Microsoft could allow Windows 11 upgrades on old PCs after all

"Microsoft allows Windows 11 on old, incompatible PCs" – is the headline in the US media, pointing to a possible 180-degree turnaround in Microsoft's product policy. However, the situation is not clear at the moment. The company actually requires processors from the Intel Core i-8000 (Coffee Lake) and AMD Ryzen 2000 (Pinnacle Ridge) series, including security functions such as a Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0).

Microsoft has so far strictly prohibited new Windows 11 installations or upgrades on computers with older processors. However, one of the company's support pages received a remarkable update in November with a possible concession. It concerns the installation of Windows 11 on systems that do not meet the minimum requirements. Until November, Microsoft listed the following warning there:

"This PC doesn't meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11 - these requirements help ensure a more reliable and higher quality experience. Installing Windows 11 on this PC is not recommended and may result in compatibility issues. If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won't be entitled to receive updates. Damages to your PC due to lack of compatibility aren't covered under the manufacturer warranty."

In November, the following sentence was added:

"By selecting Accept, you are acknowledging that you read and understand this statement."

Previously, the installation only worked via workarounds, for example with modified installation media. An "Accept" button indicates that Microsoft will allow installation without tricks at your own risk in future.

Currently no installation possible

At least as of the time of reporting, however, there is still no real change: new installations or upgrades still do not work on PCs that do not meet the requirements. We have tried both installation methods on current systems with deactivated TPM 2.0 and on an older PC with an unsupported processor: Upgrading Windows 10 and reinstalling Windows 11. In all cases, Windows refused to install. The current Insider build 27758 at least indicates in the setup which requirements the system does not fulfill.

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Installationsversuche Windows 11 auf nicht unterstützten Systemen (5 Bilder)

Neuinstallation mit deaktiviertem TPM

However, according to the support page, Microsoft does not guarantee functional and security updates under Windows 11 with unsupported hardware in the future either. Installation is expressly at your own risk. The whole thing would therefore be a reluctant concession.

Officially, the strict requirements remain in place. Microsoft product manager Steven Hosking recently made this clear again. Heise online has requested a statement on the updated support page.

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(mma)