Microsoft is threatening to withhold Windows 11 updates for users with old CPUs.
If you are thinking of upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 anytime soon. In that case, you might run into a few problems when you try to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 through Windows Update because Microsoft has set minimum system requirements for Windows 11.
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
- RAM: 4 gigabytes (GB)
- Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device
- System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable
- TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
- Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
- Display: High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9-inches diagonally, 8 bits per colour channel
- Internet connection and Microsoft accounts: For all Windows 11 editions, internet access is required to perform updates and to download and take advantage of some features. A Microsoft account is required for some features.
If your PC has an older CPU that does not meet the correct specification, you can download an ISO file of Windows 11 and install the OS manually. This “backdoor” upgrade will not feature in Windows 11 promotion because it is a “backdoor” for businesses to evaluate Windows 11.
The Verge reports that Microsoft is warning “systems that are upgraded this way may not be entitled to get Windows Updates, even security ones.”
If you are going to upgrade to the new Windows 11 operating system, check that your printer drivers will work because the Windows 11 platform may not support older printers.
Our take on this: The cynic might think that Microsoft would like PC owners to buy a new PC to use Windows 11, whether they need one or not. If that is the case, it is another barrier to reuse and flies in the face of reuse and sustainability.
