Got enterprise workstations and hope to run Windows 11? Survey says: You lose. Over half the gear's not fit for it
- Reference: 1633007619
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/09/30/windows_11_workstations/
- Source link:
The news was even worse for servers; the survey showed less than 1 per cent of virtual machines were capable, going by Microsoft's requirements, of running the wunder-OS.
The study looked at an estimated 30 million Windows devices over 60,000 organisations, and fingered CPU and the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) requirements as the main culprit on workstations. Only 44.4 per cent of workstations met the CPU requirements, while 52.55 per cent of machines had a TPM enabled that would satisfy Microsoft's demands.
[2]
[3]Virtual machines fared particularly poorly, since TPM hasn't been a requirement up until Windows 11. Administrators will need to tweak the settings or update their VMs in order to upgrade to Microsoft's latest and greatest. Or stick with Windows 10.
[4]
[5]
As a reminder, as well as making TPM 2.0 part of the [6]minimum system requirements for Windows 11 , Microsoft also took an axe to the supported CPU list. The vast majority of Intel chips must be 8th generation CPUs or above, although a handful of 7th generation chips have now made the list, including the i7-7820HQ, which features on Microsoft's still-for-sale [7]Surface Studio 2 .
The [8]excuses given for the carnage are reasons of reliability, security and compatibility.
[9]
The new operating system is due to arrive next week and while enterprises are unlikely to update on the day of release, an upgrade will have to happen in the coming months or years.
Dell UK senior vice president and GM, Dayne Turbitt, [10]remarked in July that he reckoned 2022 would be when things kicked off in earnest. Dell had previously put the figure of PCs older than four years (and so unlikely to be able to be upgraded to Windows 11) at around [11]700 million worldwide.
[12]Surface Studio 2: The Vulture rakes a talon over Microsoft's latest box of desktop delight
[13]Microsoft does and doesn't want you to know it won't stop you manually installing Windows 11 on older PCs
[14]Microsoft releases Windows 11 Insider Preview, attempts to defend labyrinth of hardware requirements
[15]Epic trolling: Microsoft allows third-party storefronts into its app store
Turbitt also pointed out that enterprises were only now coming to the end of the Windows 10 rollout, just as Microsoft decided to move the goalposts.
As for Windows 10 itself, [16]figures published by AdDuplex show the last two updates on the vast majority of its 60,000 PC survey, with the 21H1 and 20H2 editions on 38.1 per cent and 36.1 per cent respectively. Windows Insiders running Windows 11 accounted for 1.3 per cent, while Insiders sticking with Windows 10 accounted for a barely measurable 0.3 per cent.
Since the [17]disaster of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update , when Microsoft opened the upgrade floodgates before quickly slamming them shut as reports of data-destroying issues came rolling in, Windows releases have been a bit more cautious. With so many systems apparently unable to meet Microsoft's hardware requirements, this latest update might end up being the slowest yet. ®
Get our [18]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.lansweeper.com/itam/is-your-business-ready-for-windows-11/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YVXfTzXq9pcSJ7eQmh1OmwAAARY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/17/windows_11_virtual_machines_requirements/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YVXfTzXq9pcSJ7eQmh1OmwAAARY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YVXfTzXq9pcSJ7eQmh1OmwAAARY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/windows-11-system-requirements-86c11283-ea52-4782-9efd-7674389a7ba3
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2019/02/15/surface_studio_2_hands_on/
[8] https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2021/08/27/update-on-windows-11-minimum-system-requirements-and-the-pc-health-check-app/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YVXfTzXq9pcSJ7eQmh1OmwAAARY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/08/dell_uk/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/03/lenovo_on_pcs/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2019/02/15/surface_studio_2_hands_on/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/27/windows_11_iso_install/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/28/microsoft_windows_11_insider_preview_released/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/29/microsoft_store_allows_third_party_storefronts/
[16] https://reports.adduplex.com/#/r/2021-09
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2018/10/08/microsoft_windows_10_pulled/
[18] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: "an upgrade will have to happen in the coming months or years"
Because, eventually, security updates will stop. And if you then cop ransomware or some other malware, your neck will be on the block.
Re: "an upgrade will have to happen in the coming months or years"
a good reason to change the version is breaking changes like these new hardware requirements. Imagine how many more would be upset if they couldn't upgrade to the next Win10 because so much hardware was retired from support(which has happened to some users over the years at some points I recall articles popping up), but obviously not this scale of retired hardware.
hopefully Win10 from here on out behaves more like LTSC as in minimal feature changes, as MS shifts to focus on Win11.
Re: "an upgrade will have to happen in the coming months or years"
The primary reason I've heard for creating a new version was down to the kernel changes necessary to support the new "wonky" processors that are coming out soon. Desktop processors are starting to go down the big.LITTLE route that mobile processors have been doing for a while, so the scheduler has to handle things completely differently.
Yes that on its own doesn't mean Windows11 comes into existence, but it resolves the support nightmare that's bound to happen when someone gets one of these new processors and has tries to make it work on Win10 - saying Win11 is the minimum required is a *much* easier check than trying check Win10 versions or patch levels.
Words fail me. What is driving this madness?
Microsoft needs your money for its Xmas executive splash-out.
On the other hand
this means plenty of decent hardware second hand laptops becoming available soon as corporations aim to renew their fleet.
Re: On the other hand
Yes, but only good until Oct 2025 unless you are going to run another OS.
11A?
Is this where MS will suddenly announce that they have developed a new improved win11 that will function with older machines and without admitting they had seriously failed to consider what their customers want and need (again).
If anyone has got a funtioning OS that could be rolled out seamlessly and work with and along side windows as well as stand alone, now is the time to market it.
What's the rush?
My current client has only just switched over to Win10, I wouldn't expect another change for at least 2-3 years.
"well over half of surveyed workstations didn't make the cut"
What's churn for?
There's no 'conspiracy' but there doesn't have to be. All sectors of the vendor community caught on independently ages ago that it pays to keep us 'upgrading'. After all, what keeps the revenue stream flowing?
I thought boneheaded decisions like this went away when Bonehead Ballmer left.
Describing Windows 11 as an "upgrade"
From Merriam-Webster, "Upgrade" means:
- to raise the quality of (nope)
- to extend the usefulness of (nope)
- to replace something with a more useful version or alternative (nope)
- to raise the classification an usually the price of without improving the quality (yup!)
No-one expects
“Our chief weapon is reliability, reliability and security; two chief weapons, reliability, security, and compatibility! Er, among our chief weapons are: reliability, security, compatibility, and near fanatical devotion to the bottom line! Um, I'll come in again...”
"an upgrade will have to happen in the coming months or years"
Why ? Because Borkzilla says so ?
Windows 1 0 was supposed to be the last Windows. Frankly, I see no reason why there should be a Windows 11 - there's nothing in there that can't be handled by a patch.
Borkzilla is going to have to come to terms with the fact that companies are not there to endlessly stop working just so the latest, "greatest" Borkzilla software can be installed.
You know what people like with computers, Borkzilla ? Stability. There's no reason an OS should last less long than the hardware it runs on.