Microsoft has made the transition to Windows 11 impossible for many PCs by imposing fairly drastic hardware prerequisites. A recent leak of the next OS update confirms that these requirements are primarily artificial.
Since its release in October 2021, Windows 11 is still struggling to convince users and the fault does not entirely lie with its flaws, real or supposed. One of the obstacles to mass adoption of the operating system was and remains the list of prerequisites imposed by Microsoft in terms of hardware configuration, which prevented many users from installing Windows 11 on their PC. Among these requirements, the most restrictive is the mandatory presence of a TPM 2.0 module on the motherboard, without which it is theoretically impossible to install and use Windows 11.
As a result, many owners of somewhat old but perfectly functional PCs have found themselves unable to upgrade their machines to the latest version of Windows. A shame when we know that, at the same time, Microsoft does not hesitate to regularly display advertisements and notifications on the PCs of said users to invite them to migrate to Windows 11… even if it means having to buy a new device for the occasion ! A somewhat contradictory and at least annoying approach on the part of the company, because if Apple also abandons its oldest Macs over time, it at least has the good taste not to display advertisements for the latest macOS on non-compatible devices.
Windows 11: hardware requirements quickly circumvented
Obviously, Windows users were not fooled by this and many methods have flourished everywhere to circumvent the hardware requirements imposed by Microsoft and install Windows 11 on officially “non-compatible” PCs. From the first preview of the OS, the independent developer AveYo developed a tool to override the restrictions put in place by Microsoft, and then updated it for the official release of Windows 11. And since then, other solutions that are even simpler to use have been found, one of which allows you to install Windows 11 on a non-compatible PC using a single command line!
The success of these methods proves that the limitations imposed by Microsoft for the installation of Windows 11 were somewhat arbitrary and artificial. In response, the company could argue that these requirements guarantee an optimal level of performance and security for Windows 11 – a leitmotif of which it does not deprive itself –, but a recent discovery however undermines this line of defense and accredits a little more the thesis according to which these prerequisites would above all be a way of pushing users to buy new equipment.
Windows 11: an official version that installs on non-compatible PCs
It’s the well-known TheBobPony, a knowledgeable Windows hacker, who shares this discovery on (ex-Twitter). In the Windows 11 Pro ISO file there are two versions of the operating system: the classic and the “IoT Enterprise” version normally intended for connected objects and embedded systems. But apart from their names, the two versions are almost identical and work very well on any PC, with one difference: if the classic version refuses to install on a non-compatible computer, the IoT version does not. doesn’t bother with politeness and installs itself… without even checking that the machine meets the hardware requirements imposed by Microsoft!
However, there is no need to rejoice prematurely, rush to download the ISO of this version and run out to buy a key for Windows 11 Pro. Indeed, as TheBobPony specifies just below its publication, this method only works for the 24H2 version of Windows 11, which is under development, not published to date and officially expected for fall 2024. This version has recently leaked onto the web and can be downloaded by browsing unsavory sites, but as it is an unfinished version, it is strongly recommended not to install it on a work or entertainment PC. In addition, nothing says that this possibility of installing Windows 11 IoT by overriding the hardware requirements will be retained in the final version of Windows 11 24H2.
Unfortunately, this is not a new miracle and easy-to-implement method for installing Windows 11 on a non-compatible computer; on the other hand, this discovery proves once again that the hardware prerequisites imposed by Microsoft are completely artificial. Although the IoT version of Windows 11 Pro is certainly aimed at less powerful machines, it works perfectly on classic PCs and offers no fewer functions than the classic version of the system. Furthermore, connected objects and embedded systems do not require less security than laptop or desktop computers, the fact that Windows IoT does not require the presence of the famous TPM 2.0 module to be installed may cast doubt on the necessity of such a chip.
This unusual find unfortunately reinforces the idea that the hardware requirements imposed by Microsoft for the installation of Windows 11 are based more on economic and mercantile considerations than on real technical constraints. One would hope that Microsoft’s desire to see Windows 11 widely adopted by users would push the company to loosen the grip of these limitations a little, but things unfortunately seem to be going in the opposite direction. Firstly, as discovered by the same TheBobPony, the 24H2 version of Windows 11 will require a processor managing the SSE4.2 instruction set to start, which will further exclude certain older PCs. On the other hand, the future AI functions of Windows, so praised by the Redmond firm, will be reserved for owners of PCs under ARM architecture, forcing those who want to benefit from them to invest in a brand new computer.
With the scheduled end of Windows 10 maintenance in 2025 and the increasingly stringent hardware requirements of Windows 11, Microsoft is therefore increasingly hostile to “old” PCs and is increasingly encouraging users to abandon their old bikes, which sometimes still work very well. For those concerned, it is perhaps time to look towards alternative systems, lighter, more robust and easier to use, such as the excellent Linux Mint.