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Don’t bin that old PC.<\/span><\/p>\n Getty Images<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Microsoft is changing Windows Update. For the first time ever, the Secure Boot certificates first issued in 2011 start expiring in June<\/a>. Microsoft will automatically install new certificates on most PCs. But for hundreds of millions of Windows 10 users, there are no new certificates. After the June expiry date, you will be at risk.<\/p>\n When Windows 10 expired in October 2025, Microsoft put in place a free year of extended support. This is available until October. You need to enrol to secure these security updates. You\u2019ll also get new Secure Boot certificates.<\/p>\n Don’t bin that old PC.<\/span><\/p>\n Getty Images<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n But for PC owners who do not have the extended security updates, Google offers a free PC upgrade<\/a>. \u201cWindows 10 has reached its end of support, putting those computers at risk of obsolescence. This left many people with a difficult decision: spend hundreds on a new device, or continue using an insecure, outdated one.\u201d<\/p>\n As consumer group Which<\/a> explains, you can \u201ctransform your old laptop into a faster, free Chromebook.” The group has just published a helpful tutorial on \u201chow you can transform a deteriorating laptop into a secure, speedy machine for free.\u201d<\/p>\n The website explains that \u201colder laptops that don\u2019t meet the hardware requirements to upgrade can become unsafe to use online, as well as painfully slow. Instead of letting yours go to waste, consider turning it into a Chromebook. ChromeOS Flex is a free and speedy operating system based on the Google Chrome web browser.”<\/p>\n And because \u201cChromeOS is essentially a web browser,\u201d it needs much less RAM and processing power than a Windows laptop, \u201cmeaning it will run faster and drain less power \u2014 a great perk for old laptops with waning batteries. Your laptop will be much more secure and less prone to any viruses. Its always-online nature ensures it regularly delivers security updates while your device is supported.\u201d<\/p>\n Google<\/a> has cut a deal with Back Market<\/a> to offer ChromeOS Flex on a $3 reusable USB stick. But that device has been out of stock almost since it launched. That\u2019s why the Which tutorial is timely and useful, as June\u2019s deadline approaches.<\/p>\n Forbes<\/span>Google Starts Sharing Your \u2018Approximate\u2019 Location In Chrome<\/span>By Zak Doffman<\/span><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n ChromeOS Flex isn\u2019t for everyone. It\u2019s a very basic web-based device and doesn\u2019t have any of the local device capabilities of a Windows PC. But it\u2019s much safer than running a Windows device that\u2019s no longer receiving critical fixes. <\/p>\n \u201cBy running ChromeOS Flex on an old laptop,\u201d Which says, \u201cyou\u2019ve saved a computer from becoming part of the mountain of electrical waste.\u201d And you\u2019ve saved money on a new PC, \u201cif you were considering buying a new machine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n