Why do I need to download a 'new' version of Windows 10?
My computer has recently been nagging me that my version of Win10 is "reaching its end of service soon" and that I need to download a newer version to continue to get support.
I am working with a Dell Precision 3530 running Windows 10 Pro. I've been getting updates right along whenever they come available.
In all my years of using computers, I've never had to download a "new" version of the OS that I'm already running. Has MS quit renaming newer OS's and just decided to stick with Win10 as a name?
I also can't find anywhere how big the download would be and I'm on a limited connection. Does anyone know the size in gigabytes? Why are they doing this as opposed to just sending me more updates? Do I even need to worry about it?
Windows 10 is different from older operating systems. It comes with Feature updates that require you to download and update. Microsoft advised us of this strategy some years back and (so far) our Operating System is Windows 10 Version xyz.
You can see what version you are on in Start > Settings > System > About. If you are at V1909 or earlier, you need to do a Feature Update to get to V2004 or V20H2 (now the current version).
For individuals (not businesses), you cannot disable this feature permanently. You can stop updates (pause updates) for a short while and schedule restarts to "off" hours. That has proven valuable to me as I am never interrupted by unscheduled restarts.
If you need to do a Feature update to get current, it is about a 3 GB download.
Once you are at Version 20H2 (the current version) Microsoft has said updates will become smaller. That seems to be true on my machines.
Smaller updates have been made possible by utilizing a new process called "Feature Update through Windows 10, version 20H2 Enablement Package". Microsoft is including core components for the future to spread out and somewhat reduce the downloading and installation time.
To get the enablement feature, it is best overall to get to Version 20H2 and then the enablement feature will be automatically installed.
A good reference for this discussion above is here:
Windows 10 Enablement Feature
Going forward: It is easiest overall to keep your system up to date by planning and utilizing Patch Tuesday. This is the second Tuesday of each month. It is good to plan for this and doing the monthly updates. I have found this to be easier than waiting for once or twice each year. Patch Tuesday keeps security up to date as well.
Bear in mind that older computers (usually over 7 or 8 years old) may not accept the most current Windows Update. Microsoft has (common source of information) about 16 Million computer / driver combinations. As they fix the older driver issues, they will update as soon as is practical. Some computers just reach end of life.
Follow up Note on Enablement 3/21/2021: At the time I posted this answer and again this evening (3/21/2021) there have been small cumulative Windows 10 Updates (causing restarts which can be scheduled). Microsoft is very apparently working on the enablement features. It does appear to be a work in progress.
Has MS quit renaming newer OS's and just decided to stick with Win10 as a name?
Generally yes, for multiple reasons. One of them is that they’ve finally managed to get it into a state where they can do in-place system upgrades reasonably quickly, relatively reliably, and (almost always) without losing user data.
More concretely, they have shifted from the product name being ‘Windows’ and the release name being either a codename (such as Vista or XP) or a number appended to that, to having the product name being ‘Windows 10’ (to distinguish it from previous releases) and the release indicator be something reported separately (because most ‘normal’ users don’t care and don’t need to care about the exact release they are running).
Does anyone know the size in gigabytes?
It’s a differential update (normally), so we really can’t be certain because we don’t know exact details of your system and what updates it will get. Given that you’re roughly two years out of date, it may end up being quite large.
‘Normal’ feature updates on the regular six month schedule are averaging around 3GB these days, though the next one is probably going to be smaller as they are not adding any major new features.
That said, you can also update by getting a copy of the Windows 10 installation media for the most recent release. It’s a pain to download these if you are running on Windows (MS tries to force you to use their ‘Update Assistant’ tool, which will largely do exactly what Windows Update would do, you have to spoof your user agent string to get around this), but if you can get physical media that will work too (just make sure it’s recently produced and from a reputable supplier). Just insert the media and try to run it like you would a CD in an older computer, you should get something offering to update your existing install.
Why are they doing this as opposed to just sending me more updates?
They are sending you more updates, they just finally managed to wrap their heads around the concept of handling updates that bring you new features independent of those that fix bugs or security issues. This is pestering you about the first type, not the second, while normal ‘updates’ are the second type.
It’s important from a manageability perspective for MS as well that you have these latest feature updates, because it means they don’t have to test any of those security and bugfix updates on older Windows 10 releases, which makes it less likely that they will run into issues that make it harder to fix things properly.
Do I even need to worry about it?
Yes, you should worry about it. Not getting off of this old release of Windows means you will stop getting security updates, and that newer software may not work correctly (or may not work at all).
Security
The very most important reason for updating Windows 10, or any software for that matter, is to fix critical security issues.
Of course, given the nature of software, as old bugs are fixed, new ones are introduced, so you always run the risk of updating to a less secure version than what you had before. However, generally speaking, the security improves over time. If you decide not to update the software you use, which is something you can do with practically any piece of software, including Windows 10, the chances of your system having a significant, publicly known vulnerability increase over time, quite rapidly. There are many places with a very rigid infrastructure (i.e., financial and medical institutions) that often suffer very serious damages from relatively primitive attacks simply because they do not keep their software up-to-date. Contrary to popular belief, every hour matters, which is precisely why Windows 10, to their users' great displeasure, force updates to be installed ASAP.
Software at the level of operating systems is so vastly complex that it is practically impossible to keep it perfectly secure and without bugs.
This is why running important software with discontinued support is very risky, even though the diehard Windows XP and 7 fans would have you believe otherwise. There are so many publicly known exploits related to just slightly outdated operating systems and low-level services that if you are connected to the Internet, you may as well assume that your system was compromised.
Many people blindly rely on anti-malware, but when it comes to the vulnerabilities I mentioned, it is utterly useless and only gives you a false sense of safety. When a new kind of exploit emerges, it takes the anti-malware companies quite some time to figure out how to detect it. It is very much possible that an update with a fix to the vulnerable software is available before the malware can even be detected, assuming there is any malware to detect, to begin with.
Performance/Stability
As software and hardware develop over time, all sorts of drivers, services, middleware, and libraries need updating to allow the best possible performance. Oftentimes, a driver update can improve the performance of older hardware simply because it introduces an optimization they have not thought of before. Most of the Windows 10 updates are not really updates to the core of the operating system, but rather updates of the accompanying software, typically with the intent of improving performance, stability, security, or all of those. These, at least in theory, do not typically require any interruption of the user's workflow (read: system reboot), and they can be just as important as core updates.
The "feature" updates are a bit harder to justify, but it is all in the name of, presumably, a better user experience.
Versioning
Finally, yes, Windows 10 were always supposed to be the somewhat final stop for the Windows line, at least for a while. They were advertised as such since as far as I can recall. If I were to guess, Microsoft has figured out that most people do not care about operating systems and could not be bothered to upgrade on their own, so the only time they buy a license is with a new computer. This way, they can save effort by selling and supporting just one major version of an operating system, which kind of further reduces room for bugs.
Choosing not to get updates is in many ways like choosing not to get vaccinated because of the small inconveniences that come with it. Sure, the forced reboots are annoying, but for regular users, they should be quite rare. Sure, there is a risk of making your system more vulnerable. However, in general, the benefits far outweigh the risks.
I have been running the Insider stream of Windows 10 builds since the Windows 10 Insider program was first announced over a year before the Windows 10 release and I have never found the reboots to be a major issue. If you have reasonably fast storage, the update installation almost always takes under five minutes, including both reboots. I am not sure about this, but I believe I receive these large updates at least twice as often as regular users, and even then I hardly even notice them. Compared to the endless iOS updates, Windows 10 updates are like a breeze.
Was going to add it as a comment, but it ended up being a little too hefty. As a small addendum to what others have already said:
Has MS quit renaming newer OS's and just decided to stick with Win10 as a name?
It's less that Microsoft has switched to keeping "Windows 10" as a name, and more that they've switched to a "Windows-as-a-Service" model. Here's a docs article where they explain your core question:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/update/waas-overview
Do I even need to worry about it?
Not to scare people away from ever updating but: I've seen a lot of issues caused by Windows 10 updates.
If you read the actual article, particularly the "Quality updates" section, it would lead you to believe that Windows 10 should have "more consistent updates with less unexpected issues". However, I've dealt with clients that had updates on multiple machines which deleted data from user folders, uninstalled applications, removed essential drivers, etc. I never noticed this problem to the same extent on the older versions of Windows, nor on Linux.
What I definitely recommend is ensuring that you've got important documents backed up prior to any major Windows 10 update (and doing reguar backups is honestly just good advice in general). And just to be on the safe side, I personally wouldn't even leave any external drives attached during the update process, lol.
As a bit of a hot-take:
From a business perspective, I understand Microsoft's decision here; but as a techie I really don't like the removal of user-choice when it comes to the administration of your own system though (even if this only applies presently to "Windows Home Edition"). By declaring Windows as a "service" rather than a "product", Microsoft have basically said that you are only afforded as much control over your system as MS decides you need. Whether that bothers you, depends on the individual.
If you really don't like it, Windows 8.1 has extended support for another ~2 years. But after that, unless you feel like switching to OSX or a Linux variant (or using some sort of 3rd party update manager), this seems to be the direction Microsoft's going.