Microsoft’s muddled messaging on Windows 11 {hardware} compatibility necessities has been inflicting confusion for its prospects for the previous three years. This week, a easy replace to an outdated assist article sparked a frenzy of breathless headlines proclaiming that the corporate had given up on these {hardware} compatibility necessities and would quickly enable any outdated PC to improve.
That’s not true. But it did not cease some tech-focused blogs from getting swept up within the confusion.
Also: How to improve an ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11
It’s at all times arduous to establish Patient Zero in certainly one of these incidents, however so far as I can inform that honor goes to the German PC-Welt. Its U.S. sister publication, PC World, translated the article for a U.S. viewers: “Despite years of warning, it is now formally attainable to put in Windows 11 on PCs that do not meet necessities. [I]n an sudden and puzzling transfer, the corporate is issuing directions for putting in Windows 11 on incompatible PCs.”
And the race was on.
None of that was true. Nothing modified this week. Nothing was sudden, puzzling, or beautiful.
So, what really occurred? The actual story is about as anodyne as tech information will get, and typical of Microsoft’s bumbling communications on Windows 11.
Someone in Redmond up to date an outdated assist article, initially revealed on launch day for Windows 11. Those newest updates had been exceedingly minor, consisting of some copy-editing clean-ups and the removing of a piece on the outdated PC Health Check app.
Then they launched the calmly edited article underneath a very completely different URL, with no reference to the sooner assist article. A tech blogger noticed it, assumed it was recent information, and leapt to some uncalled-for conclusions. Even a few of my well-connected colleagues noticed the protection and known as me, asking “Did Microsoft actually cave?”
I tracked down an older copy of that article, which was nonetheless accessible at Microsoft.com however seems to have since been deleted.
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Then I copied its textual content right into a Word doc, copied the textual content of this week’s article into one other Word doc, and used Microsoft’s personal redlining options to see the extraordinarily minor modifications.
After a pair days of this, some red-faced tech author at Redmond little question heard from a supervisor who was bored with getting queries from different tech websites asking what was occurring, and connected a be aware to the highest of the newly revealed model:
Important: Updated December 12, 2024
This assist article was initially revealed on October 4, 2021, when Windows 11 was first launched to the general public. At the time of publication and nonetheless at present, the intention behind this assist web page is to element issues for patrons to grasp the implications of putting in Windows 11 towards Microsoft’s advice on units that do not meet system necessities for Windows 11. If you put in Windows 11 on a tool not assembly Windows 11 system necessities, Microsoft recommends you roll again to Windows 10 instantly.
Windows 11 minimal system necessities stay unchanged and will be discovered within the article Windows 11 specs, options, and pc necessities.
Like I stated, nothing’s modified from final month or final 12 months or three years in the past. Microsoft actually would not need you to put in Windows 11 on unsupported {hardware}, however it gives mechanisms for doing so, primarily for the advantage of company prospects. You can learn all about it right here: “How to improve an ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11: Two methods.”
And this is a be aware for that harried tech author at Microsoft HQ. One level in that article would possibly want one more spherical of edits. The article says when Windows 11 is put in on a tool that does not meet the minimal system necessities, a watermark is added to the Windows 11 desktop. That was true for preview releases of Windows 11 in 2021 and early 2022, however to my information it was by no means utilized to official releases. My testing in addition to experiences from a whole lot of readers says it isn’t taking place on launched variations of Windows 11 in 2024 (quickly to be 2025).
I’ll let you realize if that article will get up to date.
