Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10 in October 2025 and offered a Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) option through October 2026, after which time you’ll be running on prayers and luck if you don’t update to Windows 11.

OS updates happen. That’s not the problem. The problem is that new Windows 11 OS requires a 64-bit CPU with at least two cores and TPM 2.0 support, which means you might have to replace perfectly good computers with new ones. That can get costly. Add to this the logistics of transferring over AoIP drivers and other software to newly installed PCs across your entire operation.

2017 Cutoff Year

Windows 11 performs better and has more security features than previous Windows versions, but all of that eats up machine resources. To run the new operating system, PCs should have eighth-generation or newer Intel/AMD Zen 2 CPUs and TPM 2.0, the specialized security chip built into the motherboard or into the processor that is a mandatory requirement for Windows 11. The bottom line: older, pre-2017 PC models generally do not meet Windows 11 requirements.

The Linux Question

At some point, you might wonder if it’s time to take a closer look at Linux. As it so happens, we looked into Linux and Windows updates several years ago and we now use the Linux kernel with a stable overlying OS for our latest consoles, I/O Blades, IP audio drivers and streaming appliances.

We like Linux because of its phenomenally low system overhead, which means the machine’s power can go to our core programs and we can do things like encode/decode without a lot of bloatware. Linux is renowned for running without crashes or forced reboots, which makes it ideal for high uptime applications like streaming. These are just a few of the reasons why all our streaming appliances run exclusively on Linux.

Linux Appliance vs. Streaming PC

If you’re faced with replacing a streaming PC anyway because of Windows 11, we suggest you do a quick price comparison between the cost of a new PC and the price of a dedicated Linux appliance for streaming. Our Wheatstream Duo gives you stream provisioning for two channels (each capable of four outputs), audio processing, metadata support and all the reliability of a Linux appliance for not much more than the cost of a replacement PC.  You’ll never have to worry about another Windows update again, plus you’ll be getting audio processing specifically optimized for streaming and an appliance that fits seamlessly into your studios, either as part of the AoIP or separate from it. Plus, no blue screens of death or “fatal error crashes.”

In any case, you’ll probably need to retire that older PC tower running a soundcard, encoder and third-party sound processing if it doesn’t meet the requirements for Windows 11.

Transferring IP Audio Drivers

As you replace PCs to make the Windows 11 upgrade, you’ll need to transfer vendor software over to those new machines as well. In the case of WheatNet IP audio drivers, there are two ways you can do this, depending on number of drivers to be transferred and if you have any other WheatNet IP audio software that needs to move as well.

1. For two or three IP audio drivers, the logistics are relatively straightforward: simply enter a transfer seed ID code for each IP audio driver being moved over to a new PC. We offer transfer key codes at our cost ($30 USD transfer fee per IP audio driver, which is down from $75 USD per IP audio driver transfer prior to Windows 11 to ease the transition). Be sure you are using WDM/ASIO driver version 4.3.121 or later for full compatibility with Windows 11. This version is specially optimized for Windows 11. You can order IP audio driver license transfers directly from our online store.
2. If you have five or more IP audio drivers, we suggest you simplify the management of these and other WheatNet IP software licenses across your facility using our License Server utility, if you haven’t done so already. License Server gives you limitless transfers for Windows updates; it’s as simple as tapping into the pool of available audio drivers for any PC you add or update. License Server is purchased as a software utility (now half off through our online store at License Server Special Offer) and a service that is renewed annually to manage all your IP audio drivers and other WheatNet IP audio network software licenses.

There are other, more practical reasons to pool your software licenses into the License Server utility rather than to assign a dedicated AoIP driver for each PC, especially when combining other software licenses for WheatNet IP. For example, when a reporter logs into their workstation, they can automatically “check out” an audio driver license and a ScreenBuilder license from License Server. When they clock out and close ScreenBuilder, those licenses are released back into the pool for the next user. It’s seamless, flexible, and saves real money because you’re able to pay for fewer licenses shared across your facility rather than pay for licenses dedicated to each PC that are, in some cases, rarely used (for details, read Count Your Audio Drivers).

By the way, you can add Linux IP audio drivers at any time, should you need to run an audio driver on a server or PC with Linux. We offer IP audio drivers in 1-, 4-, 8-, and 24-channel stereo configurations for Windows and Linux.

Let us know how we can help with your Windows 10 sunsetting options. Contact us directly or visit our Support and Knowledge Base Portal.