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Windows 11 compatibility: Check if your PC can handle Microsoft's upgrade
https://www.cnet.com ^ | Oct. 6, 2021 9:00 a.m. PT | Mary King, Alison DeNisco Rayome

Posted on 10/06/2021 10:21:38 AM PDT by Red Badger

Windows 11 started to roll out, but is your laptop ready for the new OS? Find out using the PC Health Check app WhyNotWin11 and other options.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Microsoft will phase out Windows 10 support over the next few years, so it's important to make sure your device supports Windows 11.

Sarah Tew/CNET Windows 11 arrived Tuesday (here's our full Windows 11 review) and the big question on a lot of PC users' minds since Microsoft unveiled its first major operating system upgrade in six years is, will my computer be compatible? There's been some confusion about device compatibility since Microsoft's big announcement of the updated OS earlier this summer. But the short answer is that Windows 11 should work with most PCs, according to a company blog post. However, though its release date has finally arrived, even compatible devices won't necessarily get the upgrade yet -- Microsoft says you might have to wait until mid-2022 to download and install Windows 11.

Read more: Windows 11 review: Familiar but fresh

Annoyingly, Microsoft's own tool for determining device compatibility -- the PC Health Check app -- wasn't up to par when Microsoft first announced Windows 11 earlier this year (there were reports it didn't give people enough information about why their devices weren't compatible), so the company temporarily removed the app. But Microsoft's PC Health Check is now back online and in working order. The app will tell you if your computer meets the requirements to run Windows 11 and if it doesn't, it will tell you why and provide links for more support.

But that's not the only way to check if your device will work with the free Windows 11 update. Read on for all of your options for checking Windows 11 device compatibility. With the Windows 11 release date finally here (remember, however, that it'll be a staggered rollout), it's a good idea to check your own computer. If your device doesn't meet eligibility requirements, you may need to replace your PC by 2025 as Microsoft phases out Windows 10 over the next several years.

Option 1: Use Microsoft's PC Health Check app to see if your computer can run Windows 11 Follow these steps to test whether your PC meets the system requirements for Windows 11.

1. Download Microsoft's PC Health Check. Open the file, agree to the terms of service and click Install. Make sure the box is checked that says Open PC Health Check, and click Finish.

2. The app home page that pops up says, "PC health at a glance." At the top, a box reads, "Introducing Windows 11." Click Check now.

If your machine isn't compatible, you'll get a message that says, "This PC doesn't currently meet Windows 11 system requirements," with more information below.

If your machine is compatible, you can download the Windows 11 update for free. The official Windows 11 release date is today, Oct. 5, but Microsoft is planning a staggered rollout, and many devices will not see the upgrade until 2022.

Option 2: Try the WhyNotWin11 app to check Windows 11 compatibility An open-source app called WhyNotWin11 is a good alternative to the PC Health Check app. The Github app, created by a developer not affiliated with Microsoft, has a less friendly interface, but it should give you more information and go into more detail about various potential compatibility issues. Here's more information from TechRadar on how to use it to determine your own device compatibility with Windows 11.

Option 3: Check Microsoft's list of system specifications for Windows 11 To determine if your current PC will be able to run Windows 11, you can check out this list of system specifications on Microsoft's website, or in the chart below. If your machine is compatible, you can download the Windows 11 update for free when it becomes available.

What are the system requirements to run Windows 11? Here's the full list of system requirements for Windows 11, including at least 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a 720p display larger than 9 inches diagonally.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: compatibility; no; windows; windows10; windows11; windowspinglist
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To: Red Badger

MS PC Health Check app is only for win 10 systems. I am sticking with win 7. But no longer can find my install disc. So when the lay top fails to work. Will then be forced to up date to the latest window release.


21 posted on 10/06/2021 10:54:44 AM PDT by Don_Ret_USAF ("No Government can survive Without The Trust Of The People."er)
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To: Red Badger

I downloaded it and it runs well… so far. Not much change from Win


22 posted on 10/06/2021 10:55:11 AM PDT by Ouderkirk (Life is about ass, you're either covering, hauling, laughing, kicking, kissing, or behaving like one)
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To: Red Badger

Microsoft encouraging people to throw away very good computers. Windows 10 is crappy enough. Every time they do major updates then it slows down. They can keep windows 11.


23 posted on 10/06/2021 11:10:22 AM PDT by Revel
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To: Red Badger

The last forced update of windows 10 wiped out the OS and I have spent nearly two weeks recovering. I have been running the business on my Windows 7 machine since, which has been rock solid. If it wasn’t for needed software I would still use Win7, I still have hardware running XP. I think I will wait a while for windows 11 if their “support” includes wiping out their OS.


24 posted on 10/06/2021 11:14:27 AM PDT by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: Red Badger

Why on Earth would anyone rush into installing this?


25 posted on 10/06/2021 11:24:38 AM PDT by montag813
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To: Red Badger

My older Gateway desktop began to blue screen after a win 10 update a few months ago. I spent hours looking for file system corruption and possible driver issues with no success. Ended up wiping my hard drive and reinstalling Win 10, which didn’t resolve the issue. Decided to dump Windows and migrate to Ubuntu, which is running well. I installed Virtual Box, and within it Win 10. No more blue screens with Win 10.

Linux is not as user friendly as Windows, but at least it works. I was able to install Nordvpn and an app that automatically backs up files that have been modified or newly created (was using both with Windows). I used Linux with my last job, so making the transition was fairly easy for me. It isn’t nearly as important to have AV software on a Linux machine, as viruses designed for Linux are rare, but I will eventually install something for that purpose.

Problems similar to the ones I experienced are likely going to become more common with older machines. I will only purchase new hardware as a last resort.


26 posted on 10/06/2021 11:58:24 AM PDT by jasonandtheb
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To: jasonandtheb

It’s a racket. The software requires new hardware. The hardware requires new software.................


27 posted on 10/06/2021 12:16:14 PM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: OrangeHoof

“Another reason I’m happy to stay With Windows 7 and turned off the automatic updates.”

That would be me, too. And running MS Office 2003.


28 posted on 10/06/2021 12:17:20 PM PDT by MayflowerMadam
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To: Rurudyne

Amazon had several refurbished XPs for sale about a month ago. I was tempted to get one, only because I love the XP Sound Recorder so much. Then other stuff happened that took my mind off of that for a while.


29 posted on 10/06/2021 12:18:31 PM PDT by MayflowerMadam
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To: Red Badger

Time to install Linux.


30 posted on 10/06/2021 12:20:21 PM PDT by Scarlett156 (#CowboysAndMoslems2021)
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To: Pollard
My Computer tech has been running 11 for 3 months. A couple hours ago he installed 11 on my laptop.

So far it's working great. I see little difference in the 10 layout. I have noticed it's faster, but he did some cleanup too, so the faster might be related to that cleanup. Maybe a combination of both?

31 posted on 10/06/2021 12:20:40 PM PDT by ASA Vet (Stolen Elections Have Consequences.)
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To: ASA Vet

Maybe Win 11 is the second iteration of Win 10.


32 posted on 10/06/2021 12:48:20 PM PDT by Pollard (PureBlood)
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To: MayflowerMadam
"Start up a Windows XP machine and locate the file sndrec32.exe; Copy that file to your Windows 10 machine and try to run it. Maybe you need to run it in compatibility mode."

Same with Windows 7, I'm presuming.

https://superuser.com/questions/1120781/get-windows-xp-sound-recorder-on-windows-10

To run a program in compatibility mode, you right-click on the program in Windows Explorer, or on the icon if you put it on your desktop, for instance.

Select Properties from the resulting context menu.

There will be several tabs [General, Compatibility, Security, Details]. Select the Compatibility tab.

There will be options that you should be able to figure out. I did this with the 32-bit Spider card game program from XP.

33 posted on 10/06/2021 1:20:23 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: Red Badger

All this from the guy who once said no computer would ever need more than 650 KB.

There’s an old Christmas carol parody that goes, in part, “oh Microsoft, Microsoft, bloat ware all the way! I’ve sat here installing Word since breakfast yesterday. Oh Microsoft, Microsoft, moderation please! If you haven’t noticed 4 gig drives don’t grow on trees.”

And actually if it weren’t for bloat ware, what with people disabling old code rather than remove it and so forth, many things could run in a gigabyte easy.


34 posted on 10/06/2021 2:09:19 PM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: jasonandtheb

Bill Gates made Ctrl-Alt-Del famous:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_lg7w8gAXQ


35 posted on 10/06/2021 2:12:45 PM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: Red Badger

I use on old desktop. I get updates. Everything works fine. Why do I need any upgrades?


36 posted on 10/06/2021 2:35:59 PM PDT by JimRed (TERM LIMITS, NOW! Militia to the border! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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To: Red Badger

I can’t even get Windows 10 to boot up in less than 5 minutes. Why the hell would I waste my time on win 11?


37 posted on 10/06/2021 2:58:13 PM PDT by The MAGA-Deplorian (Democrats are lawless because Republicans are ball-less!)
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To: kiryandil

I do have the sndrec32.exe file, which is pretty easy to get online. For some reason, the quality sucks when running on Windows 7.

I recall in the mid-’90s that I made my own short audio clips from CDs to use for PC “events”, like new email alert, shut-down, etc. The sound recorder made editing easy, and the sound was clear. Now it’s just fuzzy. I’m not a pro AV person, so maybe I need to tweak something.

It’s no big deal, and nobody will die because of it, but it did a good job.


38 posted on 10/06/2021 3:49:41 PM PDT by MayflowerMadam
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To: kiryandil

Also, thanks for the tip about compatibility mode. I’ll try that.


39 posted on 10/06/2021 3:50:31 PM PDT by MayflowerMadam
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To: Red Badger

Thank the lord I don’t have to worry about this crap any longer, i bought a Macbook Air and i am glad i did.


40 posted on 10/06/2021 3:59:00 PM PDT by Captain Peter Blood (https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/3804407/posts?q=1&;pag, and that)
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