Your advice to seniors... stay with Windows 10 or try Windows 11

I was reading an article on the things that people that help the elderly (be it parents, relatives, friends, or anyone else) can do to keep their computers in good running shape (like check updates, storage, backups, etc.). All basic things. But one of the things that was recommended was that Windows 11 should not be suggested and installed and just keep them on whatever OS they are on at this time. Windows 11 has been running very well on my pc. So I am not sure I agree completely with that suggestion.

Anyway, right away I thought about all you pro's on this forum who have had extensive experience with Windows 11 by now. What would you recommend if someone like that asked your for help, specifically whether they should try Windows 11 or not? Do you feel comfortable enough with the OS to recommended to this group if asked, or not.

If they can use 10 I would keep them on 10. While I like 11 it's not a must have

From my point of view, If you are happy with windows 10 stay with it, Win 11 is still fairly new so many things ay change also win 10 is supported for a few more years yet

mackie said:

would you recommend if someone like that asked your for help, specifically whether they should try Windows 11 or not?

Click to expand...

Certainly not if their PC is 'elderly' too, if it's not a supported device it should stay firmly on Windows 10, as all mine will (bar the one I use as a test machine).

If they do have a supported device then its a judgment call, how well do you know them? W11 is not too dissimilar to W10 to be difficult to adjust to, so if they are still young enough at heart they should adapt easily. If there's any doubt, then 'stay on W10' is always the safe bet, at least until October 2025 when support ends.

My elderly grandmother actually prefers an Android tablet over any Windows device

If you think you can handle it, why not? Those negativities you've read are opinions from technically challenged individuals.

@mackie


The elderly are people too, and are individuals, with individual desires and abilities.

Unlike all you young whippersnappers.

My wife (75 years) is technically challenged.

I upgraded the hardware on MY desktop and did a fresh installation of win 11. There were some issues which took me time to solve 1) Printer 2) I could not make Irfanview my default program for jpeg files3) WhatsApp did not link with my phone. All these issues are now solved.

I then upgraded her hardware and UPGRADED her win 10 to win 11 . She has no issues and I get am impression that she enjoys it more as it has some resemblance to her android phone. All her programs are working fine.
I have her computer setup that she never uses "START" She can access all her programs from taskbar and desktop shortcuts.

I know a lot of elderly, who are still on Windows 95 and Windows XP. . They just refuse to upgrade. . . No joke

Relatively speaking am I elderly at 67?.......

Ghot said:

@mackie


The elderly are people too, and are individuals, with individual desires and abilities.

Unlike all you young whippersnappers.

Click to expand...

Ghot said:

@mackie


The elderly are people too, and are individuals, with individual desires and abilities.

Unlike all you young whippersnappers.

Click to expand...

Perzackly, @Ghot! We didn't lose our minds when we hit 50ish, contrary to what our kids believe!

M L (I'm using initials), my friend and partner in tech who teaches Genealogy at the Senior Wellness and Activity Center is 94 years young! I teach Windows 10 (and Windows 11 pretty soon) and am 84. We both are constantly learning new ways to do things . . . like search for ancestors or how to install new apps or update our BIOS. Once we have it under our proverbial belts, we pass our new knowledge on to our fellow Senior Citizens, not the elderly! Ugh!

Since both Genealogy and Windows 10/11 work naturally together, most of our students take both courses. Now, let me tell you about those guys and gals . . .

You have to be a minimum of 60 years YOUNG to join the Senior Wellness and Activity Center. So . . . Our students are all past the age of 60! Do they all have the same learning ability? Nope!

So far, J R (I'm using initials) is lacking in the skill set to efficiently use Windows 10, but when given the tools to search for ancestors in Genealogy, he has surpassed all expectations.

I would say D C is my star pupil . . . He is the most inquisitive of the bunch, and has already upgraded Windows 10 to Windows 11! I think he's in his mid to late 70s. If he runs into a problem, he asks for a lesson, which will help all of us, especially moi, since I will have to do the research and create a tutorial.

S C's computer, still in warranty, got corrupted somehow. She let Best Buy go ahead and update it to Windows 11 so she could work with D C, her husband.

J P is overly cautious in some things and barges ahead in others. Her laptop won't take Windows 11, so I fully expect her to have a new one after Christmas.

Then we come back to M L who is not yet up to speed in Windows 10, but oh! what she's taught me about finding my ancestors in Genealogy!

So, don't call us elderly . . . Our bodies may be aging, but our minds are not! We stay active both physically and mentally.

If only the young could understand that we seniors have much more knowledge than they will ever know . . . and would take the time to mine it!

Fabler2 said:

Relatively speaking am I elderly at 67?.......

Click to expand...

Nope! You are a Senior Citizen! And a dang smart one at that!

I consider the age of my clients, to be blunt about it some are a bit older than me and I'm a week away from 82. It's obvious some may not make it to the need to get a new computer for Win11, none I deal with have compatible machines now so 4 years may be sufficient.

JMedlock83 said:

I know a lot of elderly, who are still on Windows 95 and Windows XP. . They just refuse to upgrade. . . No joke

Click to expand...

Show them Windows 11

having done Windows support groups since 3.1 the elderly always have a problem, back then it was the beginning of computers and windows....nowdays its a different story, IMHO. Almost everyone has been exposed to windows in some form, so if its not broken dont change.

if someone like that asked your for help, specifically whether they should try Windows 11 or not?

Click to expand...

If they are keen on trying it, you could help by installing it onto a separate partition/disk leaving the original win10 intact. They can then decide what they want to do after they have had a try.

I just turned 84 Saturday (18th). If the hardware is compatible go for 11.

Happy belated Birthday

I'm 81 and have been using Windows 11, on both of my computers, since it was released. I guess the greatest concerns I had, were Windows AMD and printer problems. Luckily, both issues have have been "fixed", for my purposes, by MS. Transitioning from Win 10 to 11 was not a big deal for me, and it shouldn't be for anyone else who is considered an "elder" (or senior) Windows user. Besides, working with Windows 11 is both intellectually challenging and entertaining.

Stay with 10. In old age, time becomes very precious, don´t waste it learning 11. Better still, if you are not working anymore, stop using PCs. They are very complicated, not user friendly. Instead, use a smartphone.