If you are happily using a Windows 10 PC without any issues, you may want to consider an upgrade to Windows 11 to avoid the latest problems plaguing the older operating system. There are reports that older Windows 10 hardware won’t open some basic Microsoft apps recently, leaving users unable to perform simple tasks and access apps such as Calendar, Calculator, and Photos.
Users have been met with error message pop ups when trying to open apps, with updating the system and uninstalling and reinstalling the apps not fixing the issue.
As spotted by The Register, a long thread on Microsoft’s support site details the issues. Frustrated Windows 10 users seem to be on older desktop PCs and laptops that until now have been functioning perfectly, only for new gremlins to rear their heads in recent days (the issue was first flagged on 23 January).
Curiously, the problems don’t appear to have been following a Windows system update, so it’s unclear why older machines are suddenly not able to run some of these Microsoft apps. Some of the reports note the use of older hardware such as Intel Core 2 Duo and Quad processors that first went on sale in 2006, The Register noted.
That makes these PCs 18 years old – which is quite old for a Windows computer – but it still doesn’t explain the error messages.
When Microsoft first released Windows 10 in 2015, it somehow managed to convey to the world that it would be the last ever version of Windows – many took that to mean they would never have to upgrade, and Microsoft has done a decent job of allowing Windows 10 to live on despite the release of Windows 11 in 2021.
New Windows PCs are generally now sold with Windows 11 installed, and Microsoft has confirmed Windows 10 will cease being supported from 14 October 2025. Despite this, reports have emerged recently that suggest new Windows 11 features, such as the Microsoft Copilot AI tool, could make their way to Windows 10.
It’s possible Microsoft is rethinking its approach to sunsetting Windows 10 users given the numbers show the number of Windows 10 PCs in use worldwide far outstrips Windows 11. Hopefully this latest bug will be fixed soon rather than being a sign of things to come.
