this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2023
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Is this because the free upgrade to Windows 11 is too large of a download?
MANY devices have hardware that's just outright not supported by windows 11. Even CPUs just a few years old aren't supported. I don't own a single device that supports Windows 11, and my stuff isn't exactly ancient. I imagine poorer countries have resold/used hardware in the majority of cases that aren't new enough for it
It's only in place upgrades that are really affected by that. You can still do a clean install on quite old hardware.
My last laptop I bought with the top of the line latest CPU at that time, and Windows 10 on it. I think originally that processor wasn't even going to be supported by anything older than 10, which created a big stink at the time.
That proc generation isn't supported by 11, so really, it was only ever a Windows 10 processor.
I'm generally okay with ending hardware support at some point, but that was really quick to cut off something like the processor that could easily have 10+ years of usable life.
Or a lot of existing machines that meet Win 7's specs running Win 10 aren't compatible with Win 11.
In my case the Intel Core i7 processor family is not supported for windows 11. Granted my rig is over 6 years old but it still does everything I want it to and I have no reason to upgrade.
i7 isn't a processor family its a marketing segment. Every generation of intel CPU has a i3 i5 i7. i7 means you have a nicer version of whatever year processor you have but you could have something 14 years old or released yesterday. I know it is absolutely confusing and awful and it makes it very hard to compare different generations without a spec sheet and benchmarks.
Yeah, i7's (along with i5's and i3's) from the 1st to 7th gen aren't supported, 8th gen has mixed support.
They still run 11 just fine in practice, but installation isn't as straightforward.
This is wild, though I really should expect it.
I have a machine in the basement that I use solely to run Zwift (an online cycling program). Windows update says it's not compatible, but I bought the machine in 2021, so it should be. My guess is that TPM 2.0 is disabled in BIOS, but I haven't looked for it. I don't recall what processor it has, nor should I really need to care.
If the processor is older, while reading this thread, I've seen that it likely is likely to work fine, even if Windows Update claims it isn't, but I might have to install it differently or edit the registry. So, basically, it can be done, but Microsoft is making it harder than it has to be. And Windows update (and the link they provide) aren't clear as to what the issue with upgrading is, if memory serves (I looked a while ago, so I might be wrong on this point).
I guess Microsoft makes money when we buy a new computer with Windows installed, so they aren't exactly upset that most users aren't going to bother figuring out how to install Win 11.
I mostly run Linux at home (the computer I'm typing this on, and my laptop, and my server). I love the reminder of why I do that.
Someone put Zwift into a docker image, so maybe it's time to investigate that further...
Yeah it’s what the other person said essentially.
If your computer is more than 4-5 years old, then you likely can’t upgrade to windows 11.
My computer made the cut by a single cpu generation. If it were a year older I’d be out of luck.
My computer is still way more power than I need and will have it for years to come.
If my computer were just a year older, I’d be in the same boat if not needing a new computer for years, but not have access to a secure system.
In addition, i can afford a new computer, but I wouldn’t spend the money on a new computer just to have security updates.
Hmm, I have a system running a 6000 series i7 (released mid 2015) and it was upgraded to Windows 11 a few months ago.
The version must be more of a recommendation than a firm requirement
The main think about the cpu is having a tpm. You can add one to the motherboard via pci, or your mobo may have one built in.
It’s been a while but I’m pretty sure it was 8th gen intel that included a tpm in the cpu by default.