There will be no more security updates for Windows 10 from mid-October 2025. However, many computers cannot make the switch to Windows 11 and therefore do not get the free upgrade. Even if only small things are missing, the reason for this is not easy to narrow down, because Windows only reports in its compatibility test that the switch will not work with the computer, but not why. As soon as Windows 10 expires, many computers will have had their day and be scrapped.
So far, the legislators have not been able to deal with this problem. The current legal situation does not take into account that software has a decisive influence on the durability and longevity of devices. The ecodesign regulation only affects the placing on the market of new products. Existing devices are not included, as the Federal Ministry of Economics clarifies, for example.
At the end of March 2023, the Commission published its proposal on the “right to repair”, which stipulates that hardware should be repairable for longer – but this does not help if new software makes it unusable. Since January 1, 2022, there has been an obligation to update digital products and software. Manufacturers of digital devices must provide a secure operating system and software updates for a period of time that “can be expected as reasonable” by buyers. However, the Commission has not yet given an exact timeframe for this, and the obligation to update does not solve the problem either.
