14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has updated the Windows 11 system requirements, causing a huge controversy that is unlikely to come to an end too soon.
And while Microsoft explains that new hardware is needed to make sure Windows 11 is running flawlessly on all devices, users who installed preview builds of the operating system even on computers that aren’t normally supported claim everything is running just fine.
In other words, these users say, Windows 11 should be able to run flawlessly even on hardware that Microsoft no longer supports.
In theory, deploying Windows 11 on these computers could still be possible with alternative installation methods, but sticking with preview builds is one easy way to do this given Microsoft allowed older devices to also get early builds of the operating system.
No more Windows 11 builds on older devices
But as it turns out, Microsoft has updated the requirements for Windows 11 preview builds in the Windows Insider program, so computers not coming with supported hardware are no longer allowed to be part of the program.
Instead, as Neowin reports, they are being told to go back to Windows 10, which will continue to be supported on computers not eligible for the move to Windows 11 until 2025.
“Your PC does not meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. Your device is not eligible to join the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11. Please install Windows 10 to participate in the Windows Insider Program in the Release Preview Channel,” a notification showing up on unsupported devices in Windows Update reads.
Windows 11 will launch in early October for eligible devices, and of course, it’s unlikely to see Microsoft making any major change to the official system requirements. So if your system can’t run preview builds of Windows 11, it won’t be able to run the full OS either.