Win 11 adds 'requirements not met' nag for unsupported hardware Those running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware are getting an update, though not the kind that low-end hardware and VM users might be hoping for. The latest Release Preview of Windows 11 adds an undocumented feature that slaps a line of text in the lower right hand side of the Windows desktop and a similar warning in the …
What is it with the people at Microsoft, that think they have the god given right to do this?
Maybe someone should point out to Satya Nadella, the ins and outs of the simplicity of an MK light switch, because the 'current ones' have been in place 15 years in my house, and never once have they failed, and never once have MK told me they are 'out of date' and need replacing.
Microsoft Windows does the drudge, in the same way as an MK light switch and like MK light switches, the basic functionality of Windows hasn't changed since Windows 7 or even longer, aka. 15 years.
Microsoft needs to remember it's what happens in the room when the light is on that is important, not the switch itself.
Well there's also shitheads like TurboTax that declared my Windows 7 unacceptable
Then the fun began when Windows 10 shit the bed when it saw my USB CDROM drive, which works fine in Linux and Windows 7. No amount of Windows updates, BIOS updates, or driver installs made it work.
Every so often, I get a message from Windows 10 that an app is not compatible. The last time it did this, I renamed the .EXE file to a random letter, and the program worked just fine. I also fired off some feedback asking them who gave them the authority or right to determine what I can or cannot run on my computer. I also told them that when I renamed the file -- which I never told what program it was -- that it worked just fine.
Certainly a support nightmare, because users will wonder where all the right click context-sensitive menus have disappeared to.
Even the option to delete a file is somewhat hidden (non-obvious), in Windows 11, with users having to resort to a modern icon on the 'command bar' (replaces the ribbon bar), in Windows 11 file explorer, the menu option 'Delete' is now missing, hidden under 'Show more options'.
>Can't tell if you are being sincere or if you actually struggle with apt-get... ;).
In case you've not figured this out yet all those spiffy graphical utilities tend to be command line editors for a program like apt-get. Even in Windows.
When I (foolishly) upgraded this system from '7' to '10' two things happened. One was that things inexplicably did or didn't work depending on which update had been installed. The other is that both the processor and the disk got hammered. When I changed the hard disk I put Mint on the system. I only bring up Windows now to run one or two programs (and when I've got that spare half hour for updates, scans, more updates and what have you to sit through). Linux "just works". Could it be better? Sure. But it was free -- paradoxically its the only OS that's worth money.
I'd like to get new hardware but the thought of having to deal with '11'....
Yup, that's one of my favourite features of Linux. The fact you can add software, and it's all basically managed via one mechanism. No need to worry about updating things individually, or having to download and install a separate package.
I really dislike it when you find some Linux 'app' that wants to install via a separate download, Windows style, rather than adding it via a repository.
"Fresh Windows 11 installations from an ISO file don't check for hardware requirements, so if you're willing to start fresh you might be able to avoid this entire kerfuffle."
Microsoft changed things very late in the day, and obfuscated things, regarding the retail ISO "Get Windows 11 ISO".
There are 'hard blocks' in place even for a clean install.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows11/
The ISO (downloaded from this URL) does check the hardware requirements during a clean install and places 'hard blocks' in place on the hardware if there is no TPM chip, Secure Boot enabled or a processor that meets the minimum specification (Intel Gen 8 or later).
Yes, there are ways to bypass this (registry setting hacks or removal of a key file from the ISO), but the ISO by default 'as shipped' has 'hard blocks' in place for both a clean install and an in place upgrade.
It won't install, and you can't bypass those checks, i.e. Microsoft doesn't treat such checks as a warning during the installation aka. 'soft blocks', it stops you from installing Windows 11.
Perhaps the reason for this new feature is to permit the installation of W11 on "legacy" hardware, but to visibly flag W11 is running in this mode, assisting support calls.
The reason for doing this would be to force users off W10, because uptake of W11 isn't fast enough.
@Roland6,
If that was the case, Microsoft would have given end users (i.e. someone with administrative rights, managing their own PC) a switch in the Settings menu to turn off this watermark, with a setting to override this setting in the Group Policy Manager. i.e. "Some settings are managed by your organization on Windows 11".
They haven't, so it isn't. It's just more of Microsoft's endless abusive relationship, with its users "We know best, we're going to force this on you anyway, because we can".
Nagware is one thing. What worries me more is having this attitude at work towards your customers, there's potential to take the same style of abusive relationship home to their families.
Microsoft really needs to look at the way it works as a company, if Microsoft management think this is still OK and 'normal' in 2022. Policies need to change, and now.
Chubb and Yale, don't make a 5-lever lock that automatically locks my front door at 10pm and doesn't open it again until 7am in the morning, because 'they know best for my safety', so why does Microsoft think it has this god given right?.
Then add into the mix, perish the thought, the idea that Chubb/Yale, stop me using my 'own key' to override such a lock if it did exist.
Its a "Release Preview" not a fully developed feature, remember this is Microsoft where the new normal is to release stuff still in development.
Althogh in saying that, I don't see why MS would provide any (supported) method to override the display of this watermark, unless the user upgrades their hardware and performs a repair reinstall... Remember it is primarily a reminder/nag that says "To get the full W11 experience you need to upgrade your hardware".
I can see this being enhanced to cover cpu's, network adapters etc. that MS deem are out-of-support.
Remember the early days of W10, I had a W7-x64 machine with 4GB of RAM, MS decided this system was only fit for W10-x32, I suspect if MS had more about the downgrade more people would have gone out and upgraded to W10-x64.
By the way Chubb and Yale are old-school locksmiths, don't expect the new boys aka Alexa, Hive etc. who demand a subscription to be as considerate.
Yep. One day soon you'll power on your PC and be greeted with a fullscreen "Hi! We upgraded your computer to Windows 11 for you! Now while we move all your personal data to our cloud, create your Microsoft account so you can log in, and check out all these amazing offers and addictive games from our carefully selected partners! We think you'll love Candy Soda Saga!"
I wish I was certain I was joking.
Microsoft's strict hardware requirements for Windows 11 are well known, and the method for bypassing them is likely also known to anyone who needs to run Windows 11 on older computers or in a virtual environment.
What is not so well known is how to prevent Micros~1 from installing Win 11 on a machine that meets "Micros~1's strict hardware requirements", because the machine's "operator"1 just doesn't want it.
1I originally typed "owner" here, but as any fule nose, from Micros~1's perspective, you don't own your machine...they do.
But then you get a huge warning in the Settings -> Windows Update saying the system isn't W11 compatible etc. Fortunately this isn't a problem, W10 will continue to update. Although like GWX, expect the nagging to get more desperate as we get closer to W10 EoL.
However, if MS determines your machine is W11 compatible, you do have problems as it seems it only permits the installation of critical updates, blocking feature updates from say 2004/20H2/21H1 to 21H2, they would much prefer users to click on the upgrade now to W11. Whilst there are ways around this, it should be unnecessary
Disabling something in the BIOS doesn't nesicarily mean the OS can't find the hardware and use it anyway. As I once discovered many years ago when experimenting with installing Linux on "Drive D" with "Drive C" disabled in the BIOS to "protect" my Windows install :-)
(Luckily I had a proper backup which did actually restore)
I finally gave up on Win7 when they stopped security updates (is that a good or a bad thing?) and moved to Win10. I expect to transition to Win11 with the same alacrity.
It amazes me how really useful and simple to use features disappear. Compare reordering known networks on Win7 with Win10. Win7 - open list, drag networks for new order, job done. Win10... well, no helpful information on Microsoft website and eventually did it with a command line.
Same here.
Although I noticed the latest BIOS update released for my board (Asrock), now has 'Windows 11 compatibility' added to the changes. The board was already compatible!
Turns out, the update simply enables Secure Boot and TPM by default (they were disabled by default previously).
So if I now update the BIOS (which I would need to do to support a Zen 3 CPU if I upgraded from my current Zen 2), I'd need to remember to switch Secure Boot and TPM off again before booting into the Windows 10 OS! (I have no plans to move to Win 11).
So be aware, if updating your BIOS, you might find SecureBoot and TPM being turned on by default, when it was off previously!
Unfortunately, I have an HP Echo desktop, and there is no (visible) setting where I can disable or downgrade TPM. I've seen references that I may be able to upgrade my bios to get that functionality, but as is usually the case with HP stuff, their documentation is spotty and muddled, and I'm not quite sure whether this is the case.
they come out with this...
The more that they apply clusterfucks like this to the OS... the happier I feel for getting off their bandwagon in half a decade ago..
macOS and Linux provide all my computing needs. microsoft.com is blocked at my firewall and has been for 4+ years.
There are at least a few CPUs on that "supported" list that are functionally identical to ones that aren't on the list.
These blocks are not about anything other than making PC OEMs more money. They aren't based on any sort of security improvement, or stability improvement or literally anything else.
Yes, yes... Microsoft = the devil, yada yada yada. We've all seen this scene play out before ad nauseum and it goes something like this.
1: Microsoft changes something about Windows
2: There's much wailing and gnashing of teeth, including promises that this is the last straw and the commenter is going to switch to Linux
3: Time passes
4: Go to step 1
If even 1% of the people who threaten to switch to Linux in comments on tech forums actually followed through, the year of Linux on the desktop would have arrived over a decade ago. So forgive me if I'm not impressed by a bunch of empty bluster by yet another keyboard warrior.
>If even 1% of the people who threaten to switch to Linux in comments on tech forums actually followed through, the year of Linux on the desktop would have arrived over a decade ago.
Most users belong in two categories. One is business where they get what they're given and do what they're told. The other is 'we only use the system for mail and browsing'.
There are few features on modern Windows that are worth upgrading for. I'm a 'pro' so most of new features either degrade existing capabilities or are irrelevant (do I really care whether icons are in one place or another or whether they've got rounded corners or not?). But then I'm OK with a command line.
Judging by the "feature(s)" Microsoft has added to Windows over the past 10 years, I can't say most of us would mind horribly if newer "feature(s)" couldn't be installed because of CPU incompatibility. Most of the new "feature(s)" primarily exist to drive people to Microsoft's store or to Office365, not to actually do novel, useful things for the user.
This was one of the dumb aspects of the W10 concept. Whilst the OS name remained as "Windows 10", users had to learn about build numbers to determine if certain things were or were not supported.
This made things more beneficial to system builders, particularly at the cheap end, as they could sell stuff as "Windows 10" yet it was only capable of running an early 32-bit build that was soon to go EoL. Obviously, I don't remember any reports of users being conned into buying a 486 to run XP.
I find it interesting that no one seems to have attempted to actually run W11 on minimum spec hardware. Whilst I suspect it will run on such low spec hardware, just like W10 did (And W7 before it), a YouTube video of the result would be helpful in giving some idea of just how much of a car crash it is.
Even in the Win8.x days - loathsome as its UI was - the OS still trusted you, the user, to know WTH you were doing. Most of us are used to just checking the listed hardware requirements and making our own judgement call on whether installing the OS on a specific piece of hardware is a good idea. Nothing keeping you from trying to install Win7 on some old dusty rig you had lying around, poorly advised as it may be.
My current rig (Core i7 6700K, 32 GB RAM, GTX 980 Ti) should be able to run Windows 11 without any issues, even if I may not have the latest and greatest CPU extensions. Yet even if I were to plug a TPM module into the mainboard, it would still be marked as 'unsupported' due to the 'old' CPU. Disregarding that Skylake was the foundation of Intel CPU designs until Alder Lake. What's 'obsolete' about my rig again?
The worst part of this is probably that instead of you - the user - purchasing an OS and being left free to make your own mistakes on your own hardware, instead MSFT is getting to decide what your hardware should look like, down to 'features' that are completely unwanted by most, such as TPM. Add that on top of the increased adware and forced online registrations/'services' being hoisted on you when using 'free' Win11, and it makes one question who is the 'product' being sold here.
I just want to be able to purchase an OS like I used to in the olden days with Win98, 2k, XP and 7, and MSFT to otherwise leave me to my own devices. Literally.
"Fresh Windows 11 installations from an ISO file don't check for hardware requirements, so if you're willing to start fresh you might be able to avoid this entire kerfuffle.
From testing I've done, that's incorrect.
W11 has a 'soft' floor and a 'hard' floor where the system requirements are concerned. The soft floor is the published system requirements, and can be worked around in various ways as described in the article. The hard floor is a TPM 1.2 and Secure Boot - without those it will not install, even as a clean install.
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