Microsoft pushed 'inaccurate' Windows 11 upgrade to unsupported devices
- Reference: 1677501009
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/02/27/windows_11_inaccurate_upgrade/
- Source link:
On February 23, upgrade promotion banners reached unsupported devices – those not meeting Microsoft's stringent minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11.
"Some ... ineligible Windows 10 and Windows 11, version 21H2 devices were offered an inaccurate upgrade to Windows 11," [1]Microsoft said on Saturday .
[2]
Company engineers "detected" the issue and "resolved in the same day."
[3]
[4]
"These ineligible devices did not meet the minimum requirements to run Windows 11. Devices that experienced this issue were not able to complete the upgrade installation process."
It may take 24 to 48 hours for the fix to "propagate to all devices," the company added. "Affected users do not need to take any steps."
[5]
Microsoft accidentally [6]turned off hardware requirements for Windows 11 in June following the emergence of a bug that was subsequently fixed.
Windows 11 does not install on PCs that do not have a recent TPM-equipped processor. The set of requirements are listed [7]here . There were some whispers in the channel recently that Microsoft may loosen those requirements but this remains a point of speculation.
[8]VMware, Windows 11 shafted by Windows Server 2022
[9]You can run Windows 11 on just 200MB of RAM – but should you?
[10]Microsoft swears it's not coming for your data with scan for old Office versions
[11]Latest Windows 11 build shares desktop real estate with, er, Spotify
[12]Sweating the assets: Techies hold onto PCs, phones for longer than ever
A PC maker close to Redmond told us they feared performance would take a hit and this isn't something they are urging Microsoft to do. Of course more richly configured machines generate higher margins.
Analysts are expecting a bigger refresh of Windows 10 PC fleets by corporate enterprises this year, with Gartner telling us previously that many organizations are [13]already launching pilots .
"Upgrades of existing systems are likely to take longer as there isn't really a huge need until later in 2024 when the end of life for Win 10 starts looming," said Steve Kleynhans, research vice president.
[14]
Microsoft is scheduled to support at least one Windows 10 release until October 14, 2025.
According to Stat Counter, [15]Windows 10 was running on 68.75 percent of PCs worldwide in January, versus 18.13 percent for Windows 11. Windows 7 took a 9.62 percent share of desktop Windows versions, with Win 8.1 clinging onto 2.31 percent and Win 8 and XP the remainder. ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-11-21H2#windows-11-upgrades-were-offered-to-ineligible-devices
[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=2Y-zhuNps8TAMJir8OluV5wAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] 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=44Y-zhuNps8TAMJir8OluV5wAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] 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=33Y-zhuNps8TAMJir8OluV5wAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%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=4&c=44Y-zhuNps8TAMJir8OluV5wAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/09/windows_11_requirements/
[7] https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/windows-11-specifications?r=1
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/16/microsoft_windows_server_vmware/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/08/windows_11_ram/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/03/microsoft_old_office_scan/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/03/windows_preview_build_25290/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/31/gartner_pc_shipment_forecast/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/05/corporate_enterprise_windows_11_pilots_/
[14] 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=33Y-zhuNps8TAMJir8OluV5wAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://gs.statcounter.com/os-version-market-share/windows/desktop/worldwide
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
I genuinely don't understand the fake requirements. If they were really enforcing something like TPM 2.0, then I could see it. But they're not. And Microsoft benefits from having as many people as possible on the latest version of their OS. What's the motivation here?
I don't know, but usually it's the money.
Money from computer manufacturers for Windows licences might be the motivation?
re: And Microsoft benefits...
especially if their cunning plan involves charging a subscription to all W11 users ($9.99/month)
Now that would be a plan that Baldric would be proud of.
Windows 10 the last Windows you will ever need
I remember the slogan in the title above, usual MS BS.
2025 EOL for Win10 is likely to be non viable as there will be an awful lot of consumers with old hardware that is not Win 11 compatible so some form of security patched version will be needed afterwards.
For plenty of consumers a PC is definitely not a cheap item to purchase and there is an expectation that it will be replaced when it breaks down, not just at the whim of the OS manufacturer deciding their working system is only fit for the scrap heap.
.. Yes. I'm fully aware that other OSes are available to replace EOL Win10, (I have Linux on some of my kit, back in the days of the "forced" W7 to W10 upgrade, my old & not particularly IT skilled father was one of those caught by the update happening even though X clicked) & ended up with a totally borked PC. So (with the bonus of saving me from huge amounts of Windows related free support hassle) I ended up putting user friendly Ubuntu on it as he mainly did email / web and a bit of word processing & had no need of any windows specific apps, & his Ubuntu system ticked away happily, auto applying updates as needed, (outlived him). However plenty of people do not have the knowledge themselves to switch OS (or relatives able to do it for free) and so end up suffering from enforced obsolescence )
I really don't understand* why various regulators let the tech companies get away with such pitiful support periods for software, especially with security patches, (& don't get me started on the fiasco of Android updates (or more precisely, the lack of them, for many phone models))
* Well I do, pressure / inducements for key decision makers works wonders,
Re: Windows 10 the last Windows you will ever need
Windows 2000 was the last Windows I needed. When my new laptop arrived, with XP, I switched to Linux. That was in 2006, so...
Misplacement
Company engineers "detected" the issue and "resolved in the same day."
Should be
Company "engineers" detected the issue and "resolved in the same day."
LOL
"Windows 11, version 21H2 devices were offered an inaccurate upgrade to Windows 11,"
Re: LOL
The "inaccurate" part being the use of the word "upgrade".
"Windows 11, version 21H2 devices were offered an inaccurate upgrade to Windows 11"
...and this is just yet another example of atrocious quality control of Windows updates *sigh*
They are NOT softening requirements for hardware.
They are raising them. The idea is to get you onto windows 11 by any means necessary so you will be forced to upgrade hardware. You will HAVE to upgrade your hardware at that point. The poor fools who upgraded are trapped in an endless loop now.
Re: They are NOT softening requirements for hardware.
There is an out here. Some version of Linux (free), or even Apple (kinda expensive up front).
Most people only do the basics, web, e-mail and maybe some word processing anyway.
The major problem is people only know Microsoft and think anything else would be too hard to learn, or having to learn a different/better way to do things on another operating system. Never mind the constant reshuffling in Windows.
Re: anything else would be too hard to learn
Really? I know plenty of people who are shall we say, a bit long in the tooth who finally gave MS the big middle finger and moved to a Mac. An hour or so training and none of them have looked back. To them, as long as Lightroom and Photoshop work they don't care. Yes, Apple is expensive up front but there are some good deals to be had if you look for them (Pawn Shops). 1-2 year old Macbooks as long as they have a decent wedge of RAM they will be fine. These users already have a decent 24in+ monitor so even a 13in device would do fine.
Of course the channel doesn't want hardware requirements "softened"... otherwise how is their poor, impoverished CEO going to afford a new yacht this year? Won't someone please think of the executive bonuses?