Tech-FZ
EmuGUI support ends for some operating systems soon
While new things come, old stuff goes, that's the case everywhere. For this reason, EmuGUI support has to end for some older host operating systems to ensure compatibility with more modern ones. Here I list when the obsolete host systems go unsupported:
- Windows 10 Version 1507: 11th November, 2025
- Windows 10 Version 1511: 11th November, 2025
- Windows 10 LTSB 2015: 11th November, 2025
Also starting from 11th November, 2025, the hardware requirements must be raised a little to keep up with the future. The new minimum hardware requirements would be as follows (also depends on your guest VMs):
- CPU: Quad-Core¹ with 2.5 GHz (must be from 2011 or later for Windows 11 users)
- RAM: 8 GB DDR3 (12 GB if you're using integrated graphics)
- HDD (depends on your guest VMs): At least 4 GB of available space
- Graphics: DirectX 11 and/or OpenGL 3.3 support
- TPM 1.2 is optimal
- On Windows 11, you need UEFI enabled.
¹ A Dual-Core CPU with four threads (e. g. Intel Core i5-4300M, AMD Athlon 200GE) is also fine.
The recommended system requirements will be as follows:
- CPU: Hexa-Core with 3.2 GHz from 2011 or later
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4
- HDD (depends on your guest VMs): 30 GB of available space on an SSD
- Graphics: DirectX 12 and/or OpenGL 4.3 support
- TPM 2.0 recommended
- UEFI enabled (Preferably with Secure Boot if on Windows)
Please note that this list might change depending on how EmuGUI's dependencies treat these systems. Guest systems are not affected.
Generally, this is the EmuGUI host OS support policy:
- Windows: end of extended support + 1 month
- Linux: EmuGUI host support ends when a new version of the Linux distro is released.
Please note that certain operating systems may be supported after that if the market share calls for it.
Can I still use EmuGUI on those systems? Yes, but I can no longer guarantee that the latest updates would run on your host OS. If you stay on an old OS/EmuGUI, there might be more and more security issues and so on as the programs become older. It's recommended to upgrade your host OS.
Are guest systems also affected by this? No, they aren't! You can still use these operating systems as a guest.
How do you want to warn people? README.md will be updated with this information as soon as possible. Also, I plan to make a dialog which notifies affected users about this step.
Wait, how long is Windows 10 as a host system supported again? Windows 10 was a very popular operating system as of 20th August, 2024. There is even a slight chance it becomes as durable as Windows XP back when its extended support ended on 8th April, 2014 - my parents are likely to stick with Windows 10 for years to come, just like with Windows XP back in the day. If possible, I might try to support Windows 10 starting from 1607 and its server counterparts until 2026.
It's already ended on Windows 10 just not official based on mine and other people's reports of the EXE having a panic error.
