The next Windows 11 version will refuse to boot on unsupported CPUs

Xda Developers ^ | 2/12/2014 | RAHUL NASKAR

[fireman15]

Your PC without this CPU feature won’t boot Windows 11 24H2

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Windows 11 24H2 update requires the POPCNT CPU feature, making it impossible to run on super-old PCs.

Modern CPUs support POPCNT, so if you recently bought a new PC, you won't have any issues.

PCs older than fifteen years will be affected by this change and won't be able to boot Windows 11 without POPCNT support.

Windows 11 24H2 is the next big update that Microsoft will roll out later this year, and it might finally put an end to the practice of running Windows unofficially on super old PCs. The software giant seems to be in the process of updating the minimum hardware requirements, making the POPCNT (stands for Population Count) CPU feature required to be able to boot Windows 11 24H2.

All the best modern CPUs support POPCNT, so if you recently bought a new PC, it won't come in the way of booting the next version of Windows. Instead, people who are still running PCs that are more than fifteen years old will be affected by this change. Why fifteen years, you ask? Well, the POPCNT instruction was first introduced by Intel on Nehalem-based Core i7 processors, released way back in 2008. If you've PCs older than that, you're out of luck.

Bob Pony's post on the X platform indicates that Microsoft quietly made POPCNT a requirement to run Windows 11 last year. The change first arrived with Windows 11 Insider Preview build 25905, which consists of various system files requiring CPUs that are capable of executing POPCNT instructions. For example, USB XHCI drivers, which are responsible for managing USB 3.0 and later, now utilize the functionalities of the said instruction.

[fireman15]

It has been very easy from the beginning to get Windows 11 to run on most hardware without much if any difficulty. But Microsoft has been warning that people without processors on the official list ae going to not be able to get updates, or these computers are going to stop working soon... for years.

I have been using Windows 11 on a laptop with a Ryzen 5 2500u processor since October of 2021. This processor never made the official list, but is arguably more capable than some other CPUs that did. Fortunately, the Ryzen 5 2500u has full POPCNT support. So, this article is meaningless in my case.

[Dalberg-Acton]

“this article is meaningless in my case.”

Mine too. (Linux Mint user)

[napscoordinator]

Go Apple! You will never regret it.

[kiryandil]

I'm getting ready to move to a dual-boot system with Linux as my primary, and Windows 11 as my "toy computer" secondary.

I've had to do System Restore on the last three updates to my box, because Microsoft seems to think that it's THEIR box.

No more.

[MeganC]

Ubuntu will work. Easy peasy. Most PC and laptops will run way better on Ubuntu since it doesn’t come with all the bloatware Windows does.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Bobby Rahul Naskar? Are you schidden me?

[CatOwner]

October 14, 2025. EOL date for Windows 10. After that, no more new Windows OS for me.

[bigbob]

Doing you a favor, it would suck if it did run.

[lefty-lie-spy]

Stay away from Microsoft products as much as possible is my professional opinion.

[Reno89519]

A fifteen year old computer trying to run Windows 11? Why bother? I can’t imagine this affects more than a handful of people across the country.

[Revel]

So what happened if you have a fast computer that barely missed the cutoff. Gotta throw it away and go spend couple of thousand to replace it? Only so it will run windows 11.

But here is the real kicker. The tax programs will drop support for windows 10 next year. They won’t install on it anymore. Giving Microsoft that much power is a crime IMO. And just imagine the environmental impact of trashing and replacing all those computers. And many people can’t afford it.

[The Louiswu]

the windows os on A pc I built not 5 years ago, a good box has already refused to upgrade to 11 due to some firmware garbage, I assume it’s tracking software not on the pc. Oh Well. My 10 yr old Mac keeps on trucking and updating.

[TexasGator]

“Stay away from Microsoft products as much as possible is my professional opinion.”

I disagree.

Been using Windows and Excel/Word/Office since they came out. Also VB and Visual Studio.

[Gideon7]

Use a Rufus USB stick.

[butlerweave]

burn windows 11 iso with Rufus , with a setting you can remove windows restrictions and install windows 11 on any computer no matter how old , and they’ll do this for their next version of windows ,LOL

[PittsburghAfterDark]

Go Apple?

Where 8 GB is all you need and all you will get. Because it’s just more efficient and works as well as a PC with 16 GB.

[House Atreides]

“ I disagree”
*****************

Of course you do…. disagreeing is your specialty.

[TexasGator]

“Of course you do…. disagreeing is your specialty.”

Trolling is your specialty!

[wally_bert]

For a workstation, I am a lot more open about Mac stuff. MS weirdness is getting old.

[CTyank]

It is not uncommon for software companies to stop supporting older hardware.

You can despise Microsoft all you want(and with good reason). The fact is, no software companies provide support for older versions forever.