Microsoft to allow Windows 11 on Older PCs, with a catch

Older machines need not worry - maybe

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This will be an upcoming guide I bet, but Microsoft will now allow anyone to manually download and install Windows 11 via the ISO available on their website to an older machine. Yes, after the weeks of turbulent keeping up of motherboards, CPUs and TPMs, Microsoft will just allow you to go around its official update software and simply install Windows 11 with a bit of legwork and even then, still adding in another technicality.

So because Microsoft doesn’t particularly seem interested in supporting older machines, they’ve now told The Verge that users who go through this method will not be ‘entitled’ to Windows Updates – which often include security fixes – in what can only be seen as sticking to the guns, but not really. The thing is, this probably will be implemented in the future once Microsoft deems certain hardware to be heavily out of date and will begin to usher users to newer hardware or, more preferably, OEMs, the prebuilt laptops and desktops.

 

New CPUs supported

Though as we pointed out originally, Microsoft was not supporting Intel Core X and W series processors, which still retail for four digits and are still relatively new, but also including the Core 7820HQ, which runs inside Microsoft’s own Surface Studio 2 which still starts at £3500.

Ryzen 1 chips are still out of luck and will be subjected to these restrictions of updates in the future, but I’m positive at some point someone will find a way to circumvent this and provide updates to older machines. Microsoft did claim that 52% more kernel crashes occurred on older hardware, but I feel some doubt about the legitimacy of it.

Microsoft’s casting aside is done in the name of security, but in reality, it seems bizarre when the beta version of Windows 11 runs perfectly fine on Raspberry Pis and other machines. We even managed to get it running in a virtual machine with zero complaints from either software.

Windows 11 was recently teased for an October launch and still remains in the Insider Program for those that want to adopt it early.

Get around Windows 11’s new restrictions with an upgrade!

If you’re in need of a PC that’s not going to be affected too heavily by the upcoming Windows 11 apocalypse and rushing of old hardware to an early death, we’ve got some recommendations for PC builds from Budget to excessive 2000 dollar builds! We’ve also got some recommendations for those going off to college or university and what laptops will keep you covered with the impending update!

If you’re looking for more Windows 11 news, guides or updates, we’ve got an entire hub dedicated to the new operating system, being filled to the gills with just about everything to get you started or fixing Windows 11!