Will unsupported Windows 11 devices be bricked by Microsoft?

Martin Brinkmann
Sep 26, 2021
Windows 11 News
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87

When Microsoft announced its Windows 11 operating system, it made it very clear that the operating system was designed for devices that meet the operating system's system requirements. The company pulled the released Windows 11 compatibility checker, because it only returned "compatible" or "not compatible" when run, but did not provide explanations.

With the release just a week away, users worldwide are left with uncertainty when it comes to installing Windows 11 on unsupported devices.

Recently, Microsoft added a new prompt to the setup of Windows 11 that acts as a waiver if the device does not meet the minimum system requirements of Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system.

windows 11 updates not entitled

One sentence sticks out in particular:

If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won't be entitled to receive updates.

Does it mean that unsupported Windows 11 devices won't receive updates, even security updates? Or is Microsoft playing it safe and merely stating that it can't be held responsible if updates won't install on unsupported devices?

It would be a first for the company if devices that run one of its supported operating systems would be blocked from receiving any updates or at the very least security updates.

The devices would be stuck on the initial install version of Windows 11. Without updates, security issues and other issues would not be patched, and the devices would be vulnerable to attacks and exploits.

Administrators would have little options but to restore an older version of Windows, install an older version of Windows from scratch, or switch to Linux.

Microsoft has never been a company with clear communication. The wording of the "What needs your attention" waiver, which it displays during setup, is another prime example of that.

It seems likely that unsupported Windows 11 devices will receive updates, but that administrators are on their own if issues are encountered during installation of the updates or afterwards. Unsupported means that Microsoft won't help customers if the PC does not meet the minimum system requirements.

Updates could also refer to feature updates, which will be released once per year. Feature updates could include system compatibility checks, and devices not meeting the minimum system requirements could be prevented from installing those; this would end the ride one year after the official release of Windows 11. Admins may be able to install that new Windows 11 version from scratch but it could mean losing access to installed applications or system changes.

Microsoft could provide a simpler explanation, both in regards to updates on devices that don't meet the system requirements and on installation of Windows 11 on unsupported devices, but there is little hope that a company official will go on record about either of these matters.

Windows users who plan to upgrade to Windows 11 on unsupported hardware may want to wait at least a month before they consider starting the upgrade. By that time, the first cumulative update will have been released, and information about the update behavior on unsupported Windows 11 devices will have come to light. It is even possible that the first Windows 11 update will be released on October 12, the Patch Tuesday of the month.

To answer the title's question: Windows 11 devices, that don't meet the minimum system requirements, could indeed be bricked by Microsoft, if the company decides to block these from receiving updates. We will know more in two weeks time, when the first updates for Windows 11 will be released.

Now You: what is your take on this?

Summary
Will unsupported Windows 11 devices be bricked by Microsoft?
Article Name
Will unsupported Windows 11 devices be bricked by Microsoft?
Description
Will Microsoft prevent updates from being installed on Windows 11 devices that don't meet the company's minimum system requirements for the new operating system?
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. EP said on August 7, 2023 at 5:35 pm
    Reply
  2. Anonymous said on December 5, 2021 at 1:08 pm
    Reply

    The Microsoft myth has been indoctrinating.
    It feels wrong when you elaborate on moving to another operating system.
    Windows users religiously insist that it’s wrong and certainly is a betrayal.

    Six years ago I made the switch form my Windows-slow hardware to Linux. I was surprised how much faster my PC/Laptops were.
    I installed Windows on Virtual Box and had no problems with that. Drag and drop between host/guest system works flawless.

    There is really no reason to scrap old hardware because Microsoft and Intel decided, unless you are shareholder of both companies.

    Linux comes in different flavours and supports even very old hardware.
    The x86_64 Linux kernel can handle a maximum of 4096 Processor threads in a single system image. This means that with hyper threading enabled, the maximum number of processor cores is 2048.
    Windows 11 certainly is not able to handle this!

  3. wuuuu said on November 22, 2021 at 2:35 pm
    Reply

    Classic MS move, corporations waving their responsibility for breaking and screwing with millions of computers many used in small businesses, just like MS did with Windows 10.

    Only this time enter the disclaimer so Law suits are even more quickly dismissed.

    I’m sure they will ramp this up when they force upgrades to Windows 11.

    MS needs boycotting by the people, the rest is just rhetoric.

  4. kemppe mikkonen said on October 24, 2021 at 6:58 am
    Reply

    windows 11 works great on my unsupported pc. and if updates will be blocked in future that aint end of the world. updates arent nesessary :)

  5. Emile13 said on October 18, 2021 at 6:53 pm
    Reply

    Just want to say here i read about Vista where 1,5 month before endoflife Microsoft added 5 more years of consumer support. So anything can happen in september/october 2025…maybe few more years of support for Windows 10…maybe security updates specially for unsupported Windows 11 upgrades. Some odd Microsoft Windows 11 moves after summer 2025 could happen. One should keep that in mind thinking of feeling forced tobuy a new computer that supports Windows 11.

    btw i use 2011 laptops that work fine with Windows 10..and will work fine three years from now. It would be a total waste of fine computer stuff if Windows sticks with this nonsense.

  6. JohnIL said on October 16, 2021 at 1:01 am
    Reply

    Windows 11 runs good on my 2013 HP Folio with a Ivy Bridge i5. Runs just about as good as it did Windows 10 which doesn’t surprise me. I did notice most drivers are years old back to 2015 for the Intel graphics for HD4000. So I don’t think users should expect new drivers built for Windows 11 with unsupported hardware. But if all you do are basic tasks who really cares as long as everything works. I mean Windows 11 installed without issue when I used the ISO to create a bootable install USB. Maybe Microsoft will do something to kill the fun like stop updating. Until then it’s plenty good to be useful.

  7. EP said on October 5, 2021 at 9:37 pm
    Reply

    check out this comment by the creator of the MediaCreationTool.bat script tool:
    https://gist.github.com/AveYo/c74dc774a8fb81a332b5d65613187b15#gistcomment-3909345

    updates are available to Win11 users whether using supported or un-supported hardware

  8. Scott said on October 5, 2021 at 6:45 pm
    Reply

    I’m just awestruck that Microsoft managed to kick up excitement for this version of Windows only to turn around and tell users that if they have a computer that is older than 3 years (8th Gen Intel or 2nd Gen Ryzen only) then they’re out of luck in terms of being supported if they install Windows 11.

  9. Scitt said on October 5, 2021 at 6:44 pm
    Reply

    I’m just awestruck that Microsoft managed to kick up excitement for this version of Windows only to turn around and tell users that if they have a computer that is older than 3 years (8th Gen Intel or 2nd Gen Ryzen only) then they’re out of luck in terms of being supported if they install Windows 11.

  10. Charlie nontech said on September 29, 2021 at 5:02 pm
    Reply

    Unlike most of you, as a typical home user, I’m fairly non-technical. I have 2 W10 PC’s that are not compat with W11. There are millions (billions?) of users like me who use Windows because that’s what we have always used and we have ZERO confidence in making a change to any non-Windows OS. I have a support person who is very good on Windows but does not mess with non-Windows systems. Some of you maintain scads of corporate PC’s and have the technical ability to install and support both Windows and other OS’s. I kind of expect that there will be fewer users upgrading to W11 before 2025 than the number who made the jump from W7 or W8 to W10. I know I will not upgrade unless my current PC’s die and have to be replaced.

  11. RobG said on September 29, 2021 at 11:42 am
    Reply

    Gerold said: “…Linux on the desktop/laptop has very drastically improved”.

    So have they fixed the laptop power management problem in Linux yet? Ive tried numerous Linux varieties on various laptops over the years and have always ran into the same problem, namely batteries drain quickly, fans run loud with high CPU – even on idle.

    Windows laptops are of course engineered by the manufacturer to run lean and mean; sadly not so with Linux, where 99.9% of the time your installing a freebie OS onto a laptop and using generic power management setups.

  12. takkun said on September 29, 2021 at 5:31 am
    Reply

    Lol, I’ve been a Windows user for as long as I can remember I heard / experienced how better Linux can be but I always end up hopping back to Windows because of how minimal it is (not that Linux distros can ‘t be), I love Linux but I’ve been in love with Windows forever it’s kind-of hard to part with it, I know it’s been a hellhole since Windows 8/8.1 in terms of privacy and stuff, but it’s kind of like not wanting to sale your home after living with it since birth or whatever, it’s a shithole but hell it’s home if I knew how to get rid of this unnecessary attachment I have to to Windows I would also cheers to whoever wants to run Windows 11 on an unsupported system Microsoft might have to rollback their plans preventing updates eventually if they want to keep a decent amount of users upgrading their systems I don’t see how this was a good decision business wise either.

  13. Joe Greenman said on September 28, 2021 at 12:25 am
    Reply

    Perhaps this is of some relevance?

    I’m no computer expert, so I offer this while admittedly not understanding all the details – and with ZERO assumption of liability. Use it at your own risk: it’s your computer.

    https://www.ghacks.net/2021/09/27/mediacreationtool-bat-download-windows-11-isos-and-bypass-system-compatibility-checks/

  14. Pointless commentator said on September 28, 2021 at 12:13 am
    Reply

    The first rule of business is never ti cause pain to your customers. If you do, they will start looking for alternatives. The second rule of business is that it’s cheaper (and easier) to retain a client than acquire a new one.

    One of the things that helped MS become what it is was that Windows installed and ran on pretty much anything. Childern started to use it on all kinds of older machines, learned how to use it, pirated Office, learned how to use this as well, and when they grew up and entered the workforce organizations didn’t have to invest in training, and the users were happy enough with what they know and couldn’t be bothered (for the most part) looking elsewhere.

    With Windows 11 MS is risking alienating a generation. Windows 10 continues to be suppirted but the cosmetics and workflow changes are the most important aspects for lay user. This is how muscle memory develoos from a young age.
    Add to this the global chip shortage and the gdberal computer hardware shortages, which means most people can’t upgrade, what is typically an already perfectly capable machine, even if they wanted to, and it’s adding an insult to an injury.
    MS would have been better off announcing the new requirements now and enforcing them on 2025 to let the market adjust and for older computers to be upgraded as they normally would, particularly in light of the current economy and the state of the hardware market.

    Will MS lose a younger generation now and feel it in the bottom line a decade from now (as organizations go with what the employees kniw and comfortable with)? Only time will tell.

    There are certainly alternatives. I wish more people would feel empowered to step away from digital slavery and abuse. Eveyobody has it wrong. Those companies need customers, but most customers (and those companies) behave as if they are beholden to those companies.

  15. Juan Vaca said on September 27, 2021 at 11:04 pm
    Reply

    First with mint 18.3 cinnamon and today with mint 20 xfce and fantastic.

    I see my wintv900, I have full support for intel nvidia dkms graphics and on top of that my occasional games render with croosover, I see thousands of iptv tv with hypnotic I share files with warpinator. I have photoshop under wine and master pdf editor for my pdfs.

    All this under an excellent and free linux respectful of my privacy and where I decide which updates to install.
    WINDOWS 11 never!

  16. haldrain said on September 27, 2021 at 6:27 pm
    Reply

    Microsoft prevent future system damages when upgrade to windows 11, when release the known issue rollback, one week before W11.

  17. DJ said on September 27, 2021 at 5:49 pm
    Reply

    Why even bother with Windows 11 on older hardware anyway? All this bitching over a big nothing burger. No one is forcing you to upgrade… Windows 10 will be fully supported for another 4 years at least. If you install 11 and ignore the warnings, then that’s on you, not Microsoft. So tired of all the endless complaints.

    MS isn’t being clear… well it seems pretty clear that you should install it only on officially supported hardware and forget about it otherwise. Stop making it so damned complicated.

    And if you don’t like what Microsoft is doing, you have plenty of other options; stick with 10, switch to Linux, switch to Apple (which does the same thing MS is doing with older devices)… its not like you’re stuck using 11. Stop pretending that you just have to install 11 and that it will “brick” your computer.

    1. Scott said on October 5, 2021 at 6:50 pm
      Reply

      “Older hardware”, as you put it, should not include computers that are under 5 years old. As it stand right now, the only computers that meet these requirements were built within the last 3 years as they’ve restricted it to just the 8th Gen Intel and 2nd Gen Ryzen chipsets.

  18. curious said on September 27, 2021 at 4:38 pm
    Reply

    If my memory serves, Microsoft didn’t start excluding newer hardware on older software or instituted technology cut-offs such as with windows 11, until portable computing, the environment, efficiency and battery life became of primary concern, replacing adding raw horsepower with every new iteration of hardware and software.

    I have an old core 2 duo macbook that runs fine with windows11 on boot camp (no TPM of any sort, nor secure boot) one small reg hack) and it receives updates normally, at least up to now.

  19. Mike said on September 27, 2021 at 2:38 pm
    Reply

    The new requirements are not about protecting the end user. They are purely about protecting the interests of big business and allowing e.g. game publishers and websites to more easily abuse the consumer…

    One of the nastiest features of TPM, is remote attestation. What this means is that a server can be sure your computer isn’t running any “unapproved” software. Ad blockers, video downloaders, script blockers, whatever. If you are not running a “pure” environment, where the party on the other end of the connection (the publisher) decides from top to bottom how things work on your end while you are viewing their website/playing their game/whatever, the server will tell your PC to get lost (deny you service). Big companies have wanted to rig the computing stage to work this way for *decades* now, and TPM-everywhere is the final piece of the puzzle.

    The fact that the Linux and BSD guys are not screaming about everyone needing to dump all hardware pre-Skylake/Ryzen2 for the sake of “security” tells you all you need to know.

  20. Maccy Dee said on September 27, 2021 at 10:17 am
    Reply

    To the author of this article, no you won’t get updates for Windows 11 on unsupported devices. Microsoft have been very clear about that. You install Windows 11 on unsupported devices st your own risk and you get no updates.

    1. pHROZEN gHOST said on September 27, 2021 at 9:32 pm
      Reply

      I can see MicroShaft somehow repeating the same mistake they made with W10. They’ll manage to force W11 on unsupported hardware resulting in a real mess for lots of people.

  21. robert said on September 27, 2021 at 7:00 am
    Reply

    Ive been keeping up to date what MS has been saying and to me its holding the unsupported to ransom Ive got a Computer that i payed alot for 2 years ago and it wont take windows 11 yes windows 10 runs fine on it but hey in 2025 it be out of date i cant see why my old laptop is 10 years old and works great with windows 10 so cant see why my computer cant do the same.

  22. Anthony Chan said on September 27, 2021 at 5:10 am
    Reply

    well, it’s time to consider an alternative for Windows.. not everyone afford to get a new system in every few years as the hardwares are very costly for home users. i’m currently happy enough with Android interface..

    1. Maccy Dee said on September 27, 2021 at 10:20 am
      Reply

      Bit overdramatic aren’t we? It’s not evey few years, Windows 10 has been around for a long time now,and it’s got at least another 4 years of life left in it, probably even more than that if Microsoft do extended support.

  23. Richard Steven Hack said on September 27, 2021 at 3:26 am
    Reply

    Well, the Microsoft statement clearly states that an unsupported PC is precisely that: it will not receive updates.

    I’d take them at their word. Microsoft has enough trouble “supporting” the PCs they do “support”. Obviously they don’t want any to “support” any “unsupported” PCs.

    Note: Words are quoted for a reason.

  24. Anonymous said on September 27, 2021 at 1:25 am
    Reply

    I say Windows 10 is my last Windows. Next stop is Linux.
    This “new hardware” they require is a hardware with a unique ID (like a car chassis) so they can track you easily with this unique ID regardless of cookies.

  25. JuhaT said on September 27, 2021 at 1:10 am
    Reply

    I have state of the art desktop, but wont enable secure boot because MX-Linux is what I use mainly and only play games on Windows. Dont want to bother activate it everytime I want to boot to windows.
    I read that Microsoft is gonna support W10 atleast to 2025. So I guess thats when I stop using Windows completely…

  26. John said on September 26, 2021 at 11:47 pm
    Reply

    My guess would be that they will support the officially unsupported hardware only as long as it remains easy to support and basically works with that they are doing anyway or perhaps with a small modification. If they reach a major barrier like they had on Windows 10 with some soundcards that left a lot of people stuck on 1909 until the very end of it’s active support, and it’s on an already officially support but working Windows 11 machine, your sound card will be allowed to stop working.

    I think that’s basically what this stuff means. Use Windows 11 on hardware that is officially supported, and they will stand by it and make future Windows 11 updates work on it. Use Windows 11 on hardware that is not officially supported and it’ll work as long as it doesn’t require any extra work from Microsoft to make it work.

    In the example of the real thing that happened with Windows 10, they basically had to get stuff working because those computers were sold with Windows 10 and met Windows 10 hardware criteria. So, they morally, ethically, and maybe even legally (Not sure on that last one, maybe in some countries and not others- seems like a law that the EU might have.) had to make it keep working.

    If you install Windows 11 on a machine they say won’t support it, they’re happy to let you install it and keep downloading updates and stuff indefinitely, but if something that isn’t officially supported stops working (Whether in a minor way or brick city) because of updates that work on everything they do support, they aren’t going to care all that much beyond perhaps a small effort to see if there’s a simple fix. They warned you.

    That actually does sound fair. People who want assurances that their hardware will keep working on an up to date version of Windows can keep it on the version of Windows it came with, Windows 10, until support for Windows expires, which won’t be until at least 2025, and, if a lot of people stay on it, may even last longer. You won’t get the latest Windows 11 whizbang, but the readers here don’t seem like the type to care about the type of new features Windows rolls out that much- they seem, on average, to just want a bread and butter operating system that is efficient, secure, and reasonably customizable. So, you know, if that’s you and you have hardware that doesn’t support Windows 11 officially, stick with Windows 10 and you’re safe for years to come- feature updates may stop rolling, but security updates will continue for Windows 10. Then, if in 2025 (or later if they change the deadline), your hardware is still working, you have the choice to try Windows 11 with unsupported hardware if it works with your unsupported hardware, switch to Linux if it works with your hardware, or use Windows 10 out of support (Not recommended on an Internet connected machine, but maybe you use it for non-Internet stuff).

    I doubt by the time Windows 10 goes out of support, there will be all that many still operational machines with incompatible unupgradable hardware. Most of the hardware people use today is supported by Windows 11. Anything you buy in the future should be supported. I don’t know what the average lifespan of a computer is these days, but I do know a lot of people buy laptops (Which almost definitionally mean a bit more wear and tear than a desktop because they are often moved around or, at minimum, have hinges that open and close a lot, and perhaps things that rest on the top of them. Plus, you know, harder to repair. Only so many fans you can fit in there. Etc.), and it wouldn’t surprise me if some of the low to middle end laptops only had an average lifespan of between 2-5 years anyway (Not saying some people don’t have 10-15 year old laptops- obviously some people do- I’m talking about an average).

    I doubt the folks at Microsoft will cackle and tell you the unsupport PC they let you install Windows 11 on is denied updates just because they are feeling mean that day. I just don’t think they will go to much effort to keep things compatible, which means use at your own risk. With Windows 10 still around, like I said, that sounds fair.

    There’s always a cutoff point somewhere- obviously Windows 11 wouldn’t run on, say, Windows 95 era hardware. Maybe they could have set the cutoff point for official support a bit further back in hardware development years than they did, but they were going to set it somewhere. I get the feeling that part of it is that they don’t want to have a rock solid commitment to making mitigations for that big vulnerability with chips for every possible variation of old hardware until the year 2035 or whenever Windows 11 goes out of support- which is why they seem to have set it at the point just after those mitigations wouldn’t be necessary because the hardware itself isn’t vulnerable.

    1. Maccy Dee said on September 27, 2021 at 10:23 am
      Reply

      Nope, I think people are reading what they want to read in Microsoft’s statements. They’ve said very clearly that unsupported deviced will not get updates. The Windows 11 update module will check if the system is supported and if it’s not, no updates will be available.

  27. ddk said on September 26, 2021 at 10:39 pm
    Reply

    “Administrators would have little options but to restore an older version of Windows, install an older version of Windows from scratch, or switch to Linux.”

    What happened to MACOS, BSD, Ipad OS, Chrome OS etc?
    Why couldn’t those be alternatives?
    It isn’t just Windows or Linux.

  28. basicuser said on September 26, 2021 at 9:36 pm
    Reply

    Slurp being the true value of any version of Windows, even pirated ones, they’re not about to stop installation of W11 on unsupported machines because being such nice guys, MS just wants to get to know you better. ;)

  29. ilev said on September 26, 2021 at 7:47 pm
    Reply

    “Administrators would have little options but to restore an older version of Windows, install an older version of Windows from scratch, or switch to Linux.”

    No.

    Administrators won’t install Windows 11 on unsupported PCs in the first place.

  30. common sense computing said on September 26, 2021 at 7:16 pm
    Reply

    Win 11 hardware requirements serve multiple goals for MS:
    1. Make it difficult or impossible to boot into non-Windows OSes. MS is still an enemy of open source and wants to control or destroy it. Buying GitHub and adding Linux features to Windows is a way of forcing open source to go through Microsoft assets and properties where they can be controlled and monetized through telemetry or subscriptions. By forcing all PC software, open source or not, to run through Microsoft owned servers, they can lock down undesirable behavior like users defeating forced telemetry, forced updates, and running unapproved code.
    2. By artificially crippling hardware from running Windows 11, Microsoft is hoping that users of unsupported hardware will be forced to purchase Windows as a service subscriptions, where MS controls and can spy on literally anything the user does.
    3. If or when users are forced to buy new hardware, Win 11 Home forces users to setup or login to a Microsoft account on initial setup. This is a whole new layer of privacy invasion.

  31. Coriy said on September 26, 2021 at 6:03 pm
    Reply

    Did it occur to anyone else that the Windows 11 compatibility is just another example of how Microsoft has acted since Windows 95? Every new version “requires” the “newest” hardware to function, yet older hardware is always supported. It’s part of the deal the MS has with the computer manufacturers. They have newer “better” hardware and want to sell the new computers, and so the OS has to “require” the newest hardware. It’s symbiotic relationship that forces upgrades and drives the profits.

    BTW, is Windows 11 still basically 32bit, even though the processors are x64? Wouldn’t surprise me given that Edge is a 32 bit program on Windows 10. I’d be unsurprised because some of the really older programs (as in pre-2007) that some companies use are 32 bit (and probably 16 bit).

    1. Maccy Dee said on September 27, 2021 at 10:27 am
      Reply

      I think you’ve got some wishful thinking there pal. Microsoft won’t support hardware that they’ve already said they won’t be supporting with the Windows 11 release just a few weeks away. And yes Windows 11 is 64 bit.

    2. Charlie said on September 26, 2021 at 8:18 pm
      Reply

      This same think applies to many industries! Asbestos is one that comes to mind, they FEAR people into how dangerous it is, yet to this day, Semi-trucks use Asbestos brake pads, releasing all of the Asbestos dust into the roads and atmosphere when braking. For that new “old” home you bought, there is an 80% chance that some part will contain Asbestos, not because it actually does but because the industry feeds itself! Did you know that Asbestos test are NOT 100% accurate but yet they are allow to “get away” with it because it’s for your health… oh and the rich get richer because they can throw an extra $30k at a place to be “cleaned”, while the poor/middle class are fu*ked and can’t buy “those affordable places”. MS is most definitely working with hardware providers, not just PC’es but ATM, smart devices, security devices, etc etc etc. It feeds itself and thus, sorry you have an old computer time to upgrade… which feeds recycling centers, gold pickers (off the mother boards), eBay for reselling of components (ram, HD’s, etc), Craigslist, third world counties as many used computers/phones make it to schools in these countries, etc etc etc. Yeah, it sucks but it’s a beast that’s not changing over night and most IT professionals also welcome it, job security, period! Why do many hate Apple, very little “IT” required compared to Windows world. Linux, well just works if you have the drivers but people (think joe smo worker) are scared because they don’t know it and thus you have training issues now… ugh there is no perfect!

    3. pHROZEN gHOST said on September 26, 2021 at 7:10 pm
      Reply

      My thoughts exactly. After all, they want their OS on the new hardware. It’s a REAL conspiracy.

      When the time come that W10 is obsolete, I will be 100% Linux. Goodbye MicroShaft.

  32. X said on September 26, 2021 at 5:44 pm
    Reply

    “Microsoft could easily have made W11 more compatible with older computers, but as usual they’re bullying both the manufacturers and the end users.”

    Not at all!

    Computer manufacturers stand behind M$, since they are going to sell new equipment.

    Software companies too, except for the fact some will have to support older Win10 versions for a while.

    Only the end users are being screwed, as usual.

  33. Dave said on September 26, 2021 at 5:20 pm
    Reply

    “Don’t do stupid shit with this product”

    It’s my universal product label, what do you think? It’s so simple, way easier to understand then the pages long legal documents they use now to survive litigation.

    Defandant to Judge: “Your honor, the plantif clearly did something stupid with our product so we are not responsible for the reslt”

    Judge to Plantiff: “He’s got you there, that was a stupid thing to do, case dismissied”

  34. Zimmermann said on September 26, 2021 at 4:43 pm
    Reply

    W11 is just tons of W7 old code with facelifting and new boobs. Can you imagine those bussiness with hundreds/thousands of Dell/HP desktops dumping all their hardware in the trash just because microsoft says it? Windows became unusable on enterprise environments, where stability is law.

  35. John C. said on September 26, 2021 at 3:09 pm
    Reply

    Microsoft could easily have made W11 more compatible with older computers, but as usual they’re bullying both the manufacturers and the end users. Not everybody can afford to buy a new computer every few years.

    Microsoft is trying to make it more difficult to install Linux on systems. No impossible, just more difficult in order to discourage more people from using that alternative OS. To that end, they’re pushing the newer mode of UEFI.

    I will refrain from moving to W11 from W10 on my very compatible new laptop just because of the stingent system requirements for other people. If more people would boycott Windows 11, Microsoft might reconsider their move here and make Windows 11 compatible with more older computers.

    1. Graham Matthews said on September 26, 2021 at 7:03 pm
      Reply

      “Not everybody can afford to buy a new computer every few years.” More to the point, not everybody wants to buy a new computer and bin perfectly good hardware.
      Frankly I’m fuming that my 5 year old machine with a 500gb SSD, (new) 2gb graphics card and 16gb of ram fails their compatability test.
      I’ll wait until 2025 after which MS can shove their OS up their collective bottoms.
      I’m not sure which distro of Linux I’ll go with yet, but Windows can “do one” .

      1. Scott said on October 5, 2021 at 7:00 pm
        Reply

        I was dumbfounded this morning when I went to install it on my 5 year old Dell XPS (same specs as you) and found out that it didn’t meet the arbitrary system requirements set by MS for W11. Then I looked into it and found that they’re only taking 8th Gen Intel and 2nd Gen Ryzen chipsets, which means that only computers sold within the last 3 years (not including the 7th Gens that OEMs were still putting into PCs) can get the upgrade.

        I’m livid.

  36. ULBoom said on September 26, 2021 at 2:25 pm
    Reply

    Phone Culture is in control of MS. One meltdown after another. It’ll get much worse. Warp speed stupid.

    MS = Obnoxious gibberish machine, clueless anarchist geeks
    Apple = Cruella DeVil masquerading as Tom Hanks
    Facebook = Organized Crime, bugs in your hair
    Google = Moving roadblock, ankle bracelet monitor
    Amazon = All of the above

    Together these companies are richer than most countries on earth, they’ll do whatever they want.

    1. Techienumber1 said on September 27, 2021 at 12:32 pm
      Reply

      Google should be banned ?
      If you don’t know it tough
      1 question 40 billion answers

  37. hanibal said on September 26, 2021 at 2:20 pm
    Reply

    Someone needs to learn what “bricking” a device means.

    1. Techienumber1 said on September 27, 2021 at 12:30 pm
      Reply

      Bricking the device
      The terms of blocking a device from working terms that can only be used of a SDK format
      PC have their own word’s for this BSOD

  38. ChromeFan said on September 26, 2021 at 1:42 pm
    Reply

    Surprise, surprise. Software only gets bricked if you cannot code and/or your code is of poor quality. All the best engineers are at Google.

    Here is a tip for people upgrading to Windows 10.1 if your device is not supported, get a brick. It will have the same capabilities as your device.

  39. DaveyK said on September 26, 2021 at 1:25 pm
    Reply

    It wouldn’t be the first time MS have done this actually. They also attempted to block updates if you installed Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 on newer silicon. Of course back then, it took hardly any time at all for someone to create the “wufuc” script which removed the block. I used it myself when running Windows 7 on a first-gen Ryzen system and it worked just fine to get the updates flowing again.

    Of course, time will tell here once Windows 11 is officially released to everyone…

  40. incom2 said on September 26, 2021 at 1:03 pm
    Reply

    They will not brick any device, and definitely they will bring updates to them. Just wait. Why? They didn’t did anything of that on pirated Windows, they will not do it on what they call “unsupported devices”. Microsoft is just putting some fear to the people.

    1. No Thanks, Five Eyes said on September 27, 2021 at 12:03 am
      Reply

      Microsoft trying to justify TPM 2.0, which was really a scheme between MS and Intel to sell new hardware. They did the same thing to cripple Win 7, a software change to block it from installing on new CPUs. It works perfectly fine on new CPUs as proven with a simple BIOS hack. Now the same thing was demonstrated with the TPM 2.0 hack.

      Microsoft is a criminal monopoly. There are many other companies and the US government which profit from it. Not to mention that $MSFT stock. The US government will let Microsoft destroy half the planet before it ever penalizes it. If you notice they don’t even mind continuing to use this insecure, broken software on critical government and military infrastructure even though it accounts for 99% of the worst hacks in the history of mankind.

      1. Techienumber1 said on September 27, 2021 at 12:28 pm
        Reply

        Watch your txt those hax where legit

  41. ZeltiK said on September 26, 2021 at 11:55 am
    Reply

    At the very first days users figured out how to bypass requirements and install W11 to unsupported devices. This is just offering this option “out-of-the-box” rather then waiting for modified “editions” spreading around with added spyware. They just want that if you still install it, get the official files and click continue instead of torrenting some hacked version.

    1. Techienumber1 said on September 27, 2021 at 12:26 pm
      Reply

      I know I was one of them now we have haxed the firmware that makes it forever

  42. pndy said on September 26, 2021 at 11:11 am
    Reply

    Beside MS adding tons of unnecessary components, Windows 10 and 11 won’t be that much fundamentally different beneath than Windows 7. I’m not saying that they won’t improve or add new features to their flagship software; they of course do but most of the time it’s the patchwork for the code that was released 17 years ago – Windows Vista is based on Windows 2003 Server code after MS abandoned the Longhorn failure. All the new stuff added in Windows 10 the ordinary user sees and interact with are gimmicks.

    The push with higher requirements for this release of Windows are largely artificial. They probably will offer “generously” support under yet another SaaS subscription, while those who won’t pick it up will be indeed left with machines out of support. The supposed breakthrough changes to the Intel CPUs architecture of which Windows 11 is said to benefit is doesn’t seem to be enough to convince people for upgrades.

    Microsoft doesn’t treat their customers with the proper respect since Windows 8 and this doesn’t seem it’s gonna change – they’re one of the faces of modern corporate world made in the US.

    Igor Ljubuncic on his Dedoimedo site wrote a post about W11 which I recommend for a read.

  43. Gerold Manders said on September 26, 2021 at 10:41 am
    Reply

    And if specific drivers are being installed on those “TPM 2.0 protected” computers, some printer drivers and a driver for Razor’s mouses, the whole TPM 2.0 protection layer is circumvented.

    While Razor made an effort and updated their driver, the same cannot be said for the printer drivers. And still, these faulty drivers only need to be installed, to give hackers full access. So you can bet that these drivers are now in the arsenal of ‘black-/white-hatters’ to be used for circumventing TPM 2.0. So, for as long as these approved by Microsoft drivers are still valid, TPM 2.0 won’t be the security measure Microsoft trumps it up to be, which can be several years.

    Seeing videos from Windows 11, and blogs about performance differences between Windows 10 and 11 (where 11 isn’t faster than 10) and doing a small test run with a virtualized version, I don’t see the immediate (or intermediate) appeal of Windows 11.

    Sure, I will run it on approved hardware when 2025 arrives, just to test if the software I work on remains working as expected. Most of my workstations that do not qualify for 11, will either run Windows Server, or much more likely, will be turned into Linux workstations. The current workstations are on the older side, but have boatloads of RAM, run from SSD’s and have pretty decent, discrete video hardware built in. No slouches by any means.

    Windows 11 shows a level of arrogance, not befitting the qualities it has over Windows 10. What all the new requirements do invoke is much more control over your hardware by Microsoft. While users see a jail, similar to the one you commit to when getting into the Apple hemisphere, Microsoft sees an opportunity to start making money like Apple has done these last years.

    Microsoft does PR better nowadays, but don’t think they have unlearned their mischievousness when it was under the stewardship of Gates and Ballmer or underestimate their lust for money. You will do yourself a disservice if you trust anything the proverbial “blue eyes” of their PR department utters.

    1. Techienumber1 said on September 27, 2021 at 12:25 pm
      Reply

      TPM 2 is crap it’s firmware easy to hack we did it in 30 minutes

    2. Maccy Dee said on September 27, 2021 at 10:14 am
      Reply

      No, it’s not circumvented, you clearly have no idea how TPM works making a comment like that. TPM blocks malware before Windows has even loaded, so before those Razer drivers or anything else has loaded.

  44. The Fire Department said on September 26, 2021 at 10:27 am
    Reply

    I just installed Zorin OS 16 on a friends 10 year old laptop, she is thrilled beyond belief. Everything works and is fast, the laptop is now better than it ever was. The best it can ever be. Windows 10 ran like fornicating s**t on it, no news there.. Interestingly/funny enough: all those Windows 11 “security” requirements are just a sad joke compared to this old laptop with linux on it. This old potato is a thousand times more secure than and spanking brand new laptop that meets all the Windows 11 requirements. Let that sink in for a bit. Do yourself and everyone you know a favor: Drop windows. It’s like an abusive spouse that just keeps demanding more and more and more and you get NOTHING in return, you’re just scared to leave because you never leave the old familiar house.. Guess what, your house has been on fire for many years already.

    1. Techienumber1 said on September 27, 2021 at 12:23 pm
      Reply

      I agree w11 starting at the top working it’s way down
      W10 stated halfway didn’t know where to go

    2. Maccy Dee said on September 27, 2021 at 10:10 am
      Reply

      Windows 10 runs like trash on a 10 year old laptop? You don’t say, next you’ll be telling us Cyberpunk 2077 runs like trash on it too lol.

      Also no, that laptop is not more secure than a PC running Windows 11 because those PCs have to have TPM 2.0 and Secureboot on which block malware and ransomware at the hardware level, how does that work again on that 10 year old laptop?

      Plus most people will have security software on top of the TPM and Secureboot. We get it, you’re having a rant at Microsoft but please, stop making stuff up.

      1. The Fire Department said on September 27, 2021 at 12:29 pm
        Reply

        So, what you are claiming is that Windows 11 on a new computer with TPM 2.0, Secureboot and your AV solution of preference WILL block malware and ransomware. =) On WINDOWS. MUUUUAAAHHHHAAAHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA… Sweet Lord baby JESUS what a dork. Any up to date modern linux is a billion times safer than a Windows 11 computer, even if the Windows computer is never ever turned on. You see, little grasshopper, Windows 11 IS malware. Windows 11 IS ransomware.

        We get it, your dad is buying you a new badass gaming computer with Windows 11 this Christmas, but please, stop making stuff up.

  45. Chris said on September 26, 2021 at 10:00 am
    Reply

    Not releasing security updates for “unsupported hardware” seems like a very stupid idea. They’ll get a lot of backlash for that. That’d mean people will stay on Win10 and in 2025 tons of PCs will become vulnerable.

    I haven’t read any compelling reason for Win11’s hardware requirements. Seems like it’s just so they can force PC upgrades.

    1. Techienumber1 said on September 27, 2021 at 12:21 pm
      Reply

      Not really the updates are mostly for support flaws and even by Ms standard’s most of the time you really don’t need them the real factor is in firewall and AV these are the main problems that is the vulnerability of any PC just change them and you can play work or just about anything that is what Ms don’t tell you

    2. Yanta said on September 27, 2021 at 6:56 am
      Reply

      Indeed, I have a stack of hardware that I was trying to sell. A couple thousand AUD. The question I get asked now is “Wil it run Windows 11” (mind you I get that question for RAM as well, so the people asking clearly don’t understand).

      If I can’t guarantee the CPU and/or motherboard won’t run Windows 11 people don’t want the hardware.

      This TPM garbage is going result in massive wastes of hardware – all of which will end up on the rubbish pile instead of being recycled. Absolutely a low life decision from Microsoft.

      But totally in line with their “don’t give a damn about consumers” business model.

      1. Yanta said on September 27, 2021 at 6:57 am
        Reply

        Sorry, double negative there “If I can’t guarantee it WILL run W11”.

  46. Anonymous said on September 26, 2021 at 9:52 am
    Reply

    Presumably the offending sentence does not over-ride the promised ability to roll back to Windows 10 for a set time.

    Past experience: If you don’t get the guarantee of compatibility stick with what you have. Eventually Windows requires more and MS will kill simply stop updating unsupported hardware.

  47. awake said on September 26, 2021 at 9:39 am
    Reply

    IMO This company acts more like a Mafia than a company. They can take their W11 crap and shove it, I’ll never use it.

    And if you tell me, “I need it for my job” I’ll tell you this: no one needs Windows, you’ve allowed Windows to be your choice likely because of a fantasy “NEED.’

    If you tell me, “I use Windows for games and Linux for everything else” then I’ll tell you if Windows gamers banded together and refused to play games on Windows but instead constantly and loudly preferred to play on Linux and let companies KNOW this, things would be different. But people are lazy and don’t care about unifying anymore, especially against bully companies which dictate what you can and can’t do on your own hardware.

    1. Steve B said on February 5, 2022 at 9:55 pm
      Reply

      I have installed Windows 11 on an I3 6th Dell Laptop . It updates just fine and runs no slower than Windows 10 did. So if many are going to do this Microsoft isn’t going to stop security updates to these computers and make the whole Windows world vulnerable. Now if they issue an update that forces TPM 2.0 and other draconian CPU slowing security measures its likely Microsoft isnt going to brick the computers that don’t have it. If they did they would face a massive class action lawsuit. These security measures were really designed for large corporate systems not the average person at once or in a very small business.

    2. Anonymous said on December 14, 2021 at 4:52 am
      Reply

      Agreed, none of the companies I run or deal with have intentions of rebuilding new workstations for TPM. This is the last windows we will use.. Will go to alternatives after 10 unusable. People need to just them NO.. but sheep are sheep.

    3. MK Slinky said on November 19, 2021 at 5:56 pm
      Reply

      Very eloquently put sir! I’m sure Microsoft would like to brag about it’s green credentials but did they even spare a thought to how many perfectly good computers might now end up in landfill as a result of placing restrictions on certain hardware? I think not! What apins me most is my computer is less than two years old and it passes the compatibility checks with flying colours with one small but expensive exception.., my Ryzen 5 1600 6 Core processor is unsupported, Microsoft dictates that W11 only needs 2 cores, go figure!!

    4. Anonymous said on October 2, 2021 at 7:00 pm
      Reply

      Awake said: < And if you tell me, “I need it for my job” I’ll tell you this: no one needs Windows, you’ve allowed Windows to be your choice likely because of a fantasy “NEED.’

      Let me now when there's a Visual Studio version for Linux. Some of us use tools that are only available for Windows.

    5. Josh said on September 27, 2021 at 7:32 pm
      Reply

      I do need Windows, and it’s not a fantasy need. Netflix does not support 4K on any other OS. Additionally, there’s just no competitor that even comes close to OneNote for mixed handwritten and typed notes. I wish I could completely ditch Windows, but there truly are no alternatives for these things.

    6. RobG said on September 27, 2021 at 11:32 am
      Reply

      Awake said: < If you tell me, “I use Windows for games and Linux for everything else”
      https://www.ghacks.net/category/linux/ …would you and your Linux friends then kindly stop preaching on this Windows section about how a free OS, with a minuscule 2% market share worldwide, is supposed to be taken seriously by business, home users and gamers worldwide.

      Thank you.

    7. Boycott said on September 27, 2021 at 10:12 am
      Reply

      None cares, people dont even care that GHacks is now an advertising pit of shame trying to monetize on the users in a way unprecedented by previous rule.

      Which is the point innit, everyone is out to make a buck and none gives a hoot where the buck comes from.

      Microsoft is only bolstering sales for TPM’s that were a dime a dozen and now none can get any.
      They also bolster sales to theire equally useless XBOX security chip, that is so secure everyone with half a brain can run homebrew/Linux on their xboxes anywho,

      Its all about creating demand for useless technologies and assert their presence inside secure core pcs by adding a layer of control over your hardware.

      Now, if you said to me, that you refuse to buy secure core PC’s and or PC’s with Intel ME, I’m with ya, boycott all the way.

      And No Windows 10 is the last of the Windows here, they are trying to become like Apple, all their devs work with Apple crap and it shows on the poor quality shoddy coding.

    8. Hypocrite Thieves said on September 27, 2021 at 8:47 am
      Reply

      Another thing Windows defenders like to bring up is that Photoshop doesn’t work on linux. Firstly, 99.9999999999% of Photoshop users on Windows STOLE it, because yeah it’s retarded expensive. I wouldn’t pay that much for it even if I was a rich man. Secondly, many of those cracked/portable (yes STOLEN) Photoshop versions work just fine on linux using WINE. Same goes for numerous other Windows software you stole. Now, I’m not a gamer so I have no idea if all the games you stole will work on linux too, but I’m guessing most of them do. Now since Windows 11 goes all in on security, I suspect in the future it will be more and more difficult to run any stolen software on Windows..Then what, Windows fanboys..? Then what?

      1. Sheshbazzar said on October 16, 2021 at 4:56 pm
        Reply

        Stolen? Selling software led to NFTs. Aren’t you endorsing Gates’ early plea perchance ..?
        But, as your personal example illustrates, Linux is for hypocrites, or imbeciles, Torvalds became a wealthy man thanks to IBM’s repeated “encouragement”, instruction manuals etc.

        Source code access? Who is there to prove that the compiled/linked output is a verbatim translation of what you’re reading? Aren’t the tools, compilers etc. binaries? Their code, in like manner, is readily available, say you? But again, aren’t they run as object i.e., inscrutable & discouragingly tall walls of machine code? You really have little to ensure that your “conceptual” source code won’t get “objectivated” into something quite different, under the hood, from what you’re expecting.

        Do not use Linux, at least Microsoft’s OS is openly evil.

      2. MdN said on September 27, 2021 at 9:25 pm
        Reply

        Of course they’re complaining about not being able to run cracked software because stolen = better for them. I do have a diploma in Photoshop, but after a few months with Gimp I’m not missing it. There’s also Krita for painting and RawTherapee and a few others for photos. Apart from a few designers and professionals, who even needs Photoshop? Influencers? What for? Just take good photos, folks. And you can add silly captions to them, crop them or fix your faces in any software.
        As for games, never gamed, never will. Gamers are actually a little annoying to me. And the few I met run pirate games. But I approve because their continuous demand for more powerful components means that I can get a great computer with good components cheaper. Which I did. :-)

      3. Reality Comes Knocking said on September 28, 2021 at 12:52 pm
        Reply

        Since no one says it, I will. If you are older than a teenager and still play computergames: You are ridiculous and sad, sad creature. Sad, useless and a lousy excuse for a human being. Grow up. Start living. Shut the F**K up.

        There.

      4. Taya The Creator said on October 31, 2021 at 4:54 pm
        Reply

        I am sorry but us adults play videogames because it’s entertaining for us, just like you play it to, you need to get out your chair and screen stop being a behind-the-screen prick, and go get yourself a life. I pray for your parents because you are a low life loser telling people to shut the fuck up.

      5. Snarl said on October 13, 2021 at 8:13 am
        Reply

        Reality, just like if you’re an adult and you still watch sports games, or watch TV at all, or listen to music, or play cards….wait no. Those are all forms of entertainment and there’s nothing wrong with playing video games as an adult. You’re a total idiot with some kind of insecurity issue and you should go crawl in a hole somewhere and shut up. There.

      6. Sheshbazzar said on October 16, 2021 at 5:12 pm
        Reply

        Video games had their apogee in the late ’90s, then collapsed into the present pile of goo. Now we’re left with an ever expanding junkyard of farcical & fetid SJW software zombies.

        * [Editor: removed, please be polite]

      7. Gerard said on September 27, 2021 at 11:23 am
        Reply

        The arrival of a new MS Windows version is always a good reason to make the switch to a Linux distro. There may be a learning curve (often also with a new Windows version), but the time and effort invested will not be wasted. Besides, your “old” hardware won’t suddenly be useless and, provided WINE is installed, you can continue to use older MS Windows software.

      8. Fubbaz said on September 27, 2021 at 8:55 pm
        Reply

        I’d say if you jump from Windows 7 to Windows 10, there’s a learning curve for sure. If you jump from Windows 7 or 10 to Zorin OS 16, there’s no learning curve. Everything is where you expect it to be and just works. Oh and without a Microsoft account NAG all over the place. The best thing ever is to realize there’s no antivirus bogging down your system, downloads or copying of files and overprotecting/scaring you every chance it gets. LIBERATING, in more ways than one. I’d say the learning curve would be learning how to not stress and worry every time you use the computer.

    9. Gerold Manders said on September 26, 2021 at 11:10 am
      Reply

      The game service from Valve Inc. uses their proton libraries to make Windows games run directly in Linux. The most common problem of titles not working properly was the DRM solutions implemented in those games.

      However, Valve has been busy and now their proton libraries have support for DRM as well. The ability to implement DRM was always a big ‘stick’ Microsoft could swing towards publishers. Lots of Windows games already work just as good on Linux, some even work better.

      So there is much less risk for publishers to also put out a version for Linux with very little effort now DRM support in proton has arrived. Games are a big reason why many people keep Windows around. Or at least one of the most vocal Windows user groups (gamers) do.

      But if you do not have a problem managing your smartphone, the step from Windows to Linux isn’t as great as it once was. Especially if you do not do much more than surf the internet, watch videos, do office work, have video meetings, etc.

      Depending on the distro you are using, installing Linux has become very easy, most of them have a store from which you can easily select the applications you want/need and with a few mouse-clicks you are on your way. Personally, I have had great experiences with Pop! OS, Ubuntu Studio and Linux Mint.

      While I don’t game much anymore, using Linux to manage databases like Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MariaSQL and Cassandra is no problem at all. For my other tasks Linux serves me also very well.

      Of course, it is foolish to think my personal experiences with Linux will be the same for those considering their next move regarding their operating system. The only thing I wish to convey here is that Linux on the desktop/laptop has very drastically improved. And it could be a much better fit than you might think right now.

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