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Win 11 adds 'requirements not met' nag for unsupported hardware
The Register ^ | Mar 21, 2022 | Brandon Vigliarolo

Posted on 03/24/2022 10:53:40 AM PDT by dayglored

Don't wanna buy the latest stuff? Here's your watermark

Those running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware are getting an update, though not the kind that low-end hardware and VM users might be hoping for.

The latest Release Preview of Windows 11 adds an undocumented feature that slaps a line of text in the lower right hand side of the Windows desktop and a similar warning in the Settings app for any system that fails to meet Windows 11's exacting standards.

The message is short and to the point: "System requirements not met. Go to Settings to learn more."

It's also far less obtrusive than the watermarks on unactivated Windows 11 systems, which shows inside full-screen apps. This one does not.

Microsoft's strict hardware requirements for Windows 11 are well known, and the method for bypassing them is likely also known to anyone who needs to run Windows 11 on older computers or in a virtual environment.

Even when circumvented, Microsoft takes pains to notify users, which can get cumbersome in enterprise environments. (This will be rare, as Windows 11 on unsupported hardware is nightmare fuel for admins.)

However, the warnings are not as burdensome as the hardware requirements, which have kept Windows 11 software from running on countless machines that didn't meet the requisite 4GB RAM, 1GHz 64-bit processor.

As of November 2021, Microsoft's latest operating system was only on 0.21 percent of systems included in a survey of 10 million IT assets, compared to Windows XP's 3.62 percent.

Microsoft didn't respond to a question about whether or not it plans to take any additional action against those running Windows 11 on unqualified hardware. The Windows-maker put a number of restrictions in place on unregistered copies of Windows 10, but hardware requirements aren't the same as violating terms of service.

Microsoft would be setting itself up for serious PR blowback if it started restricting Windows 11 on unqualified hardware after upsetting people with strict hardware requirements in the first place.

Microsoft has previously stated that Windows 11 installs on unsupported hardware won't be entitled to updates, though when and how that cutoff is decided remains unclear, as this feature would have been pointless had that time already come.

It's also worth noting that, as previously reported by The Register, hardware requirement checks on Windows 11 are only performed when upgrading a PC from Windows 10, and it's those instances where the bypass comes in, and where warnings will start to appear.

Fresh Windows 11 installations from an ISO file don't check for hardware requirements, so if you're willing to start fresh you might be able to avoid this entire kerfuffle.

Unless, that is, Microsoft is adding that watermark to all systems, even those with a fresh installation that didn't experience a hardware check with a prior version of Windows 11. ®


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: microsoft; windows; windows11; windowspinglist
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A nag banner in the lower-right has been a "feature" of Windows for many years, of course, but usually it only applied to "Non-Activated" installations.

Thanks, Microsoft, I really need you to tell me I'm on non-authorized hardware, like I didn't already know...

1 posted on 03/24/2022 10:53:40 AM PDT by dayglored
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To: Abby4116; afraidfortherepublic; aft_lizard; AF_Blue; AppyPappy; arnoldc1; ATOMIC_PUNK; bajabaja; ...
Windows 11 Hardware Nag Update... PING!

You can find all the Windows Ping list threads with FR search: just search on keyword "windowspinglist".

2 posted on 03/24/2022 10:54:22 AM PDT by dayglored ("Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.")
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To: dayglored

Speaking of nags, I need to update the “Windows 10 Update” image.....


3 posted on 03/24/2022 10:55:20 AM PDT by dayglored ("Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.")
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To: dayglored

Way off topic, but does anyone have any suggestions for photo restoration programs for a Mac? Something simple a dummy like me could use?

Scratch & noise removal, tear repair, color restoration, all that stuff.


4 posted on 03/24/2022 10:57:02 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: dayglored

I keep getting prompted to download Edge.


5 posted on 03/24/2022 10:57:41 AM PDT by nuconvert ( Warning: Accused of being a radical militarist. Approach with caution.)
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To: dayglored

Next step they will shut you off. nd all efforts to circumvent.

Supporting Bill Gates in any form is a moral crime.


6 posted on 03/24/2022 10:59:22 AM PDT by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
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To: dayglored

It’s easy enough to fix...

https://www.linux.org/pages/download/


7 posted on 03/24/2022 11:02:10 AM PDT by vikingd00d (chown -R us ~you/base)
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To: dayglored

“...compared to Windows XP’s 3.62 percent....”

Do they count XP VMs?


8 posted on 03/24/2022 11:06:48 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: skeeter
> Way off topic, but does anyone have any suggestions for photo restoration programs for a Mac? Something simple a dummy like me could use? Scratch & noise removal, tear repair, color restoration, all that stuff.

You're right, that's WAY off-topic. :-)

Maybe post a different thread? Vanities like that are usually tolerated pretty well.

I recommend that you also ping FReeper Swordmaker for assistance.

9 posted on 03/24/2022 11:07:06 AM PDT by dayglored ("Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.")
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To: skeeter
7458-E66-D-409-A-44-BB-A7-EB-1993-B8-F395-B2
only $55 forever license. Does a good job
10 posted on 03/24/2022 11:07:37 AM PDT by The Louiswu (The times they are a changin. )
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To: The Louiswu

Thanks!


11 posted on 03/24/2022 11:08:34 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: The Louiswu; skeeter
Great suggestion. Note: available for MacOC, Windows, and iOS. No Linux or Android.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affinity_Photo

12 posted on 03/24/2022 11:15:34 AM PDT by dayglored ("Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.")
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To: dayglored

I made an attempt to upgrade but apparently my I5 4ghz 8gig gtx960 was to old for it..
f’em


13 posted on 03/24/2022 11:18:10 AM PDT by mowowie
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To: dayglored
MacOC -> MacOS

(SFS - Sticky Finger Syndrome)

14 posted on 03/24/2022 11:18:57 AM PDT by dayglored ("Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.")
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To: dayglored
an undocumented feature

I'm in the industry and that's an old, polite was of saying, "Bug".

15 posted on 03/24/2022 11:20:31 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (Imagine, if you will, a vaccine so safe you have to be threatened to take it. )
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To: vikingd00d

Yep.

If I had a system using a 1GHz processor and 4GB of RAM, I wouldn’t be trying to use Win11. Linux Mint or WinXP, maybe.


16 posted on 03/24/2022 11:20:44 AM PDT by AF_Blue (My decision-making skills closely resemble those of a squirrel when crossing a road)
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To: vikingd00d
The ultimate Windows Service Pack.

I gave up Windows when they started talking of sunsetting XP. I use XP only on a Sun Virtual Box VM. So if I need Winders, there it is.

Linux does the trick.

17 posted on 03/24/2022 11:24:07 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (Imagine, if you will, a vaccine so safe you have to be threatened to take it. )
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To: mowowie

“I made an attempt to upgrade but apparently my I5 4ghz 8gig gtx960 was to old for it..”

What did the installer say was the specific problem?


18 posted on 03/24/2022 11:26:44 AM PDT by cymbeline
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To: dayglored

This kinda crap makes Win 7 look pretty good. Linux also.


19 posted on 03/24/2022 11:31:26 AM PDT by upchuck (The longer I remain unjabbed with the clot-shot, the more evidence I see supporting my decision.)
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To: upchuck

Win 7 on this machine. Linux on the desktops.

Handhelds have whatever they came with.


20 posted on 03/24/2022 11:34:55 AM PDT by Paladin2
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