14 DAY TRIAL // Computers running old preview builds of Windows 10 that were shipped as part of the Windows Insider program have started rebooting automatically every three hours on October 1, as Microsoft is working to upgrade users to the latest releases.
The expiration date of these builds is October 15, so users who are still running them need to upgrade before this date. On October 15, these PCs will stop booting completely, so there’ll be no way to get back to the desktop unless you upgrade.
New builds expire in May 2017
The latest build, which is Windows 10 build 14936, expires on May 1, 2017, so if you deploy this new one, you can continue running it for another half a year - this isn’t the purpose of Windows 10 preview builds anyway, as Microsoft hopes users to install new builds as soon as they are released and help provide feedback on the changes it implements.
“If your PC is running the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (Build 14393) in the Slow and Release Preview rings today - this does not apply to you, and you will not be notified of your build expiring,” Microsoft explains
If you want to update your computer to the latest build, all you need to do is go to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update. The latest build is 14936, but a new one is very likely to be released this week with even more improvements (but the same expiration date).
Windows 10 builds are released at quite a fast pace these days, especially for those enrolled in the fast ring, so if you’re still on old builds, there’s no reason not to update. Furthermore, the purpose of the Windows Insider program is to provide feedback and help improve the operating system, so by running old builds, this is pretty much impossible because you don’t get access to the latest features developed by Microsoft.