Have you ever wondered what if you just didn’t bother updating Windows ever? The day-to-day may not seem too different if you mostly use your computer for basic tasks but under the hood, you’re going to be putting yourself at a real disadvantage if you just stop updating.
For starters, your computer may actually lose functionality as time goes on. Microsoft updates Windows with two major updates per year and smaller updates in between as needed. This means that Windows should change dramatically over the coming years and in some ways it already has.
The Windows 10 operating system is already 5 years old and the current update is already substantially different from the launch edition with more customization options, a Linux subsystem, and dark mode in file explorer among many other changes. In fact, the upcoming Windows 11 upgrade, coming out in late 2021 is going to feature a sweeping visual redesign and optimizations. Also, the future software and drivers may not support older non-updated versions of Windows.
Let’s pivot and talk about the other big reason to keep your system updated, security. Newer Windows versions have given users more protection and security options. Even more important is that security holes are constantly being patched with updates.
You see, a piece of software is as huge and complex as the Windows operating system is bound to have security vulnerabilities. It’s simply impossible for the developers at Microsoft to know every single possible security hole ahead of time or how hackers will try to attack the OS in the future. Also, Windows adds more features which means that there will be new attack vectors meaning getting subsequent security updates in between major feature releases is extremely important.
To top it all off, outdated Windows versions including older builds of Windows 10 stop receiving updates from Microsoft after a certain period of time. Attackers are fully aware of this and often target systems running older operating systems because they know that any new security holes they find will never be patched.
So please run Windows updates regularly on your machines, at least once a week to keep it up to date.