How to get Windows 10 extended security updates for free: 2 options

Don't want to fork over $30 for a one-year subscription to Windows 10 Extended Security Updates? Microsoft is offering a couple of ways to avoid the fee. But there is a catch.

With just a few months remaining until the Windows 10 end-of-support date, Microsoft seems to have belatedly realized that owners of tens of millions of consumer PCs running Windows 10 aren't ready to replace their old computers, and they're also not about to fork over $30 for a one-year Extended Security Updates (ESU) subscription.

So today, the company waved the white flag and announced new "free enrollment options" for the ESU program, along with a description of the steps customers will need to follow to sign up. Anyone willing to try out Microsoft's cloud-based Windows Backup or spend a few minutes per day with the Bing search engine over the course ...