14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will soon display a desktop watermark on devices where Windows 11 is running on unsupported hardware, but as it turns out, getting rid of it is quite easy.
According to a recent report, it all comes down to a quick registry editor hack.
In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache
Look for a value called SC2 and change its value to 0. Once you do this, you need to close the Registry Editor, reboot your system to apply the changes and voila, the watermark is no longer there when you log back in to the desktop.
Windows 11 on unsupported devices
While the watermark is currently only on Insider builds, Microsoft has previously recommended against installing the new operating system on devices that are not supported.
“From Windows Insider machines, those that did not meet the minimum system requirements had 52% more kernel mode crashes (blue screens) than those that did meet the requirements. Machines that met the requirements provided a 99.8% crash-free experience that is effectively managed by OEMs and IHVs through modern driver update management. Additionally, on unsupported hardware app hangs are 17% more likely and for first-party apps we see 43% more crashes,” Microsoft said.
“Devices that do not meet the minimum system requirements had 52% more kernel mode crashes. Devices that do meet the minimum system requirements had a 99.8% crash free experience.”
Windows 11 is still rolling out to devices out there, and at this point, it’s still not known when Microsoft plans to introduce the desktop watermark for production devices. At this point, it continues to be available exclusively in the Windows Insider program, and of course, don’t be too surprised if the company ends up making it harder to remove the watermark.