Windows 11 is set to launch on October 5th but will you get it and is it ready? The launch has crept up fairly silently unless you have been closely following progress or taking part in Insider Preview testing. As always seems to be the case, those carrying out the testing are still finding plenty of issues and yet the launch will go ahead as planned. Most organisations won't go back on their word having announced a launch date and they don't usually allow a few problems to get in the way of a big event.
Following on from my previous article have Microsoft relaxed their strict requirements for running Windows 11? In simple terms they announced that if you didn't have a TPM 2.0 chipset, which are only present in machines under 4 years old then you won't get Windows 11. The answer is 'YES' and 'NO'. This means you can install it on any PC but you will need to be party to some information that won't be announced and be in possession of some fairly strong IT skills. I will go into this in a bit more detail below but I will begin with how the official rollout will be managed.
The rollout will begin with new eligible devices and then move to existing compatible Computers meeting the hardware eligibilty requirements. All compatible Computers should have received the upgrade by mid 2022. At this point I will just throw in my normal comment that early adoption effectively makes you a tester. The latest Insider Preview only launched this week and the product goes live in a month's time. I always recommend that unless you are very keen to get new technology and happy to encounter some problems then let others do the testing and carry out your upgrade a good 6 - 12 months after launch.
Now to return to my previous comment that anybody can get it - so what happens if you have a 7 or 8 year old Computer? The answer is this .... When you attempt an upgrade through the official Microsoft channels you will be denied the upgrade for failing to meet the eligibility criteria. If you have the time and skills you can do the following. Create yourself some installation media (USB stick or DVD) using the Media Creation Tool that will be available on the Microsoft website and carry out a clean install of Windows 11. This won't be announced but will work because it bypasses all the checks. To achieve the above you should also bear in mind that you will need to backup all your existing data and be in a position to be able to reinstall any programs that you had before. This might be a job for a business like Churchdown Computers if you don't feel you have the necessary skills to carry out all the steps.
So finally is there anything else you should know if you install Windows 11 when Microsoft don't really want you to have it? Unfortunately 'YES' there are two things. Firstly having carried out the install you may find that not all the drivers for your device are available in Windows 11. Secondly it seems that there is a possibility that Microsoft might withhold updates from Computers not meeting the original eligibility criteria. This could leave you with a big security issue if you force the upgrade on a Computer that Microsoft don't want you to have windows 11 on. The worst case scenario could be having to back everything out and go back to Windows 10.
As always there are still too many unanswered questions to make any firm recommendations. Given that I always advise those who are eligible for the upgrade to be cautious I am bound to advise those that aren't to be even more cautious. It is inevitable that within a few days of launch some Computers that shouldn't be running Windows 11 will already be running it but these people will have all the skills to back out if they need to and won't be risking their sole Home or Work Computer so please don't do this. If you have any questions Churchdown Computers are more than happy to help. Just call Mark on 07557 483438, e-mail mark@churchdowncomputers.co.uk or fill out the form at the bottom of theContact page.
