Microsoft will allow Windows 11 to be installed on computers with old CPUs

Computers with old CPUs will no longer be blocked from installing Windows 11. Microsoft has just announced that it won't block users from installing Windows 11 on older computers.

Although it has set minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, Microsoft will only restrict installation when you try to upgrade Windows 11 from Windows 10 through Windows Update.

This means that users with computers with older CPUs that do not meet the hardware minimum requirements can still install Windows 11 manually using the ISO file downloaded from Microsoft's provisioning site.

Microsoft says that the manual installation method is designed so that businesses can assess the compatibility of Windows 11. From a consumer perspective, if they install Windows 11 on an older computer, they will have to manually install Windows 11 on an older computer. subject to risks such as low stability, system reliability is not guaranteed. Microsoft will not recommend or advertise this setting to consumers.

Microsoft will allow Windows 11 to be installed on computers with old CPUs Picture 1 Microsoft will allow Windows 11 to be installed on computers with old CPUs Picture 1

This is a huge change for Microsoft and it means that millions of computers will not be left behind. For those who prefer to install Windows 11 manually using an ISO file, the minimum specifications that Microsoft has announced will become meaningless. However, you should at least have a 64-bit CPU clocked at 1GHz with 2 or more cores, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage to ensure a decent experience.

In addition, Microsoft is also adjusting the minimum hardware requirements, adding more CPUs. Currently, Intel Core X and Xeon W series CPUs along with Intel Core 7820HQ of Surface Studio 2 have also officially supported Windows 11.

Microsoft has also conducted Windows 11 testing on AMD's Zen 1 series of CPUs. However, in the end there is still no Zen 1 CPU that officially supports Windows 11.

Finally, Microsoft says computers that meet the minimum hardware requirements have an excellent experience, 99.8% error-free. Meanwhile, computers that do not meet the minimum hardware requirements have a blue screen error rate of up to 52%.

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