being upgraded or replaced by October is low, and even fewer users will opt for Microsoft's Extended Security Update program, which costs $61 per year.

Tom's points out that charities like PCs for People are taking steps to avoid this issue. CEO Casey Sorensen explained that they discontinued distributing Windows 10 a year before the cutoff and now focus on Linux Mint for older systems. "We will distribute Linux laptops that are 6th or 7th gen. If we distribute a Windows laptop, it will be 8th gen or newer," Sorensen tells the publication.

PCs for People refurbishes 140,000 PCs annually, offering affordable options to low-income individuals and sending older units to recyclers.

Sorensen notes that attitudes toward Linux have changed over time. "Ten years ago, if we distributed Linux, they would be like 'What is it?'" he says. Today, many users view their computers primarily as gateways to the internet, making user-friendly Linux distributions like Mint more acceptable.

However, Linux still lacks some popular applications, such as Microsoft Office and Slack, though alternatives are available.

As charities navigate the challenges of obsolete systems, they must balance the need for secure computing with the environmental impact of disposal. Whatever path they choose, it's clear that many users will continue running Windows 10 beyond its support lifecycle, leaving them vulnerable to emerging threats.