Microsoft Releases Windows 11 for Free – but Most Computers Won’t Be Able to Run It
If your computer is over 4 years old, there’s a good chance it won’t be able to run Windows 11. If your PC has an Intel Core processor, Microsoft says Windows 11 will only run on processors starting with the Coffee Lake family (for example, the i3-8300), which arrived in October 2017.
For those of you with AMD processors, Windows 11 support starts with the Ryzen 2000 series, which launched in 2018. The first-generation Ryzen CPUs from the year before are being left out.
You can find the vague list of system requirements to run Windows 11 here.
Conspicuously missing from that list is the requirement for a TPM (Trusted Module Platform) chip. It must be version 2.0 and it must be turned on in the BIOS. My old Dell does not have a TPM chip, and my 5-year-old ASUS has the TPM chip, but its processor does not meet the Windows 11 hard floor standards.
Here’s an article from The Independent we found interesting and informative. We hope you will too.
MICROSOFT RELEASES WINDOWS 11 FOR FREE – BUT MOST COMPUTERS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RUN IT
A special security chip, as well as a high-performance processor, means that even many of Microsoft’s own devices are locked off from the update.
Microsoft announced Windows 11 as a free upgrade to Windows 10 machines, but many users will still be unable to upgrade – despite having modern machines.
The software giant’s new operating system will only support eighth generation and newer Intel Core processors, Apollo Lake, and newer Pentium and Celeron processors.
Windows 10 required only a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM (or 2GB for the 64-bit version), 16GB of storage, and an 800-by-600 resolution display.
Windows 11 requires a 1GHz, 64-bit processor with two or more cores, and has upped the requirements slightly to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, as well as a 720p display, according to its website, but Microsoft also requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip. This is a security chip mostly used in professional notebook machines and desktops to store and protect passwords and encryption keys.
Microsoft says that TPM 2.0 is recommended but not necessity for running the operating system. “Devices that do not meet the hard floor cannot be upgraded to Windows 11”, Microsoft wrote, “and devices that meet the soft floor will receive a notification that upgrade is not advised”.
Many users, however, are unlikely to see it as an option when customising a laptop online, and it’s not one usually featured in gaming setups.
The list of processors is also notably more restricted than users might expect. It only includes Intel’s 8th to 11th generation models, as well as the Xeon Skylake, Cascade Lake, Cooper Lake, and Ice Lake units; AMD’s Ryzen series (from 2000 to 5000), EPYC 2nd and 3rd generation, and the Threadripper range from the 2000 to the Pro 3000; and Quamcomm’s Snapdragon units from the 850 to the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2.
Such a huge change will cut out a fair number of existing devices, including most of the company’s Surface Pro tablets, the Surface Hub, and the Surface studio. In order to find out if a PC will support Windows 11, users should download Microsoft’s PC Health Check software here.
The Independent has reached out to Microsoft for more information on the decision.
(Source: The Independent)
The sky has fallen!
I think there will be some changes on requirements later, “hopefully”. It will be awhile before Windows 11 comes out, and I just bought a new computer, so I’m not anxious to throw it into a mess with new Windows.
Microsoft’s song and dance, or feel good videos don’t make me feel comfortable how Windows 11 is going to run. I want the tech writers, forums etc. to give me an idea as it keeps rolling out. Naturally, Microsoft going to talk good about it, it is their product ;=).
I bought my HP Envy laptop new. It is three years old. I ran the PC Health. I cannot run the new Windows 11 on this laptop. 😟
Did a check with my computer and nope, it isn’t capable of running Window’s 11. Hey Microsoft, do you have a deal going with computer makers to force people to put out hard earned money to buy a new system? Shame on you. Why bother with a update if over half the people out there can’t run it?
The conversation probably went something like this,
Computer Companies: “Microsoft, we sure could use a jump in the sales of our new computers.”
Microsoft: “Not to worry brothers & sisters. We will release an Operating System (OS) that only new (relatively) computers can run. By 2025 all of you will have increased sales.”
Hi TC & Darcy,
A member of our local ‘Seniors Tech Club’ sent an email copy to members which came from a friend of his in the USA.
[quote] “Dear Microsoft,
Many people I know do not want incompatible Windows 11, the Windows 10 spare wheel, they already have to tolerate your Windows 10 heap of junk due to the ‘wheels keep falling off’, thankfully a large number of computers will run Linux.
We look forward to the day when we are rid of your unreliable Windows as the Operating System continues to self destruct.”
Harald D. Clarke
I am in the ‘wait and see’ period, is it really serious?
Regards,
JonInOz
This is getting better with every read…
jr