Windows 11 promises a lot to Microsoft. The company’s chief executive, Satya Nadella, said it was “the beginning of a Windows revolution” in which the company intends to “reinvent everything,” with changes in its strategy from its appearance to controlling the platform. However, with so many perks requiring stricter minimums, it clearly shouldn’t be relaxed at launch.
During the Q&A session, Microsoft program manager Aria Carley commented that these Windows 11 requirements are important to ensure smoothness, productivity, and security. In fact, Microsoft can still prevent the update from happening if you try to bypass the requirement and install the system on an unsupported computer.
Once launched, the response to Windows was astounding: Not only were the minimum requirements to run the operating system higher than Windows 10’s (which is natural for an upgrade), but it was also required to be activated less frequently—sometimes even disabled by default – Components on the computer, such as B. Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 chip and Secure Boot.
To enable these features, the user must browse the BIOS settings (this is not recommended for those unfamiliar with computers). The TPM is a component responsible for encrypting boot information, and Secure Boot ensures that Windows (and only it) is the computer’s system – so say goodbye to dual-booting.
The problem started with Microsoft’s PC health check software. The program has the ability to check computer properties to ensure compatibility with Win 11, but failed to describe the reason for the lack of support when identifying it. According to Microsoft itself, there have also been false positives. It went off-air for an overhaul shortly after – and so far it hasn’t resumed.
Another important issue that Microsoft doesn’t consistently disclose is the processor compatibility list. In a support page session, the company announced that only processors released after 2017 will support Windows 11, although there are reports of older CPUs running Windows 11 preview builds without any issues.
What to do with old computers?
If the manager’s words are really the company’s position, they should be left behind. Although Microsoft ignored the components in the preview builds distributed by Windows Insiders, it made it clear that it would only do so in this case. However, the negative reception to the request has got the company moving: In June, it realized the processor options were very limited and considered expanding support for another generation of Intel and AMD chips.
As for TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, things shouldn’t change. Also in June, the company positioned itself in obligations, describing it as a way to increase the “protection base” for all users. Hardware-level security mechanisms actively affect features like Windows Hello and BitLocker.
If your computer doesn’t have any of these tools, it’s best to consider alternatives. For Microsoft, the easiest solution for users who want to join Windows 11 is to buy a new computer. However, depending on your current computer, just one upgrade may be enough to fix the problem.
However, a failed migration doesn’t mean your computer is immediately unsupported. Microsoft is guaranteeing that Windows 10 will receive updates until 2025 — with another major update coming this year. PCs may not have the most polished features or improved looks, but the company isn’t going to give it up.
Windows 11 doesn’t have a firm release date yet, but it’s expected to debut on new PCs in October. The free update for Windows 10 users is scheduled to roll out to everyone in January, so there’s still a few months to hope that Microsoft will change its mind.
However, if your computer is ready to receive Win 11, you can try one of the preview builds. Yesterday (30th) Microsoft released the first beta version of the system for members of the Windows Insider Program.
