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| Microsoft will not prevent you from installing Windows 11 |
Microsoft has announced that it will no longer prevent users from installing Windows 11 on most older PCs.
Although the software giant has recommended hardware requirements for the upcoming OS, it won't restrict OS installation unless it tries to switch from Windows 10 to Windows 11 via Windows Update.
This means that anyone with an outdated processor and a computer that hasn't officially passed the upgrade test can download the Windows 11 ISO file and install the operating system manually.
In June, the company announced the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, saying that 8th generation Intel processors and above are official.
The company has now clarified that this installer is primarily intended to allow the company to evaluate Windows 11.
The software giant does not recommend or encourage this method of installing Windows 11 for consumers. A system updated in this way may not be eligible for Windows Update, even if it is a security update.
This is an important change that means that millions of PCs may not be technically behind. Consumers still have to download the ISO file and install the system manually, and the vast majority cannot.
But for those who want Windows 11, the actual minimum specs mean processor algebra doesn't matter as long as you have a 1GHz, 64-bit processor with two or more cores, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage.
Microsoft will not prevent you from installing Windows 11
In addition to the Windows 11 installation solution, the company has also changed the minimum system requirements to include more processors.
Now officially supports the Intel Core X and Xeon W series. In combination with the Intel Core 7820HQ chip in the Surface Studio 2.
The company has tested the processor with Intel. But Core 7820HQ is supported on devices with the latest DCH driver.
The company will not officially certify the first generation of AMD Zen processors, although it was recently tested. "After careful analysis of the first generation of Zen processors in collaboration with AMD," she said. Together we came to the conclusion that it will not be added to the list of supported processors.
There is obviously a workaround to install Windows 11 on these old AMD systems. But the company said that devices that did not meet the minimum requirements suffered 52% of kernel mode failures.
"Devices that meet the official minimum requirements have a 99.8% drop-free experience," she added.
The company plans to update the PC Health Checker app to include the latest Intel processors and to explain why your device can't be officially updated.
PC Health Check informs users whether Secure Boot or TPM 2.0 will be enabled.
The software giant also discussed how to set the minimum system requirements to run Windows 11. The company hopes to push Windows toward modern DCH drivers and security with TPM and VBS support.