Long Live Windows 10… With 0patch (5+ more years of support)

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https://blog.0patch.com/

End of Windows 10 Support Looming? Don’t Worry, 0patch Will Keep You Secure For Years To Come!

October 2025 will be a bad month for many Windows users. That’s when Windows 10 will receive their last free security update from Microsoft, and the only “free” way to keep Windows using securely will be to upgrade to Windows 11…

Leaving a Windows 10 computer unpatched after October 2025 will likely open it up to the first critical vulnerability within the first month, and to more and more in the following months. If you plan to do this, at least make sure to make the computer hard to access physically and via network…

With October 2025, 0patch will “security-adopt” Windows 10 v22H2, and provide critical security patches for it for at least 5 more years – even longer if there’s demand on the market….

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AJNorth, BobbyB, windbg

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Bit slow there Alex!
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/0-patch-to-continue-windows-10-micropatches/

cheers, Paul

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Geo, Alex5723

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Since Microsoft already put out their pricing for the 2025 W10 continued security updates here are the prices per unit for Microsoft and 0 patch. Microsoft $61 first year, $122 second year, $244 for the third year. Microsoft quotes from Windows Central. 0 Patch micro-patches $24.95 per unit each year for 5 years. Both probably will have pricing for businesses when it gets closer to EOl.

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windbg, Cybertooth, cmar6, Alex5723

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Incorrect.

Microsoft has published details of its Windows 10 Extended Security Update programme for commercial and (separately) education organisations ONLY:

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/when-to-use-windows-10-extended-security-updates/ba-p/4102628

Details of the W10 ESU for CONSUMER users “will be made available closer to the October 2025 date for end of support, approximately one year before the end of support for Windows 10.”

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Since  0-Patch will be so much cheaper, why wouldn’t everyone go with them rather than MS, assuming the 0-Patch solution is just as robust and safe?

Does anyone have experience with 0-Patch so far? I once tried to use the free version but it didn’t patch anything. Perhaps the paid version is more effective?

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The paid version covers a ton of things that the free version doesn’t. I have a Vista laptop on 0patch and there are a few patches that apply to it, but the Windows 7 PC that I have on paid 0patch gets dozens of micropatches.

I’m dubious of the value of the free 0patch, but then we tend to get what we pay for.    The paid version of 0patch, on the other hand, is well worth the money IMHO.

And to answer your question: the reason no doubt is that relatively few people are aware of 0patch, compared to Microsoft. In my view, it’s largely a matter of marketing and consumer awareness.

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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Opatch cover for Windows 7 hasn’t been available for free, you have to have the paid version which from memory was about £24 per annum in the UK for the two or three years I used it. In that time I had no problems, and their micro-patch system meant I was free of the monthly Russian Roulette that we know as Windows Updates as well as the accompanying feeling I always get in the pit of my stomach until everything reboots ok.

I haven’t used their existing Windows 10 support, but will have no hesitation in doing so when necessary.

I suspect a major reason why not everyone will use 0Patch despite clear advantages in doing so will be the same as with Windows 7. Too many users and commenters will remain unaware of 0patch and will peddle the falsehood that you must upgrade (downgrade?) to Windows 11 on the due date or be at immediate risk of catastrophe. A lot of users will fall for it. I lost track of the number of posters on other forums I had to correct regarding Windows 7 by pointing out that it wasn’t security support that was being withdrawn, it was free security support.

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windbg

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If anyone contemplating – Opatch PRO – is interested, This is what my Dashboard looks like today after my 2nd recent Renewal – A Low-techie, I installed it from an AW recommendation and per Alex’s post will stick with W10 as long as practical…..

W10 Pro 22H2 / Hm-Stdnt Ofce '16 C2R / Macrium Pd vX / GP=2 + FtrU=Semi-Annual + Feature Defer = 1 + QU = 0

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Geo, Cyber and Self have convinced me to try paid 0-Patch right now. I have Win 10 22H2 on a LAN.  Are you guys saying that I can pay $24.95 per system for 5 years protection for my Win 10? That sounds too good to be true but I’m ready to try it if I get the all clear from y’all.

 

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It’s 24.95 Euros (not dollars) per computer per year.

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cmar6

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With @DrBonzo’s proviso that it’s 24.95 euros a year and not US$24.95 a year—yes, you can get that level of protection from 0patch for up to five years.

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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Does one have to pay for 5 years in advance?

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I’m not aware that you can pay for more than one year at a time. I’ve been getting billed on an annual basis.

Here is the 0patch page showing the various plans and their prices.

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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samak, cmar6

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cmar6, it’s not clear what approach you took but as a current ‘Free’ 0Patch user on my Win10 2H22 system, let me explain my approach.

Firstly, the paid version is only of value for Windows versions ‘out 0f support’.  You don’t need their patch system if Microsoft is still  supplying patches. So I’m using the free version currently,

The ‘free’ version does, however, supply patches for ‘supported’ systems that have issues not currently fixed by MS. Hence my ‘free’ system has 3 patches applied at every boot for 3 spooler system patches identified but not yet fixed by 2H22 Winupdate patches.

In effect, I’m testing the product continuously while I wait for Win 10 support to run out.  The product also shows me but doesn’t patch [because it’s the free version] other known unpatched issues; in my case several patchable issues in my Office 2010 modules.

So I’ll run it continuously in ‘free’ mode until OCT25 and then start paying as I have no intention of going to Win 11…

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cmar6

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Julian:
I’m currently covered till 10/2025 on my systems. But based on your experience, will get 0patch free in around 8/2025 so I can get used to it, though I may have some questions for you then.

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cmar6 wrote:

Geo, Cyber and Self have convinced me to try paid 0-Patch right now. I have Win 10 22H2 on a LAN. Are you guys saying that I can pay $24.95 per system for 5 years protection for my Win 10? That sounds too good to be true but I’m ready to try it if I get the all clear from y’all.

I used 0Patch Pro with Windows 7 and with Windows 10 22H2.

24.95 Euros is per year per 1 PC.

3 years Microsoft ESU = $427
5 years 0Patch Pro = 124.75 Euros

* A crucial point to know : 0Patch doesn’t change/add/replace any system file. 0Patch loads and changes files only in RAM leaving original files intact.

..We are reinventing software patching.

0patch Agent, our mighty little patching machine, watches over all processes running on the computer. When any one of them is found to have a patch available, that patch is immediately applied to the process in memory without disturbing that process…

0patch does not replace executable files or modify them in any way. It corrects them only in memory, which can be done without relaunching them…

After Microsoft fixes a bug.. 0Patch doesn’t load its “fixed” patch.

https://0patch.com/

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windbg

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“0patch does not replace executable files or modify them in any way. It corrects them only in memory, which can be done without relaunching them…”

Alex, that’s weird. Doesn’t that mean that all patches cumulatively have to be “patched” in RAM by 0-Patch every time one boots up?

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cmar6 wrote:

Since  0-Patch will be so much cheaper, why wouldn’t everyone go with them rather than MS

If you use a product certified to work on Windows (US tax return software is the classic example) you may not be able to use 0patch.

cheers, Paul

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a, NaNoNyMouse

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Paul,
I don’t understand. One still has Windows 10 on the system. It’s just that it gets security patches via 0-Patch instead of MS.
Are you saying that some (tax) software may check not only that you have Windows but that you have an updated Windows patched by MS?

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My tax software does not work with any EOL version of the Operating System. It will not work with Win7 or Win8.1, even they are up to date with patches through ESU, O-Patch, or otherwise. My Win10 will work for 2024 taxes in April 2025, but I will not be able to do 2025 taxes as Win10 will be EOL before they are due.

It’s a security thing. The tax s/w companies don’t want to deal with insecure s/w, and they don’t check what you have past the OS version.

3 users thanked author for this post.

windbg, a, cmar6

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PK:
Thanks for the on-target, precise answer to this conundrum. So one’s main system should be an up to date Windows one. However, it seems reasonable to use 0-Patch for an older Win 10 system where one is not doing critical tasks.

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Huge thanks for that info Paul T and PKCano!!!

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cmar6 wrote:

Alex, that’s weird. Doesn’t that mean that all patches cumulatively have to be “patched” in RAM by 0-Patch every time one boots up?

Yes. That’s how it is done. 0Patch should always run (just like A/V software..)

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DrBonzo

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Won’t that affect performance after 5 years worth of patches?

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cmar6 wrote:

However, it seems reasonable to use 0-Patch for an older Win 10 system where one is not doing critical tasks.

Millions are running critical tasks on Windows 7 and unsupported Windows 10 versions.
Some software may require using only non-EOL OS versions.

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DrBonzo wrote:

Won’t that affect performance after 5 years worth of patches?

None. The OS remains the same. 0Paches micro patches hardly influence performance if any.

2 users thanked author for this post.

DrBonzo, Cybertooth

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0Patch CPU, GPU, RAM usage.

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DrBonzo, Cybertooth

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Since my pc has TPM1.2 I’m going to try 0Patch. While it would be good to have a newer CPU, my PC is still working fine and I can’t justify spending the money on a new machine for W11. In 5 years they’ll have even newer CPU’s, so I’m gonna hang tight with W10 for now.

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If you are a home user doing non-work related stuff I would suggest running Windows 11 bypassing the hardware requirements with Rufus.  If your machine ran well with Windows 10 – in other words, SSD, at least 8GB of RAM, 64-bit, it will likely run very nicely.  Make a full image backup first.  No need to do it yet, might as well wait until October 2025 I guess.

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Rob Kay

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Except that I don’t believe we know for sure whether W11 on a non-qualifying machine will receive security updates do we?

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Mine has gotten updates for several months now.  If it stopped I could go back to a Windows 10 backup (and then consider 0patch), but it is in Microsoft’s interest to provide Windows 11 updates widely for many reasons, making it appear it has large market share, avoiding bad publicity from incidents, so I don’t expect any problem.  Note – very old machines without sse4.2 are going to have problems with windows 11 next release.

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Yes they do.  They may have to be helped with the feature releases (I just go to the ISO download page) but my test one that isn’t 11 official gets security updates.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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I agree, stick to what you know and take care via 0patch.

As long as you have a valid image backup and tested recovery process you will be fine.

cheers, Paul

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Cybertooth

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thanks heaps

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For some reason I was looking at this again. For ’23 I used freetaxusa.com (Firefox but I forget whether Linux or Win). I just had to copy in 2 numbers from my Schwab 1099 – cost and sales or some such. I also paid a little extra to do the state as I am lazy. Both were accepted very quickly. Don’t need windows for tax stuff any more (used to be wedded to turbotax!). So I don’t care whether win 10 goes past service. No idea if I will go with 0patch but I can decide that in late ’25, if needed. When needed. Edit: and as advised by AskWoody!!!

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