No, Microsoft isn’t letting you install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware

No, Microsoft isn't letting you install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware

As someone who’s been around tech for quite some time now, I can’t help but roll my eyes at the whirlwind of misinformation that’s been circulating about Microsoft’s Windows 11. It seems like every other day, there’s a new article claiming the impossible – that Microsoft is suddenly allowing installations on unsupported PCs without meeting its strict system requirements.

Over the last seven days, there’s been buzz about a supposed report, which seems to stem from PCWorld or PC-WELT, suggesting that Microsoft has relaxed its stringent prerequisites for users to install Windows 11 on computers that originally wouldn’t qualify.

It didn’t take much time before discussions on Reddit threads and social media posts emerged about Microsoft allegedly changing its stance, and indeed, such a move would be significant. Nevertheless, a brief investigation reveals that this information is not accurate.

Here’s what the PCWorld article claims:

Initially, Microsoft required a TPM 2.0 chip for Windows 11. However, this has recently changed, allowing users to directly upgrade to Windows 11 even if their systems do not have the necessary hardware.

According to a recent Microsoft support article, and as reported by PCWorld, the company has surprisingly provided guidelines for installing Windows 11 on computers that do not officially support it.

If you examine the support document closely, you won’t find any guidelines for installing Windows 11 on an incompatible system. What the document does contain is information about the consequences of attempting such an installation. However, it does not offer steps or instructions for carrying out the process itself.

Additionally, this help guide has been in place since the release of Windows 11 version 21H2. It was initially released on the day Windows 11 was launched, and it has recently been updated with steps for downgrading to Windows 10 if you accidentally upgraded a PC that doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements for Windows 11.

It’s quite perplexing because this support document fails to mention TPM even once, and there’s no indication anywhere on the page that TPM 2.0 is no longer enforced during an upgrade to Windows 11. It’s hard to understand why PCWorld and other publications are spreading the claim that TPM 2.0 is no longer necessary for upgrading to Windows 11.

For those unfamiliar, Windows 11 won’t install on computers that don’t meet its basic system specifications. If you try to install it on a subpar computer, the installation process will halt. Although there have been techniques to get around this limitation, none of them are recognized as official methods for upgrading or installing Windows 11.

As a researcher, I’ve recently noticed an update in the support article from Microsoft regarding Windows 11. The update confirms that the system still adheres to its minimum requirements, with TPM 2.0 being one of them. If you endeavor to install or upgrade Windows 11 on a PC that fails to meet these prerequisites, the installation process will halt, as it has consistently done so in the past. At this time, Microsoft shows no signs of altering this behavior.

Here’s the support articles new clarification:

Originally posted on October 4, 2021, when Windows 11 was first made available to the public, this support guide aims to clarify potential issues for users who install Windows 11 on devices that do not meet Microsoft’s system specifications. As of now, if you have installed Windows 11 on a device not compatible with the minimum requirements for Windows 11, Microsoft advises an immediate return to Windows 10. The prerequisites for running Windows 11 have remained constant since its initial release.

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2024-12-13 21:09