Microsoft is pushing some Windows 11 users back to Windows 10
No sneaking your way into using the OS
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Now thatMicrosofthas announced theWindows 11operating system will officially launch on October 5 this year, we were hoping that thelofty system requirementsto run it would be adjusted.
Unfortunately, it seems that Microsoft is actually doubling down. Members of theWindows Insider Program(Microsoft’s open software testing beta) runningWindows 11on hardware, which doesn’t meet the minimum requirements, are now receiving a message asking that they uninstall the new OS and return to usingWindows 10.
The message was published to Twitter by@BetaWiki, and reads"Your PC does not meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. Your device is not eligible to join the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11. Please installWindows 10to participate in the Windows Insider Program in the Release Preview Channel."
We have reached out to Microsoft for comment.
No Windows 11 for you
Microsoft has now dropped ineligible systems from the Insider program and tells them to install Windows 10. pic.twitter.com/zfALanmcuqAugust 31, 2021
Microsoft will soon launch its freeHealth Check appthat will help you determine if your PC or laptop is Windows 11 ready. Unless you’re rocking some fairly new hardware, though, chances are you’ll need to stick to Windows 10 until you eventually need to buy a new device.
The minimum system requirements for Windows 11 are listed below.
There’s no mention of being forcefully booted from the beta, but it’s likely that you won’t receive any further updates to the OS if you choose to ignore the request to downgrade. The Insider Program was being used as a workaround for users with older or ineligible hardware to gain access to Windows 11, so unless the minimum system requirements change, your ‘free’ upgrade to the new OS will require you to either upgrade your PC or buy an entirely new device.
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Analysis: Is Microsoft taking things too far?
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about jumping over to Windows 11, from itsTeams integrationandnative support for Android apps, over to an improved experience using Xbox Game Pass. This is, of course, only going to salt the wounds for many people who are ineligible to run the new OS, so what is Microsoft gaining by excluding such a large percentage of its current Windows userbase?
There are a few assumptions we can make, with the most obvious being that Microsoft wants to motivate people to upgrade their systems and move away from older hardware. Staying on top of newer hardware makes sense in theory, but in the real world, PCs and laptop devices are a very expensive purchase, and very few families or businesses can afford to replace their tech every 2-3 years.
And then there’s the security argument. Microsft actually made anofficial poston the Windows Insider blog that explained its reasoning for having such high minimum system requirements, stating that"We need a minimum system requirement that enables us to adapt software and hardware to keep pace with people’s expectations, needs and harness the true value and power of the PC to deliver the best experiences, now and in the future".
In that post, the following principles were listed:
The reasons are sound, but regardless of how justified Microsoft is for prioritizing the security of Windows 11, that won’t help the large percent of current Windows 10 users who don’t meet the hardware requirements to make the upgrade. What’s the point of offering a brilliant product if most of your current customers are unable to use it?
We reported last week that around50% of current Windows 10 users are keen to move over Windows 11, so we should have a better idea of how many people are able to upgrade by the end of 2021.
Jess is a former TechRadar Computing writer, where she covered all aspects of Mac and PC hardware, including PC gaming and peripherals. She has been interviewed as an industry expert for the BBC, and while her educational background was in prosthetics and model-making, her true love is in tech and she has built numerous desktop computers over the last 10 years for gaming and content creation. Jess is now a journalist at The Verge.
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