Windows 11 Has Officially Arrived, Check To See If You’re PC Is Eligible For It
October 5, 2021It’s official, Windows 11 is now available to general consumers. Today, October 5th, 2021 marks the official release of Microsoft’s latest operating system to PCs everywhere. The new OS is being offered as a free upgrade to current Windows 10 users who’s machines meet the minimum system requirements.
Download and run Microsoft’s PC health checker to see if you’re eligible for the upgrade. Basically, you have to have a system that has a 1GHz, 64-bit processor with two or more cores, 4GB RAM and 64GB or larger hard disk space. In addition to this, it must support Secure Boot and TPM 2.0.
Microsoft caused quite a stir in June when it revealed that systems without Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 would not be allowed to upgrade to Windows 11. That effectively makes PCs built as early as 2017, ineligible for the upgrade. This includes Intel processors that are 7th generation or older as well as AMD Ryzen first gen chips. Take a look at the full list here.
We now know that there are ways to circumvent Microsoft’s restrictions. One such way is to download the Windows 11 ISO and install the OS manually. However, reports suggest that by forcefully installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware could result in your machine being barred from receiving certain updates.
Unlike the move from Windows 8 to Windows 10, Windows 11 features visual tweaks and under the hood improvements for better stability, security and features. It introduces things like better multitasking support, improved GUI and refined sounds. Take a look at what’s new with Windows 11 here.
At the moment, Microsoft is prioritizing new PCs over existing ones, so expect to be disappointed if you run the Windows 10 update tool today and find that the upgrade isn’t available to you. The company is using an “intelligence tool” to decide when and which PCs get the green light for the Windows 11 update.
Worst case scenario is that you’ll receive the upgrade as late as mid-2022. In a blog post in September, this is what Microsoft said:
“The upgrade will then roll out over time to in-market devices based on intelligence models that consider hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, age of device and other factors that impact the upgrade experience. We expect all eligible devices to be offered the free upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022.”
Take a look at more News on Windows 11 Here.
