HP workstation Z420 is tested with Windows 10 2019 LTSC version

[Babuji_Madaka]

Hi All,

Kindly let me know whether HP has tested the compatibility of Windows 10 LTSC 2019 version on Z420 workstation. 

I found a link where HP, https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_3913140-3876462-16, tested the products with Windows 10 version, but i could not find the Windows 10 LTSC 2019 version in that list.

Regards,

[itsmyname]

@Babuji_Madaka -- from your research, your computer is compatible with Windows 10, but which version?

Was it the original release of Windows 10, in mid-2015, or the semi-annual releases in 2016 & 2017 & 2019 & 2020 & 2021 & 2022 ?  It seems that "Windows 10 LTSC 2019" is a "frozen" release, where "LTSC" is an abbreviation for L(ong) T(erm) S(ervice) -- meaning that Microsoft will support this 2019 release for more than the two years that those 2016/2017/2018/2019/2020 releases -- users of older releases are strongly encouraged to install a newer release, after two years of the availability of a release.

Expressed differently, if you install the "2016" release, Microsoft will not support that release after "2018".

If you install the "2019" release, Microsoft will not support that release after "2021".

But, that L.T.S.C. release is the exception -- support for it will continue for a long time past "2021".

A Google-search for "microsoft product lifecycle 2019 LTSC" gives the top result:

The last, Windows 10 2019 LTSC (based on 2018's Windows 10 1809, aka the October 2018 Update), was given a little over 10 years of support to January 2029. Those days are now over. The next LTSC release of Windows 10 will occur in the second half of 2021 and switch to a five-year support lifecycle, matching that announced for Office LTSC.

Does that help?

[Babuji_Madaka]

Thanks for the detailed info on windows 10 versions. 

When I contacted HP, the customer care informed that the Windows 10 2019 LTSC version is not tested on Z420 workstation. How do I confirm whether windows 10 LTSC version is suitable for Z420 machine or not. This confirmation is needed as other business software is running on my Z420 machine.

If not tested by HP, can I risk that version on my machine and upgrade.

[SDH]

For our company I took on the responsibility to test our software with the upgrades from XP to Windows 7, and then to Windows 10 and all its upgrades over the prior 20 years.  I skipped Vista and Windows 8.  I have not yet tested Windows 11.  We run quite complex medical software on our workstations, and I need to not break things.  Here is how I do this, and I generally keep my test workstations updated to the most recent versions of each OS we have progressed through.

First, I make an archive backup "image" of a build that is up and running fine.  I use Acronis True Image software for that which allows cloning the image onto another boot SSD should anything go wrong.  The Acronis image is captured onto an external HDD attached to the client workstation via USB3 or eSATA.  I rarely have needed to go back to reinstall the original build through all these years.

One part of Windows 10 did cause one of our critical software programs to not work correctly and I discovered what did that and how to turn that off in any Windows 10 install. I now turn that off on all W10 builds whether they be personal or corporate.  You'll want to read up on this.  It is called Fast Startup, and is not a BIOS setting.  It first was introduced by Microsoft in W8, and was carried over into W10.  I don't know if it is in W11 yet.  It can be electively turned off but is defaulted to ON by Microsoft.  I'll add a little HowTo to this post soon.  You can look that up via Google and it turns out there are a number of ways to turn it off but we use the Power app in W10 Control Panel to do that.  The reason is that allows us to confirm that it has been done via a quick look.  With W10 it is fairly easy to clone updated fine tuned builds onto identical or near identical workstations this way assuming they have been W10 licensed previously.

Fast Startup has caused a number of others quite a bit of trouble as you'll see, and when I did boot speed testing with it turned on in our SSD-based workstations it was not that fast either.

[itsmyname]

@Babuji_Madaka --  the HP Customer Care informed that the Windows 10 2019 LTSC version is not tested on Z420 workstation. How do I confirm whether windows 10 LTSC version is suitable for Z420 machine or not. 

To repeat, I found the text:

The last, Windows 10 2019 LTSC (based on 2018's Windows 10 1809, aka the October 2018 Update),

Have you asked HP whether your hardware was tested with "1809" ?

The "LTSC" suffix is just that -- a suffix -- to state that this release of Windows 10 will be updated for many years. 

See: Windows 10 Home and Pro - Microsoft Lifecycle | Microsoft Docs

Releases

RELEASES  Version  Start Date   End Date

Version 21H2	Nov 16, 2021	Jun 13, 2023
Version 21H1	May 18, 2021	Dec 13, 2022
Version 20H2	Oct 20, 2020	May 10, 2022
Version 2004	May 27, 2020	Dec 14, 2021
Version 1909	Nov 12, 2019	May 11, 2021
Version 1903	May 21, 2019	Dec 8, 2020
Version 1809	Nov 13, 2018	Nov 10, 2020

So, for "retail" customers, Microsoft's support for "1809" ended on November 10, 2020.

But, with the "LTSC" suffix, Microsoft will support "1809" for many years.

[DGroves]

HP will not devote resources to validate any OS on a system that is out of main warranty support

The standard warranty for HP Personal Workstations is 3-3-3 limited warranty (three years parts, three years labor, and three years next business day on-site).

HP workstations generally Have a 3 year support cycle and this can be extended by several years with optional carepacks, these care packs only support the existing OS that was available at the end of the main 3 year warranty

the z420 was released Q2 2012 (10 years ago) as such it's well past the HP support period, as "SDH" posted any validation will now have to be performed by the end users

i personally have not seen any major reports of users having issues with any of the win 10 OS releases although most releases have had their share of minor bugs/issues